This article provides a comprehensive guide to making a delicious and satisfying keto chicken enchilada soup. Whether you prefer using an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop, you'll find detailed instructions and helpful tips to create this comforting dish. Perfect for a chilly evening or a cozy gathering, this soup is packed with flavor and easy to customize to your liking.
What is Keto Chicken Enchilada Soup?
Traditional chicken enchilada soup is often loaded with ingredients that are high in carbs, such as enchilada sauce with added sugar, beans, and corn, potentially containing 25 to 50 carbs per serving. This keto version recreates all the comforting flavors of the classic soup while keeping the carb count low. It's a hearty, creamy soup with just the right amount of heat, making it a favorite low-carb dinner option.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: This recipe requires minimal effort and can be prepared in an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or on the stovetop.
- Customizable: Easily adaptable to your family's tastes and dietary needs.
- Comforting: Warm, cozy, and satisfying, perfect for a cold winter day.
- Family-friendly: A crowd-pleaser that even picky eaters will enjoy.
- Keto-friendly: With only 4.9g net carbs per cup, it fits seamlessly into a ketogenic lifestyle.
Ingredients You'll Need
This easy keto soup recipe takes just a handful of ingredients that you can find at any grocery store:
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs. It cooks quickly and is easier to shred. For the meat, a mixture of both breast and leg meat is preferable. If you want to make this as an entree, feel free to add more chicken to bulk it up.
- Pureed tomatoes: You can use canned or fresh tomatoes for this soup. Rotel is also a great addition. If you can’t find rotel, you can substitute a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, a 4 ounce can of diced green chilies, and a tablespoon of dry minced onion.
- Onion: Onions have a fair bit of carbs, so keep it to a minimum to add flavor. A half cup is usually sufficient.
- Jalapeño: Use fresh peppers, or canned chopped jalapeños. Additional jalapeno peppers may also be added for more spice.
- Butter: The butter makes the soup richer and creamier, so it’s more satisfying. Grassfed butter also adds healthy keto-friendly fats.
- Sour cream: Sour cream and enchiladas are an ideal combination! It is recommended using full fat sour cream for the best flavor. You can sub whole milk Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
- Chicken Broth: It’s preferred that you make your own chicken stock from leftover bones you have, but if you’re in a pinch of time, you can go with College Inn broth or more expensive (organic) broth over at Whole Foods/Trade Joe’s.
- Enchilada Sauce: Taste test before adding to make sure you like your sauce’s level of spice and flavor. Use green enchilada sauce for the green version of the soup.
- Salsa: This ingredient will also affect the heat of your keto chicken enchilada soup.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or jack cheese, as well as cream cheese, add creaminess and flavor.
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add the ingredients: Place the chicken, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, butter, taco seasoning, and salt in the bottom of an Instant Pot. Pour the broth overtop.
- Cook: Seal the lid and make sure the vent is on seal. Set to the Soup Function for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Give it an extra 10 to 15 minutes in the Instant Pot, if using frozen chicken.
- Shred the chicken: When cooking is complete, remove the chicken to a plate. Shred the chicken with two forks and add back into the pot. I use forks to shred the chicken but you can also do it easily and quickly by using a mixer. Just add the cooked chicken to the bowl and use the paddle attachment and turn to medium high.
- Add sour cream: Remove about 1 cup of the hot broth to a bowl and whisk in the sour cream, then whisk this combo back into the pot. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add the ingredients: Place all of the ingredients except for the sour cream into the slow cooker. Place the chicken, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, butter, taco seasoning and salt in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the broth overtop.
- Cook: Place the lid on and set to low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Shred the chicken: When cooking is complete, remove the chicken to a plate. Shred the chicken with two forks and add back into the pot. After 3 hours, remove the chicken from the slow cooker, then shred the chicken breasts using two forks.
- Add sour cream: Remove about 1 cup of the hot broth to a bowl and whisk in the sour cream, then whisk this combo back into the pot. With your slow cooker still on low temperature, add the chicken stock, cream cheese, heavy cream, cheese, spices, and hot sauce to the pot. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Stovetop Instructions
- Combine ingredients: Combine chicken, rotel, water, bouillon cube, and taco seasoning in a soup pot. If using pre-cooked chicken, just do this chicken enchilada soup in a pot on the stove. Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and sour cream.
- Cook: Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes -- your soup is done once the internal temp of your chicken reaches 165 F (this will vary depending on how thick your chicken is).
- Shred the chicken: Use tongs to remove cooked chicken onto a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, shred or chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Finishing touches: Add the sour cream and shredded cheddar, and stir until these ingredients dissolve. Add the chicken, cilantro, and green onions.
Tips for the Best Keto Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Spice it up: Add some red pepper flakes or a splash of hot sauce if you like things spicy. Bring on the heat by using a spicy salsa and/or enchilada sauce.
- Use quality ingredients: It’s always best to use as many fresh ingredients as possible, as there’s not too many ingredients and they all bring their own unique flavors to the party.
- Make your own stock: It’s preferred that you make your own chicken stock from leftover bones you have.
- Soften Cream Cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is very soft before adding it to the soup. Cold cream cheese will not melt very well.
- Grate your own cheese: For best "melt-ability", always grate your own cheese. Pre-packaged grated cheese is often coated in potato starch, which helps prevent sticking inside the package.
- Dairy-Free Option: Skip the butter and use 1 cup of coconut cream in place of the sour cream. Use a plant-based cream cheese (like almond or cashew-based), unsweetened plain oat milk or coconut milk in place of half and half, and swap in a vegan cream cheese alternative (to keep it creamy).
Variations
- Add vegetables: Stir in spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, or riced cauliflower during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. Feel free to add diced vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or onions. Dice 3 stalks of celery (cut the tips off of each end) and 1 medium red bell pepper. Once the oil is hot, add celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Let this cook until the celery softens. Once celery is cooked, add 1 cup diced tomatoes and stir well.
- Make it spicier: Add jalapeno pepper if you like more heat.
- Add beans or corn: You can also add black beans, white beans, or corn if you aren’t strictly keto.
Serving Suggestions
Top your bowl of low carb chicken enchilada soup with all the goodies! Here are some ideas:
- Avocado
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Pickled jalapeños
- Lime wedges
- Hot sauce
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storing
Store leftover chicken enchilada soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Read also: Creamy Keto Ranch Chicken Recipe
Freezing
Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thawing
Defrost frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating
Reheat in the microwave or on the stove. Please note that fats from the dairy may become separated; add additional milk or cream as needed.
Nutritional Information
This keto chicken enchilada soup recipe has 5.9g of carbs and 1.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.9g net carbs per cup of soup. The nutrient breakdown of your cheesy chicken enchilada soup will vary depending on the products you purchase, so read labels carefully.
Green vs. Red Enchilada Sauce
- Red Enchilada Sauce: Made with red tomatoes, red chili peppers, onions, and other spices.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Most often made of diced green chili peppers (such as anaheim peppers, hatch, jalapeno, etc.), garlic, vegetable stock, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Both use very similar ingredients, but green enchilada sauce is cooked, and salsa verde uses raw ingredients. Not all green enchilada sauce recipes use tomatillos (but some do), whereas most salsa verde recipes use tomatillos. Typically green enchilada sauce is made of spicy and mild green chili peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and other seasonings. Sometimes a recipe will add tomatillos as well - but not always.
Read also: Low-carb chicken nuggets recipe.
Read also: Chicken and Brown Rice: A Healthy Choice