There's a reason this green chicken enchilada soup went viral-it's easy, cozy, and packed with flavor! Tender shredded chicken, a rich and creamy broth, and just the right kick of zesty green enchilada sauce make this green enchilada chicken soup irresistible. With Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and salsa verde, it's the perfect balance of comfort and spice-plus, it's high-protein and low-carb!
The backstory.
Forgotten Ingredient = New Family Favorite
I was all set to make my favorite green chicken enchiladas-the chicken was prepped, the cheese was ready, and the enchilada sauce was waiting to be poured. But just as I started assembling, I opened the pantry and-no tortillas. Not a single one. I stood there for a moment, debating whether to abandon ship or make a desperate grocery run, but then inspiration (and hunger) took over. Instead of rolling enchiladas, I decided to turn everything into a soup. I tossed the chicken, broth, and green enchilada sauce into the slow cooker, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.
A few hours later, what came out was pure comfort in a bowl-a creamy, cheesy, flavor-packed soup that tasted just like green enchiladas, only cozier. The chicken was fall-apart tender, the broth was rich and velvety, and every bite had that perfect balance of zesty salsa verde and melty cheese. My family devoured it, and just like that, my go-to Green Enchilada Chicken Soup was born. Now, I make it on purpose-because sometimes, the best recipes happen by accident!
xoxo Kori
The must-make green chicken enchilada soup!
The viral sensation. A few years ago, this soup went viral-millions of views and still holding strong as my #1 recipe. Why? Because it's downright delicious! 🔥
Big flavor, easy prep. Think cheesy, creamy, enchilada goodness-only in soup form! It's rich, satisfying, and ridiculously easy to make with only a few ingredients. Plus, you get to choose your method: slow cooker, stovetop, or Instant Pot!
Super customizable. It's easily adaptable to your family's tastes, pantry staples on hand, or dietary needs! Check out the flexible dietary swaps section below for more information.
What you'll need.
Here is what you'll need to make creamy chicken enchilada soup in your slow cooker or Instant Pot:
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs - either one can be used.
- Green Enchilada Sauce - use my homemade recipe (seriously, try it!) or grab a 28 ounce can.
- Chicken Broth
- Half and Half - half and half or heavy cream can be used.
- Monterey Jack Cheese - if you can, grate your own cheese it melts better than packaged.
- Cream Cheese - cubed and very soft. Soften it in the microwave before adding to the soup.
- Green Salsa (Salsa Verde) - make your own salsa verde (it's easy) or use any favorite brand.
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Optional Garnish - avocado, green onion, sour cream, cilantro
Special equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker, an Instant Pot, or a soup pot
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Make it yours.
Here are a few ways you can customize this recipe:
- Spice it up by adding hot sauce, additional salsa, or chili pepper flakes.
- Try adding a can of diced green chiles.
- Add hominy, drained canned corn, or beans like white beans (cannellini or great northern), black beans, or pinto beans. Readers love it with hominy!
- Fresh vegetables are wonderful in this soup. Add mushrooms, zucchini, sliced carrots when you add the broth.
- Add a quick cooking minute rice, or add a half cup of long grain rice with the broth.
Flexible dietary swaps.
This soup is already a high-protein, low-carb favorite, but it's super easy to tweak based on your preferences or what's in your fridge:
- Dairy-Free? Use a plant-based cream cheese (like almond or cashew-based), unsweetened plain oat milk or coconut milk in place of half and half, and swap in a vegan cream cheese alternative (to keep it creamy). Boom-dairy-free comfort in a bowl.
- Lighter Option? Use fat-free half and half or low-fat cream cheese, and reduce the shredded cheese to 1 cup. You'll still get that creamy vibe with fewer calories.
- Higher Fat/Keto-Friendly? Use heavy cream instead of half and half, add extra Monterey Jack, or top with avocado and a dollop of sour cream for good fats.
- More Veggies? Stir in spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, or riced cauliflower during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. They'll bulk it up without changing the flavor.
- Vegetarian Swap: Sub in white beans (like cannellini or great northern) or chickpeas for the chicken, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Spice Control: Tone it down with mild enchilada sauce or salsa verde-or turn up the heat with jalapeños, hot sauce, or spicy salsa. Your call!
The bottom line: this soup loves a good remix. Make it your own and love every spoonful.
How to make green enchilada chicken soup
This soup recipe can be made in a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on your stove. See the recipe card for more detailed instructions. Enjoy!
Slow cooker method (easiest)
Slow cook
Add chicken breast or thighs, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth. Slow cook until the chicken is tender and easily shreds apart.
