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This slow cooker chicken enchilada soup recipe only takes a quick 10 minutes of prep time and tastes so delicious and comforting. The perfect soup for when you want something bursting with flavor but don’t want to slave over the stove all day!
You guys, I just found my new favorite soup. ♥
It’s this yummy, chicken enchilada soup. Loaded with so much enchilada flavor and topped with crispy tortilla strips! Ah, Monday’s are meant for exciting food, aren’t they?
As evidenced by the numerous soup recipes on the blog, such as my Homemade Minestrone Soup (which, everyone that’s tried it said it was delicious), or my Slow Cooker Jalapeno Lime Chicken Soup, and even my Creamy Roasted Garlic Potato Soup, I am a self proclaimed soup-a-holic. I think it’s a real condition.
And if you’re a regular on LSJ, you know I love whipping up a storm in the slow cooker. Slow cooker recipes are perfect for when i’ve got a day full of recipe testing going on. If I was living the bachelorette lifestyle, I can guarantee that i’d have a little Yorkie and be eating hummus and scrambled egg tortilla wraps for every meal I wasn’t making for the blog. Fortunately, there’s a hubby in the picture that prevents me from living like an overgrown college student.
Moving along…
The only step that’s required before making this chicken enchilada soup it’s to sauté the onions and garlic in a skillet before popping all the ingredients in a slow cooker. A couple tablespoons of olive oil, 1 medium onions, a few cloves of garlic, once they’ve been sautéed, add the cumin and the Mexican oregano to the pan so it has a few seconds to infuse the oil/garlic/onions.
For this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup recipe, we’re using simple, flavorful ingredients that after cooking all day in the crockpot give us PHENOMENAL results. I really like making my soups in a crockpot rather than on the stove for several reasons: 1.) less prep, stirring 2.) longer cooking = more flavor development 3.) set it and forget it! 4.) cooks itself for you, for the most part. You just cannot get the same flavor in this soup from making it on the stove in a quick 30 minutes. The ingredients really need to sit and mellow out and really marry each other to produce a soup that’s flavorful from the second it hits your lips.
I like to make homemade enchilada sauce for this recipe. Though store bought sauce works as well, the homemade enchilada sauce really gives it a lot deeper flavor. I find that store bought sauce it usually a little runnier and doesn’t really consist of all that much flavor. The best thing about homemade sauce is that 1 batch makes about 3 cups, the sauce can be frozen, and 3 cups still costs you less than the 10oz can at the grocery store. Are you convinced yet?
I’d say make a big batch of sauce, freeze half for when you NEED enchiladas and use the rest to make this soup. OR make a double batch of chicken enchilada soup. Trust me, this soup tastes better as it sits. Yes, it’s one of those!
The topping possibilities – I think every Mexican-inspired soup deserves some crunchy tortilla strips. I like to make them at home but you can also find them in stores pre-made. Crushed up tortilla chips do the trick too ;). I top my chicken enchilada soup with lots and lots of cilantro, sliced avocados, and just an additional squeeze of lime juice. The hubby likes chipotle smoked cheese and a hint of sour cream. But whatever you decide to top your soup with, you simply can’t go wrong.
So here’s your assignment for today. Make chicken enchilada soup, enjoy it for dinner, and then the leftovers for lunch throughout the week. Top the soup with your favorite toppings. Oh, and I wanna see, so make sure your taking pics and tagging #littlespicejar on Insta[gram]. Because nothing makes me happier than looking at food 😀 .
Have a flavorful Monday!
Chicken Enchilada Soup (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano regular will work too
- 1 pound chicken breasts about 2
- 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (homemade
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans 15 oz each black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn can add more if you'd like
- 1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, with juices
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes or until translucent, add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute. Add the cumin powder and oregano and let it heat through for just 30 seconds. Set aside.
- Add the chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, black beans, corn, roasted tomatoes, cilantro, and the onion mixture from the previous step to the slow cooker. Cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours or the high setting for 3-4 or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with two forks. Add the lime juice and stir. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Some suggested toppings: Additional chopped cilantro, lime juice, diced or sliced avocados, crispy tortilla strips, crushed up tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese.
- I highly suggest making the enchilada sauce at home as the flavor is 10 times better than with the store-bought sauce. Keep in mind that each store-bought sauce is seasoned differently, you may need additional seasonings to make the soup more flavorful.
- This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free enchilada sauce.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Have you adapted for Insta pot? I’m thinking ten minutes quick release?
Made this tonight…. so easy to make and so delicious. Your recipes have inspired me to try new flavours during this stay at home pandemic in Ontario, Canada.
Does anyone know if this freezes well? I like to give seniors frozen soup for they don’t feel like cooking.
Omg the best ever! My boyfriend could not stop eating this soup! I can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thank you so much
Yay! Glad you guys enjoyed it! 🙂
How do you make the enchilada sauce?
Sarah if you look at where the ingredients are listed, next to enchilada sauce it says ‘homemade’ that’s a link that will take you to my recipe. 🙂
You said “Cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours and the high setting for 3-4. 3-4 hours? I’ve never had to cook a meal for 10-12 hours.
Sheila it’s suppose to read ‘or’.
This was delicious! I had some frozen shredded chicken that I had previously made in the crock pot so I just made this on the stove, added a small can of fire roasted green chillies and simmered for about 45 min. Great for cold nights 🙂
I have to make this slow cooked enchilada soup – I really don’t feel like cooking tonight.. the weather is too cold for it!
This looks great! I’ve been looking for more flavorful slow cooker recipes lately and this one definitely fits this bill! I’m going to pin it for later- thanks!!
-Kelsey
Absolutely love this, and so easy too!
Thanks Matt!