By: Jill Mills Posted: Sep 18, 2026

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Chicken, black beans, diced tomatoes and green chilies, and corn are slow-cooked in a red enchilada sauce broth to make this easy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup. It has all the flavors of your favorite red chicken enchiladas without any of the work.

A wooden ladle in crockpot chicken enchilada soup

I’ve made a few different enchilada soups over the years, including beef enchilada soup and green chicken enchilada soup, and they’ve always been a big hit. While my previous chicken enchilada soup was based on my green chile chicken enchiladas, today’s crockpot chicken enchilada soup is based on classic chicken enchiladas with red sauce.

This recipe basically uses all the same ingredients as red chicken enchiladas, except for the tortillas, and turns it into soup. I also added some beans and frozen corn for extra heartiness. With all the great flavors, it’s the perfect dish for nights when you’re craving enchiladas but just don’t have the time to prepare them.

Why This Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup Is A Family Favorite

Great Tex-Mex flavors. This soup is loaded with all the classic Tex-Mex flavors of enchiladas, from the red enchilada sauce and spices to the beans and corn. The slow-cooking process means the chicken is even more flavorful than usual!
Easier than enchiladas. Since there’s no rolling and assembling of the enchiladas, this soup takes less than 10 minutes to prep. The slow cooker does everything except shred the chicken for you!
Load it with toppings. We love to load up our bowls of crockpot chicken enchilada soup with even more toppings, like shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos. Everyone can customize their own bowl and add exactly what they want, which is always a hit.

Overhead view of ingredients needed to make crockpot chicken enchilada soup

Ingredient Notes

This crockpot soup is made with a handful of ingredients and a few spices. Here’s an overview of what’s needed and why. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact measurements.

Chicken – I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but any type of chicken works. If using bone-in chicken, be sure to discard the bones, skin, and cartilage after shredding.
Aromatics – Chopped onion and minced garlic.
Beans – I like black beans, but other types of beans will still work for this recipe. Kidney beans or pinto beans are good options. Whatever beans you use, be sure to rinse and drain them well.
Red enchilada sauce – I’m partial to my homemade enchilada sauce, but canned sauce works too.
Rotel – Or another brand of diced tomatoes and green chilies. Choose mild, hot, etc, based on your spice preference.
Corn – Frozen corn is perfect for this soup. No need to thaw it first!
Chicken broth – I like to use low-sodium but regular works too.
Spices & herbs – Ground cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves.

How To Make Chicken Enchilada Soup in the Crockpot

I don’t think this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup could ever be easier to make! The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.

Ingredients to make chicken enchilada soup in the crockpot

Shredded chicken added back to the crockpot of enchilada soup

Combine the ingredients. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Add the other ingredients and seasonings on top.
Cook. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The chicken should be tender with an internal temperature of 165F.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the soup, shred it with two forks, and stir it back into the soup.
Enjoy. Discard the bay leaves, ladle into bowls, and serve with any toppings desired.

Close up of chicken enchilada soup in the crockpot

Easy Soup Variations

There are lots of fun ways to customize this slow cooker chicken enchilada soup. Here are a few ideas.

Try it with rotisserie chicken. To make this crockpot chicken enchilada soup even faster, try using shredded rotisserie chicken. Just add it in the last hour of cooking to heat it up. You can also reduce the cooking time by an hour, since the other ingredients don’t need to cook as long.
Make it thicker & spicier. You can use an extra 10oz can of red enchilada sauce if you’d like a thicker and spicier soup.
Reduce the heat. If you want less spice, you can use a regular can of diced tomatoes without the green chilies.
Make it creamy. To make a creamy enchilada soup, you can cook it with 4-8oz of cream cheese (added at the start) or stir in ½-1 cup of heavy cream at the end of cooking.

Topping Ideas

Our favorite part of this crockpot chicken enchilada soup is loading each bowl up with toppings! I usually offer a variety of options and let everyone customize their bowl.

Our favorites are chopped cilantro, shredded cheese or crumbled cotija cheese, a dollop of sour cream, sliced jalapenos or serrano peppers for some spice, thinly sliced radishes, and sliced black olives.

Lime wedges are great to squeeze over the bowl before diving in and add a pop of flavor. Tortilla strips add some texture and crunch to the bowl, though sometimes we just use tortilla chips as scoops for the soup.

Overhead view of a bowl of crockpot chicken enchilada soup

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