Shred the chicken
Remove chicken, shred and return to the crockpot.
Add remaining ingredients
Add half and half, jack cheese, softened cream cheese, and green salsa. Turn the crockpot to warm and stir until the cheeses are melted.
Instant pot method (fastest!)
- Add chicken, enchilada sauce, and broth to your Instant Pot.
- Seal and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Quick release, shred chicken, stir in remaining ingredients, and enjoy!
Stovetop method (weeknight-worthy!)
- In a large stockpot, add chicken, broth, and enchilada sauce. Simmer until chicken is done and can easily be pulled apart. Remove chicken and shred.
- Add shredded chicken and remaining ingredients. Stir and heat soup until it is warm and the cheese is melted.
How to enjoy it.
- Adjust salt, pepper, and salsa to taste. Use hot sauce to increase the heat.
- Delicious topped with avocado, cilantro, green onion, and sour cream.
- Give your kids some scooped tortilla chips and let them scoop up their soup.
- Crush tortilla chips over the top to add some crunch.
If you love chicken soup, be sure to check out these easy, healthy chicken soup recipes!
Love enchiladas? Make your own homemade green enchilada sauce, try the lighter healthy green chicken enchilada soup, the white bean enchilada soup, or the 6-ingredient ground beef enchilada soup. Craving the real thing? Make these green chicken enchiladas or browse all 15+ cozy enchilada recipes.
Kori's tips.
- To add heat, use more green salsa or a green chili hot sauce.
- No cream cheese clumps. Make sure your cream cheese is very soft (warm it in the microwave a few seconds at a time on low). Then whisk it with a ladle of the hot broth before stirring it into the soup. Cold cream cheese won't melt smoothly and leaves lumps.
- Smooth, not stringy, cheese. Always grate your own Monterey Jack. Pre-packaged shredded cheese is coated in potato starch to keep it from sticking, which also keeps it from melting smoothly. Stir the cheese in over low heat (or on Warm) and don't let the soup boil. High heat makes the cheese tighten up and turn stringy.
- Add the salsa verde and dairy last. Stirring them in at the end keeps their flavor from getting diluted during the long cook.
FAQs
Red enchilada sauce is made with red tomatoes, red chili peppers, onions, and other spices.
Green enchilada sauce is most often made of diced green chili peppers (such as anaheim peppers, hatch, jalapeno, etc.), garlic, vegetable stock, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Additional jalapeno peppers may also be added for more spice. Sometimes recipes will add tomatillos as well.
Both use very similar ingredients, but green enchilada sauce is cooked, and salsa verde uses raw ingredients. Not all green enchilada sauce recipes use tomatillos (but some do), whereas most salsa verde recipes use tomatillos.
Typically green enchilada sauce is made of spicy and mild green chili peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and other seasonings. Sometimes a recipe will add tomatillos as well - but not always.
Yes. Here's how to make Instant Pot Green Enchilada Chicken Soup:
Add chicken, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Seal and pressure cook on High for 15 minutes, then quick release. Remove chicken and shred.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and set it to Keep Warm.
Stir in the half and half, very soft cream cheese, jack cheese, and green salsa until the cheeses are melted.
Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Yes! Here's how to make Green Enchiladas Chicken Soup on your stovetop:
In a large stockpot, add chicken, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth.
Simmer until the chicken is done and can easily be pulled apart.
Remove chicken and shred.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half and half, very soft cream cheese, jack cheese, and green salsa until the soup is warm and the cheeses are melted. Do not let it boil.
Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve with additional green salsa, hot sauce, and sour cream on the side. Enjoy!
Yes. This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat slow. Fats from the dairy may become separated; add additional milk or cream as needed.
Yes. You can use fat-free half and half and you can reduce the cheese to 1 cup without sacrificing taste.
Adding olive oil and additional cheese will increase the fat in this recipe. You can also use heavy cream in place of half and half. Topping the soup with avocado and sour cream will also increase the fat.
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Can I ask you a favor?
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📖 The recipe.
Green Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 recipe green enchilada sauce (or a 28-ounce can store-bought sauce)
- 24 ounces chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese (cubed and softened - warm in the microwave if needed)
- 4 ounces green salsa (salsa verde)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- In a 6-quart slow cooker, add chicken breast or thighs, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth.
- Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or until the chicken is tender and easily shreds. Remove chicken and shred.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker along with the jack cheese, very soft cream cheese, half and half, and green salsa. Turn the slow cooker to warm and stir until the cheeses are melted.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce or additional salsa to taste.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add chicken, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Seal and pressure cook on High for 15 minutes, then quick release. Remove chicken and shred.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot and set it to Keep Warm. Stir in the half and half, very soft cream cheese, jack cheese, and green salsa until the cheeses are melted.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce or additional salsa to taste.
