Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup
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Chicken, green chilies, salsa, and cream cheese combine for this rich and creamy Low-Carb Green Chili Enchilada Soup.
Made either in the pressure cooker or slow cooker, this comforting and nourishing meal can be prepared completely hands-off.
Green Chile Enchilada Soup
One of my family’s all-time favorite dishes is this Slow Cooker Green Chile Enchilada Soup Recipe. We recently switched to a lower-carb diet, and I wanted to remake this delicious soup into one that fits our macros.
This soup is so versatile – you can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs and combine them with any type of broth you have on hand, stir in your favorite salsa, add the chilies, and let it all simmer until the chicken is fork tender and shreds easily. Mix in the cream cheese for a rich and silky soup that’s so satisfying.
Feel free to let the soup simmer in your pressure cooker (which is the fastest way to make it) or throw it all in the crock pot and let it simmer all day. If you don’t have either you can also make it over the stove. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to allow the flavors to blend.
Because there are no beans, tortillas, or rice in this soup, it is considered low-carb, but you can most definitely add any of these if you aren’t concerned about the carb content.
The Green Chile Chicken Tacos recipe is actually what inspired this recipe. True story: my hubby would come home from work, and instead of making himself a taco, he would drink the excess cooking liquid from the tacos. (Which was a mixture of the leftover broth, green chiles, and cream cheese.)
Why you’ll love this Green Chile Enchilada Soup
You definitely need to add this Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup to your menu this week!
Whether it is the low carb or the not-low-carb version, it’s amazing either way! Since I’ve been using my pressure cooker so much lately, I included cooking instructions for both the slow cooker and the pressure cooker in the recipe card.
Ingredients Needed
(Ingredients at a glance; you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Chicken broth: The base for this soup. I used regular broth, but you can use low sodium so you can adjust the amount of salt to your liking. Either chicken broth or stock can be used.
- Chicken breasts: You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
- Herdez Salsa Verde: I really like the mild version of this salsa for the true green chile flavor, but you can substitute 2 cans of green enchilada sauce or any brand of green salsa. I always get the mild, but it also comes in medium
- Green chilies: You can buy these in a can or use fresh.
- Spices: You need ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Cream cheese: Use softened, room-temperature cream cheese and cut it into a few pieces so it melts more easily. Full-fat or low-fat both work.
- Salt and pepper: Add salt and pepper to taste depending on the sodium level of your broth, you may need more salt.
- Optional Toppings: shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream cilantro or sliced jalapenos
How To Make Green Chile Enchilada Soup in the Pressure Cooker
1 Place everything in the pressure cooker. Place chicken, broth, salsa, green chilies, water, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin into the pot, mixing everything.
2 Set pressure cooker. Set the pressure cooker to high for 15 minutes and do a 10-minute natural pressure release. If you used thighs, I’ve found a quick release will be fine.
3 Shred chicken. Remove chicken from pot, shred and, return to pot.
4 Add cream cheese. Add cream cheese to the chicken mixture, set the pressure cooker to soup/simmer for 2 minutes, and do a quick release. Mix cream cheese well so it dissolves in the broth.
5 Serve. Portion into bowls, top with your favorite garnishes and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions
1 Add ingredients to slow cooker. Mix the broth, salsa, green chilies, water, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin in the slow cooker and add the chicken.
2 Cook on low. Cook the soup on low for 7 hours.
3 Shred chicken. After 7 hours, remove the chicken, shred it and place it back in the slow cooker.
4 Add the softened cream cheese. Add the cream cheese to the soup mixture and cook for another 30 minutes, making sure the cream cheese is mixed in and melts completely.
5 Serve. Portion into bowls, top with your favorite garnishes and serve.
Recipe Tips:
- Thighs are amazing in this Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup recipe, but you’ll want to remove as much fat from the thigh as you can prior to cooking. Otherwise, you could have an oily film over the top of the soup.
- Spice measurements are to taste; I’ve had one person tell me they thought it was too spicy, but hundreds have said they like it as is, so use judgment.
- For best results, make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature. (for faster melting) and don’t use store-brand cream cheese, I have found certain brands won’t dissolve/mix in all the way!!! (If needed, you can warm/soften the cream cheese a bit in the microwave before using
Variations
- Anything goes with this soup, so you can spice it up with jalapenos, chipotle in adobo sauce, or red chili flakes.
- Change up the salsa and use different flavored salsas like chipotle or tomatillo salsa.
- Throw in some beans or corn for more texture and added protein.
- Try adding sour cream instead of cream cheese for a thinner soup.
- Substitute bone broth for the chicken broth.
