Green Enchilada Chicken Soup is a creamy soup packed with chicken, green chilis, cream cheese, and Monterey Jack Cheese. It’s super easy to make and is a delicious low-carb soup.
» You might also like Low Carb Chicken Fajita Casserole.
The depth of flavor makes this soup irresistibly delicious and very comforting, just like the cheeseburger soup and kale sausage 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.
If you’re looking for a similar soup that’s less creamy, check out this Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup. I think you’ll love both of them.
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.
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Carbs in Green Enchilada Sauce
This soup can be very low in carbs – keto-friendly even – if you choose a green enchilada sauce that is low in carbs. Every brand varies, so you’ll want to be sure to check the back of the can to know what you’re getting. The Las Palmas brand I use has 3 grams of carbs per serving or 12 grams of carbs in the whole can (10oz).
Some brands have up to 9 grams of carbs per serving, which will really increase the carb count in the soup, so be careful when choosing.
How to Make Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
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 they are fragrant.
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.
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.
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.
Serve with chopped cilantro and sour cream.
How to Cook in the Slow Cooker
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 before serving.
How Many Carbs Are in This Soup?
There are 5 net grams of carbs in each serving of this soup. That’s 7 total grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. That makes this soup a great low-carb choice and it can even fit into a keto diet, if you’re careful about your other meals. The thing that will really throw off the carb count in this soup is the green enchilada sauce, so be sure to choose a low-carb version.
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 in the liquids for 8 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to come up to pressure. When the time is up, go a natural release for 5 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.
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Low Carb Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 10 ounces green enchilada sauce
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 4 ounces chopped green chilis
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons 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
- Check the carbs in the green enchilada sauce you use. Some are higher in carbs than others. Find one that’s 2-4 grams of carbs per serving to keep the carb count low.
- You can substitute chicken thigh for the chicken breast, if you want.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.
I use (time saving or lazy…?) a boasted chicken – ez peazy!! This is one of the best and easiest soups that I have ever made. Oh, with my last effort I found that The only cheese in the fridge was shredded Mozz – worked just fine. I discovered this recipe 2 mos ago and have made it twice now.!!
CAN I FREEZE THIS SOUP?
Hi Lori, we are glad you loved the soup. You can definitely freeze this soup. Allow it to cool completely then place it in an air tight container or zip top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
everyone loved it. my son said it was his new favorite soup even if he wasn’t doing low carb