Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

One of the unpleasant secrets of adulthood is that, when you are sick, the person who most often stays home to feed you Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup, refill your water glass, and make sure you take your medicine on time is….you.

It might sound silly, but I miss grade-school sick days. I’d curl up on the couch to watch Nickelodeon, and my mom would fix my favorite meal: grilled cheese and Campbell’s tomato soup. Sure, I’d have to complete my homework eventually, but being sick when I was younger felt more like a day off…especially that one time I held the thermometer up to the light bulb to heat it above 98.6, and it worked. (Sorry, mom.)

Being sick as an adult feels more like a major inconvenience. “Dear Body, Don’t you know I have a [work deadline, important presentation, 40-million things to do besides lay around pathetically and blow my nose]?”

Healing and Comforting Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Currently, I’m battling a wicked cold, which if you follow me on Snapchat (username wellplated), you’ve likely heard via my super stuffed-up, frog-like voice. Whenever I’m sick, the only foods that sound appealing to me are carbs in some form, usually breakfast cereal, and vanilla ice cream. I know, however, that those two along cannot give my body what it needs to fight away the illness.

Effortless recipes like today’s soup are perfect for when you’re:

• feeling sick
• are pressed for time
• need dinner waiting for you when you arrive home after a long day

Beyond chopping the onions and garlic, this is a “dump and go” crockpot recipe —no precooking of any ingredients required. It takes a few minutes to measure the spices, but they are absolutely worth it. Toss everything into your slow cooker, walk away, and you’ll have a nourishing dinner waiting for you when you return.

I was torn as to whether to name this recipe “Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup” or “Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup,” but I opted for the latter, because the spices and adobo chilis remind me of the smoky flavors of red enchilada sauce.

No matter what you call it, slow cooker chicken enchilada soup is an easy, warming meal that’s ideal for anytime you are feeling under the weather, or for when the weather itself is too chilly for your liking. (If you are looking for a more classic chicken noodle soup, check out the recipe I posted at almost this exact same time last year, Healthy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. Why? Because, ironically, I was sick then too.)

What Do You Eat with Enchilada Soup?

I love to smother the soup in all manners of tasty toppings, which I insist you do, as it really makes the dish. Here are a few of my favorite toppings and sides:

• Toppings. My favorites are sliced avocado, cheese, and plain Greek yogurt (my swap for sour cream), though crushed homemade baked tortilla chips or even diced jalapenos wouldn’t be remiss.
• Cornbread. What could be better than a side of Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread or Mexican Cornbread?
• Margarita. Pour yourself a Skinny Margarita, and call it complete!

Tools Used to Make This Soup

• Slow Cooker. I’ve owned this one for years and love that once the timer is up, it automatically switches to “keep warm,” so my food stays hot without over cooking and is ready for me when I get home.
• Ladle. The best way to transfer soups and stews (like this Spanish Chicken Stew) to storage containers and bowls.

I think my body dislikes the first week of January, and I should head to the tropics at this time next year. The slow cooker chicken enchilada soup can join. Nasty cold, please stay at home.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Yield: 4 -6 servings

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

6 hrs

Total Time:

6 hrs 15 mins

This slow cooker chicken enchilada soup recipe is easy, cheesy, and healthy too!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic — minced
• 1 large yellow onion — diced
• 2-3 chipotle peppers — from 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced* (use only 2 if sensitive to spice)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce — from canned chipotle peppers
• 1 can diced tomatoes in their juices — (28 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons  ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 can green chilis — (4 ounces)
• 2 cans black beans — (14-ounce cans) rinsed and drained
• 1 can Mexican-style corn — (14 ounces) drained
• 3-4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock — divided
• For serving: sliced avocado — plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, chopped cresh cilantro, shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. To the slow cooker, add the garlic, onion, diced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, coriander, green chilis, drained black beans, and drained Mexicorn. Pour 3 cups of the chicken stock over the top. Cover and slow cook on high for 2 hours or low for 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.
3. With a fork, remove the chicken thighs from the soup, then shred. Return the chicken to the soup, and add additional chicken stock to the slow cooker if it seems too thick. Recover the slow cooker and cook on high to rewarm for a few minutes as needed. Serve hot with desired toppings.

Recipe Notes

*Chipotle peppers in adobo can be found in the Hispanic food section of many grocery stores

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Easy Homemade Soup Recipe, Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

All text and images © Erin Clarke / Well Plated.

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