Our family loves this Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup! It comes together in only a few minutes, has the perfect flavors, and it is a healthy well rounded dinner too!
Last spring, as I was leaving for a work trip I decided that my family really needed to come home to a warm dinner. I didn’t want Nathan to have to make something while taking care of the kids, so I thought: Enchilada Soup!
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 grabbing your suitcase and running out the door. (Can I get a high five from all the working moms out there who know all too well what I’m talking about??)
This soup is perfect for when you don’t have time to make Beef Enchiladas. I have updated this recipe recently to accommodate my Homemade Enchilada Sauce (which I’m totally obsessed with – we are picking out China together). But you can absolutely take the store bought short cut too.
This soup is the complete package of protein, carbs, and vegetables in the form of black beans. And at only 380 calories a bowl, it’s a healthy dinner my whole family loves.
HOW TO MAKE ENCHILADA SOUP
This recipe could not be more simple. It is just dumping things into your slow cooker. (Be sure to head to the bottom of the post to get all the measurements and cooking time.)
- 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 and enjoy!
The most time intensive part of the process is measuring out the spices, and even that is really not a big deal.
Please note that you can actually make the decision to just dump it all in your slow cooker. It will just be a little harder to whisk the Masa Harina in and get it smooth.
WHAT IS MASA HARINA?
Masa Harina is what gives this recipe the flavor that corn tortillas give an actual enchilada. It is not the same thing as corn flour.
It is dehydrated corn dough. With a little water you can use it to make a corn tortilla. It gives the perfect flavor and thickness to this soup.
If you can’t find it, you can make this soup without it, and it will still be delicious, just not thick.
SPICINESS
This soup is not spicy at all. Even with the green chiles. My kids are super averse to spice in their dinners, and they love this recipe.
That said, if you would like a spicy chicken enchilada soup, I would suggest making the homemade enchilada sauce and adding 1/4 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the recipe. Taste it and add more to get the desired level of spice you are looking for.
You also can buy hot green chiles to bring some spice to this dish.
STORING LEFTOVERS
This recipes makes a ton of soup, 6 large bowls. So our family with our tiny eaters, tends to have left overs.
I store this in the refrigerator for up to four days, and when reheating only reheat the bowl I am going to eat. Please do not store left overs that have been warmed up more than once.
This recipe is great for freezing. Freeze in individual servings sizes, thaw in the refrigerator over night and have a great lunch to take to work with you the next day.
OTHER GREAT SLOW COOKER MEALS
We use our slow cooker about once a week – even in the summer. It is great for our busy life. Here are a few more dinners we fall back on regularly:
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup masa harina
- 2 cups enchilada sauce (or a 10 ounce can and 1/2 a cup of water)
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 ounces green chilies
- 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 chicken
Instructions
- Whisk the chicken stock and masa harina together in the base of the slow cooker.
- Pour in the enchilada sauce, crushed tomatoes, garlic, and spices. Give it a stir.
- Stir in the green chiles, roasted corn, black beans, and chicken.
- Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8. Remove the chicken from slow cooker, shred, and return to the soup.
- We enjoy this soup most with sour cream, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapenos on top.
Notes
Annie says
Oh how I love a good slow cooker recipe! Perfect for this time of year!
Thanks Annie!
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
I’m soooo in that Mom category! The stress of making dinner during the week is terrible. Love this soup!
You and me both, lady! Thanks!
Sheila says
To save on carbs, how would it be to leave out the corn flour?
It would totally be fine Sheila, BUT! The corn flour gives it a wonderful taste and creaminess that I think it is totally worth it.
kita says
What type of chicken do u used, breast, thighs,whole chicken. Also do u cook the chicken separate or in the same pot
I use chicken breast, throw it in with everything else raw and then when the soup is done pull it out, shred it and throw it back in.
rachelle says
Lisa, this is awesome! I really like the texture and flavor. Will make again and again
I’m so gla you like it Rachelle!
Jessica says
Love your recipes! What size slow cooker do you use for your recipes? I have a small 1.5qt and was wondering if this recipe would work for me? If not how can I downsize the recipe to fit my slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! I’m so glad you like my recipes! So, I have a 6 1/2 quart slow cooker. Usually my recipes take up about half the slow cooker. I’m wondering if you cut the recipes in half if they would work in your slow cooker. I have no idea how long they would take though. If you give one a go, let me know how it works out.
Jenny says
Can I use instant corn flour in place of regular corn flour? I love this recipe by the way and so does my family!
I’m so happy you guys liked it! I haven’t tried it with that, but if you do, let me know how it goes!
Joan Smith says
I I made this deeeeelicious soup today and we just had it for dinner. I didn’t have the special flour you used so I used 1/3 cup corn meal with 1/6 flour. It took a lot of ingredients but boy was it worth every one of them. I forgot to put the sour cream, tomatoes and jalapenos on top, but did have homemade artesian bread. I can’t elll you how good this was. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Alissa K says
I was excited to see the tortilla soup recipe and then i saw the enchilada soup… intrigued! Masa Harina is a new one to me, learned something new. I appreciate how conscientious you are about including tips, especially safety tips regarding safe food practices. Thank you!
You are welcome, Alissa! I hope you love it!
Fran Colditz says
Hi, this soup sounds amazing! I was wondering if you could make it on top of the stove in a Dutch oven and how long would it cook?
Thanks so much,
Fran
Yes, but you would need to add more liquid. We are coming out with a stovetop version in a few weeks and I will link it in this post.