There's a reason this green enchilada chicken soup recipe 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 it 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 drained canned corn and beans like black beans, pinto beans, etc.
- 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 enchiladas 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!
Kori's tips.
- To add heat, use more green salsa or a green chili hot sauce.
- Make sure your cream cheese is very soft before adding it to the soup. Cold cream cheese will not melt very well. You can even soften it in the microwave before adding it to the soup.
- For best "melt-ability", always grate your own cheese. Pre-packaged grated cheese is often coated in potato starch, which helps prevent sticking inside the package. Unfortunately, this also keeps it from melting very well.
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:
Cook your chicken on high pressure with 1 cup of broth for 8 minutes. Do a quick release after 10 minutes. Remove chicken and shred.
Set Instant Pot to saute medium, and add remaining broth, shredded chicken, green enchilada sauce, salsa, and heat until warm.
Add cheese and remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese is 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 and broth.
Simmer until the chicken is done and can easily be pulled apart.
Remove chicken and shred.
Add shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, half and half, jack cheese, cream cheese, and green salsa to the pot. Stir and heat soup until it is warm and the cheese is melted.
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.
Can I ask you a favor?
If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!
📖 The recipe.
Green Chicken Enchilada Soup - Creamy and Cheesy!
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 pot along with, jack cheese, very soft cream cheese, half and half, and green salsa to the slow cooker. 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:
- Cook your chicken on high pressure with 1 cup of broth for 8 minutes. Do a quick release after 10 minutes. Remove chicken and shred.
- Set pot to saute medium, and add remaining broth, shredded chicken, green enchilada sauce, salsa, and heat until warm. Add cheese and remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese is melted.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce or additional salsa to taste.
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large stockpot, add chicken and broth. Simmer until chicken is done and can easily be pulled apart. Remove chicken and shred.
- Add shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, half and half, jack cheese, cream cheese, and green salsa to the pot. Stir and heat soup until it is warm and the cheese is melted.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce or additional salsa to taste.
Video
Kori's Tips
- This recipe makes a mild to medium spice soup. To add spice, use additional green salsa or a green chili hot sauce or diced jalapenos.
- Make sure your cream cheese is softened before adding it to the soup. The quickest way to soften is to remove it from the package and place in a microwave-safe bowl for a few seconds at a time on low - until very soft.
- MUST TRY: Be sure to try our new homemade Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe - it's easy and delicious!
- VARIATIONS: Feel free to add diced vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or onions. Add jalapeno pepper if you like more heat. You can also add black beans, white beans, or corn. So many possibilities!
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is delicious topped with avocado, cilantro, green onion, and sour cream.
Nutrition
© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™
Keep the good eats going.
- Green Chili Pork Stew Recipe
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- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe
- Do you love enchiladas? Be sure to try these green enchiladas with chicken, and this lightened up version, as well as seafood enchiladas, and carne enchiladas.
Sandra O
Every Christmas, instead of turkey, fish or ham, my competitive Texas family has a themed "cook-off", this year was soups. Usually we have 5-8 entries between siblings, nieces and nephews, and everyone at our Christmas meal gets to vote. I saw this recipe and thought, sounds good but I'll never win against these awesome cooks. Well, WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER - I brought home the WIN! Prize...bragging rights and the family apron until next Christmas 🙂 Best Christmas ever during this crazy 2020 year! I have since made 4 batches more, put it in jars and gave it as Christmas gifts. Thank you for this yummy recipe.
seekinggoodeats
Thank you Sandra. You have just made my entire year!! 🙂 That is absolutely the most wonderful story and even brought tears to my eyes. I am super happy that you won your family's Christmas cook-off!!!! That's awesome. Let me know if you need help winning next year...I can point you in the direction of some recipes! lol. Have a great day!!
Lenor Reinhardt
Can you put noodles in this recipe?
seekinggoodeats
Sure! I don't see why not. I've always added cooked noodles to the pot as I didn't want the noodles to absorb too much of the broth. You could add dry noodles (8oz, or so) and some extra broth (8 to 12 oz) and let cook in the crockpot until they're soft.
Beverly
We LOVED this soup!! I used red salsa instead of green because that is what I had.
Thank you for sharing this keeper recipe!!!
seekinggoodeats
I'm so glad you loved the soup! I will try red salsa that sounds great and most people have it on hand too!
Sandy C
I really enjoyed this soup. I made it on the stovetop, simmering the chicken in the broth & enchilada sauce so there would be enough liquid to cover the chicken. My husband is a wimp when it comes to heat so I didn't add anything extra that could have spiced it up. But this way we both enjoyed it. Just topped it off with cilantro.
seekinggoodeats
Hello! Thank you so much - so glad you and your hubby loved it. Love that you made it on the stove! The soup is on the mild side just for this purpose - wimps like us! 🙂
Kelli
i have made this time and time again. Sometimes i use pepperjack cheese instead, add a diced jalapeno. its a keeper! and we make it almost weekly! thanks for sharing.
seekinggoodeats
Hello!Thank you! I'm so glad you love the recipe and I will be trying your idea of pepperjack cheese and jalapeno! Sounds delicious 🙂
Jackie
I made this for me and my sister since we are both soup lovers and we were SO impressed with the flavor. Easily now one of our favorites. Happy to find this recipe! Thank you!
seekinggoodeats
You're welcome - thank you!! So glad you and your sister loved it!
Dawn
Wow, I made this last night
It was more than I expected. This will be a keeper. I did use jalapeno cream cheese for an extra kick.
