This Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup is an easy, hearty dinner with tender shredded chicken, black beans, corn, green chiles, and red enchilada sauce. Masa harina thickens the broth while giving it the corn tortilla flavor of traditional enchiladas, and everything comes together with just 10 minutes of prep.
This enchilada soup has been a hero in our house for years. It comes together so quickly that you can literally make it in 10 minutes before running out the door to work. It is made with simple ingredients. And while you can use store-bought enchilada sauce, my homemade enchilada sauce can be made ahead of time and is truly amazing. This soup is a great way to get the flavors of chicken enchiladas without all the rolling.
I love how easy this version is to make in the slow cooker. If you are looking for a quicker option, my chicken enchilada soup is made on the stovetop and comes together in about 35 minutes.
OMG!! I made the scratch sauce too! This recipe is the bomb!! I don’t like cumin and I could not even taste it in the recipe, yum!! Love this more than words can express!! Thank you!!!
Why This Recipe Works
Masa harina is what sets this chicken enchilada soup apart. It takes it from a Mexican-inspired soup to one that truly tastes like chicken enchiladas. This ingredient is the flour used to make the dough for corn tortillas, so adding it to the soup gives it more of the true enchilada flavor you’d expect, while also creating a thicker broth. Masa harina is different from cornmeal or corn flour.
Ingredients For Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts shred easily when cooked in your slow cooker.
- Enchilada sauce: One of the primary flavors of the soup. You can make homemade enchilada sauce, or use store-bought.
- Masa harina: This is the ingredient that really sets this soup recipe apart. This is finely ground flour made from treated corn and is different from regular cornmeal. Be sure to look specifically for masa carina.
- Green chiles: Using mild green chiles adds flavor to the soup without making it too spicy.
- Black beans and corn: Make the soup hearty so it can be served alone as a full meal.
How to Make Enchilada Soup in the Slow Cooker
- In the base of your slow cooker, whisk together the masa harina and the chicken stock.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and spices. Then add in the chicken, beans, corn, and chiles.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and shred them using two forks, then return to the soup.
Tips and Variations
- Homemade vs. store-bought enchilada sauce: The flavor of the enchilada sauce in the soup will really shine, so be sure to use one you like. I love the flavor of my homemade enchilada sauce. Store-bought works perfectly well too; just choose one whose flavor you enjoy.
- Making it spicy: To add more heat to this soup, use green chiles marked as hot. You could also add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to your enchilada sauce, or buy one labeled hot.
- If the soup is too thick: If you want to thin your soup, add some additional chicken broth.
- Using frozen chicken: The USDA recommends thawing frozen chicken completely before adding it to the slow cooker.
Toppings For Chicken Enchilada Soup
This soup is delicious as is, but here are some ideas of what to top it with:
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Tortilla strips or broken-up tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
- Pickled jalapeños
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. When ready to eat, reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop, stirring often or in the microwave, covered.
Allow the soup to cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container, leaving room for it to expand. Freeze for up to three months. I like freezing it in individual portions so they can thaw overnight in the refrigerator for an easy lunch the next day.
What to Serve with Enchilada Soup
- Skillet Cornbread
- Chips and Guacamole
- Quesadillas
If you make this recipe for chicken enchilada soup or any of my other recipes, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I love hearing from you!
Recipe Video
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup masa harina see note 1
- 2 cups enchilada sauce see note 2
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 ounces green chiles see note 3
- 11 ounces roasted corn drained (you can also use regular corn or a cup of frozen corn)
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Whisk the chicken broth and masa harina together in the base of the slow cooker.4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup masa harina
- Pour in the enchilada sauce, crushed tomatoes, garlic, and spices. Give it a stir.2 cups enchilada sauce, 15 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Stir in the green chiles, roasted corn, black beans, and chicken.4 ounces green chiles, 11 ounces roasted corn, 15 ounces black beans, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred, and return to the soup.
- We enjoy this soup most with sour cream, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapenos on top.
Notes
- Masa harina is what gives this recipe the flavor that corn tortillas give an actual enchilada. It can be found in the international aisle of the grocery store. It is not the same thing as corn flour, it is dehydrated corn dough. If you can’t find it, you can make this soup without it, and it will still be delicious, just not as thick.
- I love using my homemade enchilada sauce in this recipe. It can be made ahead of time and is delicious. That being said, you can use a store-bought can instead.
- The green chiles don’t make this soup spicy. If you are looking to make it spicy, use green chiles marked spicy or add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to your homemade enchilada sauce.
Lia Trocano says
Ummmm I didn’t mention tortilla strips for garni. I miss the corn tortilla flavor w/o
I really love the corn flavor that the Masa Harina brings, but you can certainly add tortilla strips.
Trish says
OMG!! I made the scratch sauce too! This recipe is the bomb!! I don’t like cumin and I could not even taste it in the recipe, yum!! Love this more than words can express!! Thank you!!!
You are so so welcome! And I’m so glad you loved the sauce, it’s my FAVORITE!
MariaTeresa Legler says
Hi Lisa, Just saw your recipe for Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup.
Plan to try next week, along with your Enchilada Sauce. Due to my restricted diet, probably won’t add the sodium in the soup, since the Enchilada Sauce already has sodium. Looks and sounds wonderful.
Thanks for sharing,
I hope you enjoy it!
Connie says
Hello could you use hamburger instead of chicken in this recipe?
I haven’t tried that, but I can’t think of why it wouldn’t work. You’d just want to brown and drain it before adding it to the slow cooker.
Celine says
Do you have any recipes using a 2 quart crock pot? Would love having some.
Thank you,
Celine
We have a few recipes for small crockpots but they are primarily dip recipes. You can find them here: Dip Recipes.
Janelle Hayes says
When do you add the green chiles?
Sorry about that! They are added in step three.
Jay says
I almost gave this a 4 but I can’t since the recipe’s since flaws are on likely on me. I didn’t have the green chilies, which I love and are so important for depth in the flavor profile. I learned that if your slow cooker is too big, then cook time may need to be reduced. This may be why the chicken was really hard to shred (after 3 hours on high in a 6 quart cooker), so I had to just chop it up on the cutting board and put it back in. I used high-end bone broth and all quality ingredients, but the overall flavor was meh. I did try to add less salt because of a need to reduce sodium. I think adding a bunch of cheese will help. Going forward, I’ll try using bone-in chicken thighs for more flavor. This way there is more connective tissue and the meat won’t rubberize as easily as chicken breast. Perhaps I’ll also add less masa harina to cut down on carbs as well. Thanks so much for putting this recipe out there for us!