Storage
- Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat over the stove or in the microwave.
FAQs
Can I use cooked pre-cooked chicken to make this Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Soup?
You can use cooked chicken to make this soup though cooking the chicken in the broth does add flavor. If you use cooked chicken, I recommend cooking the recipe on the stovetop.
Is this soup spicy?
As written, and if you use mild salsa verde, the soup is not spicy, just flavorful and delicious.
Can this recipe be made on the stovetop?
If you want to make this recipe on the stovetop, you can cook it exactly with the ingredients called for. Just add everything to a large pot, except the cream cheese, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Shred the chicken. Add the cream cheese, stirring til incorporated, and simmer for a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and top with your favorite soup toppings.
Do you have a few extra minutes?
To achieve extreme yumminess on the stovetop, I recommend ditching the powdered onion and garlic.
Instead, in a large pan or soup pot, saute 1/2 diced large onion, and 3 teaspoons of minced garlic (or 3 cloves minced) in a bit of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown. Then add the green chiles and other spices and cook for another few minutes.
Add the broth to deglaze the pot. Add the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shred chicken and add softened cream cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve and top with your favorite soup toppings.
How can I thicken the soup?
If you want a thicker green chile enchilada soup, you have a couple of options.
If you are adding beans or potatoes, you could just mash a few of them up a bit to increase the thickness. You could also add a bit of cornstarch. To add cornstarch, thoroughly mix cornstarch into a small amount of cool broth or water or broth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup. Turn the heat back to medium and bring the soup to a boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat.
Pressure Cooker Recommendations:
Don’t have a pressure cooker, but been thinking about getting one? I suggest looking at these:
- Cuisinart 6 quart pressure cooker
- Fagor 8 qt pressure cooker
- Instant Pot 6 quart,
- Instant Pot 8 quart
- Pressure Cooker Meals: Recipes, Tips, and Explanations
I have a few more delicious low-carb recipes here => Low Carb recipes. (You definitely don’t want to miss that chili dog casserole recipe!)
Did You Make This Green Chili Enchilada soup?
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Print
Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: varies based on cooking method
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: slow cooker or pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Description
If you enjoy the flavors of green chilies, chicken and cheese, you will love this Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup. Bonus: this recipe can be made in either the pressure cooker or slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 24 oz boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 15 oz jar of Herdez Salsa (You can substitute 2 cans of green enchilada sauce)
- 8 oz of diced green chilies
- 3/4 cup of water
- 2 tbsp of ground cumin
- 1 tbsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp of onion powder
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 8 oz block of softened cream cheese (cut up into a few pieces)
- salt and pepper to taste (depending on the sodium level of your broth, you may need more salt.)
- optional: shredded cheese, avocado and/or sour cream for garnish
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Instructions:
- Place chicken in the bottom of the pressure cooker insert.
- Add the broth, salsa, green chilies, water, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin to pot, mixing everything together.
- Set pressure cooker to high for 15 minutes. Do a 10-minute natural pressure release, though if you used thighs, I’ve found a quick release works fine.
- Remove chicken from pot, shred and return to pot.
- Add cream cheese to chicken mixture. Set pressure cooker to soup/simmer for 2 minutes and do a quick release.
- Mix soup with cream cheese, making sure cream cheese in thoroughly dissolved into broth. (If the cc doesn’t dissolve all the way, it’s ok, the soup will still be delicious!)
- Top with your favorite garnishes and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- In your slow cooker, mix together the broth, salsa, green chilies, water, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin.
- Add the chicken breasts to the crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours.
- At the 7 hour mark, remove the chicken to another dish. Shred the chicken and put back in your slow cooker.
- Add the cream cheese to the soup mixture and replace the lid. Cook for another 30 minutes and stir the soup, making sure to get the cream cheese mixed in. You may need to cook just a bit longer to ensure the cream cheese is melted completely.
- Top with your favorite garnishes and serve.
Notes
- Thighs are amazing in this Low Carb Green Chile Enchilada Soup recipe, but you’ll want to remove as much fat from the thigh as you can prior to cooking.
- Spice measurements are to taste, I’ve had one person tell me they thought it was too spicy, but hundreds who have said they like it as is, so use judgment. (Remember the age of your spice will affect the taste: brand new = spicy, 5 yrs old = not spicy, lol)
- The recipe calls for 1 can of diced green chiles, but I actually use 2 for even more flavor.
- For best results, don’t use store brand cream cheese, I have found certain brands won’t dissolve/mix in all the way!!!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th of recipe
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 1
- Fat: 17
- Carbohydrates: 3
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 19
Enjoy!
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