Thanks for the Great recipe Dawn
seekinggoodeats
Thank you so much! Super happy you loved the soup. 🙂
Valerie
Hi there! Just wondering if this soup keeps well? It's turning chilly here this weekend and I'm looking for a soup I could make Sunday and take to work throughout the week for lunch and this looks so amazing I want to give it a try. Do you think it would refrigerate or freeze well for reheating through the week? Thanks 🙂
Lois
Hi,
If I use pre cooked chicken, how long would I cook everything in crockpot? And when would I add the chicken? Thank you
Rachel
My friend made this soup for me this past weekend and OMG. I went out and bought a bigger crockpot so I could make it (I only had a mini crockpot before) This will be one of my go-to recipes from now on. LOVE IT.
Minnie
The best soup recipe regardless of what diet you follow, but makes the hit parade for keto diet!!
seekinggoodeats
Thank you!!! 🙂
Misty Cohen
When making this in the Instant Pot, when you take the chicken out to shred, do you empty out the first cup of broth before adding the remaining broth, shredded chicken, and all other ingredients? (Step 2). It looks greasy so I'm guessing I should.
Kori
Hello, no you don't empty the broth before adding the remaining ingredients. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Diane Moody
Oh my goodness! This is one of the BEST recipes I've found in years! I've had it for dinner for 4 days in a row and it just gets better and better. The first evening I served it, my 30-something year old son portioned himself way more than his share of the chicken, so the next day, I added another two pounds of shredded chicken breast. Then we served it over long grain brown rice and it was awesome! Thank you for giving us a new family favorite!
seekinggoodeats
Thank you so much! Yay! I'm so glad you loved the soup! You seriously just described what happens in my house!:)
Jackye
Made this soup in the crockpot this weekend. Very tasty and the fam loved it. My only issue is I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs rather than breasts and although the thighs tasted amazing, they left a LOT of fat sitting on the top. Thought to cool it down and remove fat but it never congealed. Anyone else have this issue? I will definitely make this again but may have to go with breasts.
seekinggoodeats
Yay! So glad you loved the soup! 🙂 Breasts work very well in this recipe for sure! I had picked up some particularly fatty thighs once and did have a similar issue! It only happened once though and I've made this a lot. LOL! I'm sure you did this, but if there is extra fat on the thigh be sure to cut it off. I only mention is case any readers haven't thought of it. Have a great day and let me know if you like it better with breasts instead of thighs!
Jen Cook
My whole family LOVED this soup !!! I added white beans and corn. I added more chicken bit did not put the two cups of cheese ( trying to reduce fat content) . My 2 yr old and 4 yr old grandsons even loved it. My husband said it was his favorite soup !!!
seekinggoodeats
Thank you so much for your kind words!! If you got your whole family to eat it's the best compliment EVER! 🙂 Have a great day!
Cathy Cholick
I tried this recipe last week. It was delicious. I was looking for a way to use a can of green enchilada sauce my husband bought by accident. The green enchilada sauce and green salsa gave it a different flavor than using red. I will be making this again.
seekinggoodeats
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! This is one of my family's favorite soups and it happens to be the most popular recipe on the blog too! It tastes so good AND it's easy to make!!
SarahJ
I just made this in the crockpot and the only thing I did different was at the end while it was on warm I added a little cornstarch to help thicken it up. I follow the keto diet and this is a recipe going into my arsenal! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
seekinggoodeats
You are welcome and thank you for trying the soup out! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Tim Sands
Thank you for this easy, amazing recipe! I made it on the stovetop, and added black beans, some sauteed onion, and garnished with a little cilantro. I will be making this again for sure!
Kori
You are so welcome! I'm so glad you loved the recipe!! Love your idea with the black beans, onion, and cilantro. YUM
C
This recipe is amazing! We added a 4 oz can of hot green Chiles and the enchilada sauce we used was the Hot version of Las Palmas. So deliciously spicy!!!
seekinggoodeats
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!! I love your ideas for the spicy lovers!
Pam
Very good. We used chicken thighs and Added roasted poblano peppers, completed in our instant pot. Will do again! 5 stars.
seekinggoodeats
Thank you!!Love the roasted poblano pepper idea!! I will try that. Yum
Raechel
So glad I found this recipe! I LOVE IT TOO MUCH! I honestly make it once a week. I think it's perfect the way it is but also can't wait to try different additions and substitutions.
seekinggoodeats
Thank you! Thank you! If you come up with any interesting combinations let us know! 🙂 Next time I make I was thinking of adding fresh sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini. I think it will make it runnier though, but I'm sure I can offset this somehow
Georjean Zilles
I loved the soup. Can you freeze it?
seekinggoodeats
I have frozen this before and it was fine. You may get a little separation of the fats from the dairy but it doesn't affect taste. I just offset this by adding a little more cream to the thawed soup (or sour cream, cream cheese - whatever you feel like)
Lynne Henkiel
This is one of the best soups we've tried in a long time. Love it, and thank you for posting it. So easy and a great comfort food, especially during the current virus situation.
seekinggoodeats
Thank you!! It is our favorite comfort food too
Kristina McLaughlin
Just made the soup. I didn't have enough half and half so rounded up with almond milk. I didn't have monterey jack so used cheddar. I did add black beans. I also used vegetable broth because, again, during this quarantine, had no chicken broth. It is amazing!!!! I'm going to serve it with warm corn tortillas and sour cream~no avocados. Thanks for this great recipe. I will make it again and again.
seekinggoodeats
I'm so happy you loved it! Thank you for your tips on substitutions! GREAT ideas. 🙂 Like you, I've been digging through my pantry and all the stuff that has been shoved to the back of the freezer and either making up some new recipes - or modify some old ones! It's amazing what I've found... LOL!