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large stockpot, add chicken, green enchilada sauce, and chicken broth. Simmer until chicken is done and can easily be pulled apart. Remove chicken and shred.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half and half, very soft cream cheese, jack cheese, and green salsa until the soup is warm and the cheeses are melted. Do not let it boil.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce or additional salsa to taste.
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Kori's Tips
Nutrition
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Kim
This is a fabulous recipe!!!!!!
Kori
I'm so glad you loved it! It's always been a favorite of mine and thank you for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it!
LORI
I have made the original and many variations of this soup sooooo many times and everyone loves it!!!!!!
Today I cooked a whole chicken in an instant pot. Took meat off threw bones back in for bone broth. In a pot on the stove I sauteed celery and potatoes, garlic and onion powder, cumin, seasoned salt, dumped 2 jars of green enchilada sauce, 2 cans mild diced green chilis. Grilled 2 fresh ears of corn, pureed and added plus a jar of black beans. Added chicken and bone broth. Cooked until celery and potatoes were tender. One package of cream cheese blended with small amount of bone broth and added towards the end. It doesn't need to be room temp then and I can decide at the end if I want to add it in or not. It blends in very well and very creamy.
Thank you so much for one of the best soup recipes that can be done so many different ways.
Kori
Wow, I love how you've made this soup your own over the years! 😊 It makes me so happy to hear you've made the original with so many variations and that everyone loves it.
Jessica Searles
I NEVER leave reviews on anything but I just had to for this soup because it is AMAZING!! It's awesome following recipe as is, but I do sometimes add sautéed jalapeño and onions. I also take out some of the warm broth and use electric mixer in a separate bowl with the cream cheese before adding because that keeps the cream cheese from "balling up"
Kori
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 😊 That truly means a lot to me. I'm thrilled you love the soup! Your additions of sautéed jalapeños and onions sound delicious.
Megan
This recipe is delicious. I did tweak it a bit and added my own stuff to it. I added cumin, fresh onions, minced garlic, corn and white beans to mine. I used 12 oz of salsa Verde instead of the 4oz and heavy whipping cream. This dinner is delicious. Shredding the montery and colby jack added that extra zing. Thank you for a delicious recipe and suggestions! It is now going to be in my rotation for dinner.
Kori
Thank you so much for sharing your version! I'm especially happy to hear this recipe has earned a spot in your dinner rotation. That's one of the best compliments I could receive.
Julie
I forgot to add to my previous reply we top the soup with crumbled tortilla chips and cilantro.
The tortilla chips add masa harina flavor that green enchiladas have from corn tortillas.
Yummy!!
Kori
Oh that sounds amazing!
Ruth
Is the cheese stringy? The cheese in soups never seems to melt creamy
Kori
Hi Ruth, to keep the soups from getting too stringy, I highly recommend you always grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt very well.
Karen Ross
Ruth, I agree with Kori. All my soup recipes that add grated cheese say to remove from heat while stirring in the cheese. I hope this will help the next time you make this amazing soup
Bella
Do you think I could use Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese?
Kori
Hi Bella! I haven’t tested it with Greek yogurt, but it could work. It will be a bit lighter and slightly more tangy than using cream cheese. If you try it, I’d recommend stirring it in at the very end over low heat so it doesn’t curdle. Let me know how it turns out — I’d love to hear!
Julie
The entire family loved this soup!! It is so delicious!!
The only thing I changed was I used Mild Green Enchilada Sauce and Mild Herdez salsa verde.
We live in South Central Texas where every other restaurant is a Mexican restaurant.
This recipe tastes just the like green enchiladas we get!!
Thank you for this recipe!!
Kori
Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear the whole family loved it and I love the substitution idea!
Debbie Poole
This is the best soup! I added a can of Mexicorn (no juice) and can of white beans (drained). At your suggestion, I topped with avocado slices and fresh cilantro. It is absolutely delicious.
Kori
That sounds absolutely delicious Debbie! The Mexicorn and white beans are such a smart addition. I love the avocado and cilantro finish, I think it really brings it all together. So glad you enjoyed it!”
Sarah Holford
This recipe is on rotation & a family favorite. We started adding hominy to it & OMG ITS SOOOO GOOD. I highly recommend trying it. TY for sharing recipe 10/10 ☺️
Kori
Thank you so much! 😊 It makes me so happy to hear this recipe has become a family favorite! I love your idea of adding hominy—that sounds like such a delicious addition!