Green Enchilada Chicken Soup combines super flavorful enchilada sauce, green chilis, cheese and seasonings into a satisfying soup that’s easy to make and so tasty.
The depth of flavor makes this soup irresistibly delicious and very comforting, just like the Chicken Rice Soup and Southwestern Chicken Soup we’re always making. It’s even better the next day after all the flavors have had extra time to develop.
You can make this soup on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Whatever method is easiest for you. It can also be frozen, so you can make it as a freezer meal to heat up later.
Nancy says: 
Easy to make and delicious everyone loved
Amy Liu Dong says:
Another awesome soup with our all-time favorite chicken. This soup is so delicious! I totally love it, perfect for this cold season!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken: You will need boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. Although I have used chicken breast meat, you could use boneless chicken thigh meat as well.
- Green enchilada sauce: I use Las Palmas green enchilada sauce, but there are many different brands you can choose. It’s also not difficult to make your own green enchilada sauce if you want to give it a try.
- Onion: You can use red or white onion for this recipe.
- Olive oil: Using olive oil will add healthy fats to the soup. You can use avocado oil or any other cooking oil as well.
- Garlic: For the depth of savory flavor, use freshly minced garlic.
- Chicken broth: If you are using store-bought broth, make sure it is low in sodium. You can also use chicken bouillon dissolved in water.
- Green chilis: You’ll find these in a jar from brands like Ortega or Hatch. They usually come in a 4 oz jar. Make sure you get the chopped version.
- Monterey jack cheese: Monterey jack cheese as a nice smooth texture. You can use cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Cream cheese: adding cream cheese enhances the creaminess of the soup.
- Seasonings: Cumin, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
- Garnish: Freshly chopped cilantro and sour cream are the perfect garnish for this soup.
How to Make Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Step 1: Sauté the onions and garlic
Heat a large pot over medium heat. When hot add the olive oil. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until they are fragrant.
Step 2: Add other ingredients & simmer
Add the chicken breast, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, green chilis, and seasonings to the pot and stir. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. It takes about 15 minutes for smaller pieces, up to 25 minutes for larger pieces.
Step 3: Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it into small pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 additional minutes. You can keep it on the stove top for up to an hour, if you want, but put the lid on so the liquid doesn’t evaporate.
Step 4: Add the cheese
Just before you’re ready to serve the serve, add the cheese and cream cheese to the pot. Stir it continually until everything is melted.
Step 5: Serve
Serve the soup in a bowl with chopped cilantro and sour cream on the top as garnish. You can also add more cheese and some green onions, if you like. We also like to add avocado sometimes.
Slow Cooker Instructions
To make this in the slow cooker, put everything in and set it on low heat for 6 hours. Shred the chicken at the end of cooking and add the cheeses just before serving.
Instant Pot Instructions
To make this in the Instant Pot, put everything, except for the cheese and cream cheese, into the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes with a 10 minute pressure release. Remove the chicken and shred it, then add the cheese, as you do in the original instructions.
Questions About Green Enchilada Soup
Is green enchilada sauce and salsa verde the same thing?
Both green enchilada sauce and salsa verde are made with green chilis, so they taste quite similar, however there are a few main difference between the two. Enchilada sauce is cooked with a few more spices, while salsa verde is raw and doesn’t contain a lot of ingredients.
Enchilada sauce is also very soupy and liquidy, while salsa verde is thicker chopped fresh veggies.
Can you use red enchiladas sauce instead of green?
Although I have used green enchiladas sauce for this recipe, you can also use red enchiladas sauce. Red enchiladas sauce is made from red chilies instead of green and has a spicier flavor.
Can you make this soup in an Instant Pot?
You can speed up the cooking time of this soup and develop more flavor by using an Instant Pot. Add the first ingredients to the Instant Pot and pressure cook the chicken for 6 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to come up to pressure. When the time is up, go a natural release for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
Shred the chicken and put it back into the pot. Then add the cheeses and stir until melted. There’s no need for additional cooking once the pressure cooking time is over.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Like it, Love it, Want Some More of It? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. We really love it when you save our recipes to Pinterest 😊
Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 15 ounces (425.24 g) can green enchilada sauce
- 2 1/2 cups (591.47 ml) chicken broth
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) chopped green chilis
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.75 g) salt
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.25 g) ground black pepper
- 1 cup (113 g) Monterey jack cheese
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons (0.8 g) cilantro chopped
- Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. When hot add the olive oil. Saute the onions for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the chicken breast, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, green chilis, and seasonings to the pot and stir. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken and shred.
- Add shredded chicken back to the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 additional minutes.
- Add the cheese and cream cheese to the pot. Stir and continue to heat soup until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with chopped cilantro and sour cream.
Notes
- If you want to use pre-cooked chicken instead, add it shredded to the soup pot with the other ingredients and let it simmer for just 15 minutes before adding the cheese.
- You can use other cheeses besides Monterey Jack, like shredded cheddar or mozzarella.
Nutrition
Pin it for later!
Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes and currently has a cookbook in development.
Another awesome soup with our all-time favorite chicken. This soup is so delicious! I totally love it, perfect for this cold season!
Easy to make and delicious everyone loved
Glad to hear it Nancy!