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Slow cooker chicken enchilada soup
I’m staring at the photos of this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup as I write this post and it’s a whopping 97 degrees outside on the 3rd day of October.
Yes, OCTOBER.
Pretty sure this is a really bad joke from Mother Nature.
Regardless of the temperature outside, it is always a good day to make soup.
Especially soup in the slow cooker.
More specifically this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup.
Tips for making this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup
- Make sure you read the recipe as there is a prep step that is a little extra than just dumping all the ingredients into the slow cooker.
- Plan ahead. This soup, on low heat, takes 6-8 hours.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
Yes!
You can make the sauce right in the insert of the Instant Pot then add all the ingredients, mix, and put it on manual pressure for 20 minutes.
Do I have to make the stovetop sauce?
Yes. It takes a little bit of extra time but well worth it.
Can I make this with another protein?
You can use chicken thighs if you don’t want to use chicken breasts.
You could also use shrimp but if you were to use shrimp, I wouldn’t add it into the soup to cook the entire time. I’d add the shrimp in when the soup is done cooking and the residual heat can cook the shrimp through.
Can I freeze this?
Yes, just make sure you let it cool completely in a freezer-safe container before putting it into the freezer.
Also, don’t fill the container all the way to the top. Liquids expand when frozen so you don’t want it to burst.
Can I add other ingredients into the soup?
Absolutely! Whatever you think would go well with the flavors of chicken enchilada.
What toppings would be good to serve the slow cooker chicken enchilada soup with?
As you can see in the photos, it was topped with avocados and sour cream.
You can add a squeeze of lime and some chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.
Other slow cooker recipes that you would love:
- Slow cooker pumpkin coconut curry
- Mississippi roast
- Slow cooker Korean tacos
- Slow cooker chicken pot pie soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup (118 ml) chicken broth
- 2 cups (473 ml) milk
- 10 ounce (284 ml) can of enchilada sauce
- 15 ounce (425 g) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 14.5 ounce (411 g) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 10 ounce (284 g) package frozen corn
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 large chicken breasts
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat and whisk in the flour until smooth and bubbly.
- Remove from heat and add in the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
- Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring until it thickens. Then whisk in the enchilada sauce. Continue to whisk the mixture as you add the rest of the milk.
- In the insert of the slow cooker, add beans, tomatoes, frozen corn, onions, and green bell pepper.
- Place the chicken on top of this mixture.
- Pour the sauce you just made over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Right before serving, take out the chicken and shred it. Then add it back into the pot and mix to combine well.
- You can top this with whatever cheese you like and whatever toppings!
Nutrition
Photography by Jesse Reilly
It calls for green peppers. Canned diced green chiles, or bell peppers? Also, the recipe calls for onion. I went shopping already and got a regular yellow onion, when I just looked at the picture it looks like green onion. Do you use both? Sorry! I’m new to this whole cooking thing. Also, I purchased red enchilada sauce. What is the difference between red and green, just the spiciness level? IS the taste that different? HELP!
I used green bell pepper. You can use whatever onions you have on hand :) I believe I just used green onions as a garnish. You’re correct, the difference between red and green enchilada sauce is just the spiciness factor :)
Do you just put the chicken in the crock pot raw?
Yup! :)
I made this tonight for dinner, and it’s sooo good! It’s super easy to put together. I think next time I may use a spicier enchilada sauce, but other than that, it was great!
I’m definitely no foodie extraordinaire and today was no exception. I put all the ingredients in the crockpot and then pushed on before I actually read the directions. I’m happy to report that even though the butter/flour/chicken broth were not combined on the stove prior to adding it to the veggies and chicken… it still tasted good to me :)
Awesome! I’m glad it worked out for ya!
I made this a couple of nights ago…it was AMAZING! My husband absolutely loved it as well! Thank you so much for sharing!
I am not a fan of black beans, any suggestions for black beans substitute?
You can use pinto beans instead.
red or green enchilada sauce? Looks like green probably, but I want to be sure.
Yup, it was green! You can use red or green, actually. I did green because I wasn’t sure how spicy it’d turn out.
Crockpot meals are the best. Love the flavors in this Julie!
I’m making this, very soon! That’s so funny about your crock pot fear! I love leaving it on all day and coming home to an awesome smelling apartment and delicious dinner.
Crock pot Enchilada soup owns my soul.