I might not love late fall and winter for the temperatures or the snow, but I do love how good they make a bowl of soup taste. And there is nothing better then a slow cooker soup that is basically waiting for you when you get home from work. Combine a warm bowl of soup with my love of Mexican flavors and this Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup really hits the spot.
I can’t promise that this is authentic in any way, shape or form, but I did use some green chilis from my favorite Phoenix restaurant that a friend surprised me with! At least that makes it a little closer to the border. This soup is a little creamy from adding yogurt and cream cheese in at the end, but starts with a broth flavored with green chili enchilada sauce, green chilis, chili powder and cumin. Shredded chicken that poaches in the broth and frozen corn add some substance to the soup. If you want a little cheese and cilantro can dress it up for serving. And of course, like all of my favorite soups, it freezes beautifully.
Here’s what you need:
I’ve been reading in my America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks (I forget which one) that an easy hack for not sautéing onion and garlic and dirtying an extra pan but still getting the benefit of softening them is to microwave them. Start by adding a diced sweet onion, some garlic, and a little oil to a small bowl. Microwave it for about 3 minutes, stirring once. The onion should be translucent when you’re done.
I’ve said this before, but I highly recommend using slow cooker bags (#CommissionsEarned) when you use your slow cooker. It might not make for the prettiest pictures but clean up is non-existent after you’re done.
To the slow cooker add green chili enchilada sauce, green chilis, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, and garlic and onion mixture.
Mix 1 ½ T better than bullion chicken base with 4 cups boiling water. You could also use broth, I like this because I can control the flavor a little bit more and it takes up less space at home to always have it on hand. Pour the broth mixture into the slow cooker.
Add boneless, skinless, chicken breasts to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Remove chicken. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then shred or dice -depending on your preference.
While the chicken cools, add some corn to the slow cooker. I like to use frozen corn that I defrosted. It tastes as close to fresh as I can get this time of year.
Now to make the soup creamy, in a medium bowl whisk together some cream cheese (I like to use Neufchatel which is lower fat) and Greek yogurt. Now, add a little bit of the broth to the bowl and whisk together. This will temper the mixture so it doesn’t curdle when you add it to the soup and also help to break everything together.
Add the yogurt and cream cheese mixture to the slow cooker.
Mix together and then add the chicken.
To serve, I like to garnish with a little bit of Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro and some lime for squeezing. Avocados would also be good.
Time to dig in!
To freeze, I transfer to 2 c twist top containers (because they won’t leak in my work bag when I bring them in for lunch) and top with a little cheese and cilantro as well as a small squeeze of lime.
- 1 t olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 c green enchilada sauce
- 8 oz diced green chilis
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper, fresh ground
- ½ t smoked paprika
- 1 T ancho chili powder
- 1 T cumin
- 1 ½ T Better than bullion roasted chicken base
- 1 qt boiling water (or skip the base and use 1 qt chicken stock)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 c frozen corn, defrosted
- 4 oz Neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese)
- 2 – 5.3 oz containers non-fat Greek yogurt
- Garnish:
- Shredded Monterey jack cheese
- Cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
- Line a slow cooker with a slow cooker bag.
- Combine onion, garlic, and oil in a small bowl and microwave for 3 minutes, stirring once.
- To slow cooker add, onion and garlic mixture, enchilada sauce, green chilis, salt, pepper, paprika, ancho chili powder, and cumin.
- Whisk together water and chicken base. Add to slow cooker. Add chicken to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker, allow to cool for a few minutes and shred or chop.
- While chicken cools, add corn to slow cooker.
- Whisk together Neufchatel cheese and Greek yogurt. Temper by whisking in some of the hot broth until smooth. Add to slow cooker.
- Add chicken back to slow cooker.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.
Inspired by this post from Recipe Runner.
Once again Honey, I love your use of color and textures when you pictured this soup. The artist in me wants to dip into this creation.