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Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken Soup. This EASY creamy soup tastes just like the beloved King Ranch Chicken Casserole. Loaded with cheese, juicy chunks of chicken, and tons of flavor! Simply load up the slow cooker and let this soup simmer during the day. Everyone will be waiting with bowls in hand to enjoy this one!!
King Ranch Casserole is a pretty popular Texas recipe. Made with layering of chicken, cheese, tortillas. Allow me to introduce you to an easy, slow cooker soup version! Creamy, dreamy, cheesy, flavorful. This soup is thick and perfect for dipping chips in.
Ingredients for this King Ranch Chicken Soup:
- Butter & flour: to help make this soup extra creamy we’re starting with a roux base.
- Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Black Pepper & Salt: for a classic Texan taste make sure you are using Gebhardts Chili Powder.
- Chicken: grab boneless, skinless chicken breasts for easier cooking.
- Chicken Broth: always use a low or no sodium broth if possible. This helps you to control the flavoring of the soup.
- Canned diced tomatoes and green chiles: if you can’t find this particular ingredient you can sub with a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of diced green chiles.
- Jalapeno: a diced jalapeno adds the perfect amount of heat to the dish. If you are concerned about heat you can of course leave this ingredient out.
- Cheese: stir some into the soup for a creamy, cheesy soup and top the soup with the extra for a fun topping!
- Chips for dipping: optional
How to make Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken Soup:
- Prepare the roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Allow this to cook for a few minutes and then pour in the chicken broth. Bring this mixture to a simmer to allow it to become nice and thick. This is what makes the soup extra creamy. Stir in the seasonings.
- Add the chicken, diced tomatoes & green chiles, and jalapeno to the slow cooker. Carefully pour the seasoned broth mixture over the top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the chicken, shred and then return to the soup.
- Stir in the cheese and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes to allow it to melt.
- Serve warm with extra cheese, toppings and tortilla chips.
I wish I could take credit for this recipe. But it’s not mine! Want to know where it’s from? My friend Samantha from Five Heart Home just released a fantastic cookbook, Real Food Slow Cooker Suppers. Full of easy, family-friendly recipes from scratch. Click the links to head over to Amazon to check it out.
More Soup Recipes:
(Slow Cooker) King Ranch Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsbp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1½ lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 (10 ounce can) diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 medium jalapeno minced (seeds and membranes removed)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar Mexican blend or Colby Jack
- Tortilla chips for serving
- chopped fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until it’s fragrant and light golden brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, increase the heat to a simmer and whisk continuously for several minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Add black pepper to taste and set the sauce aside.
- Place the chicken breasts in a large slow cooker. Top them with the diced tomatoes with green chiles and jalapeño and pour the sauce over the top. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through but not overcooked.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, stir the cheese into the slow cooker and cover the slow cooker for the time being.
- Pull the chicken into large chunks and stir it back into the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and all of the ingredients are heated through. Stir well.
- To serve, crush the tortilla chips into a bowl and ladle the soup over the top, garnishing with extra cheese and the cilantro, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe was first published October 21, 2016. Updated September 25, 2020 with new information and video.
This may very well be not only the best soup I’ve ever made,, but the best chicken tortilla type soup I’ve ever had in my whole life!!! I make it ALL the time because we love it so much! It is now my go to for any party, or get together, also!
Amazing… is the best word for this!!!!
Followed recipe to the T and garnished with sour cream and fresh tomatoes ~
Simply delicious!!!
The soup is amazing. I made the base and tasted it. It will now be the recipe for my enchilada sauce.
Can’t wait to try. Does the soup save and reheat well?
Yes it does!
Awesome last minute idea for football Sunday!
I was browsing the web for something different and this recipe came up.
I did add a can of corn and black beans ( rinsed and drained) to the soup. Pre cooked the chicken breast on the stove first then finished it off in the slow cooker.
It’s a keeper! Currently figuring out how many points per serving.
Thank you
Kim
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Kim! It’s definitely one of our favorites.
That is great to hear! Would olive oil work? If so how much would you suggest using? Thank you for getting back to me!
Yes! Olive oil will work. General rule of thumb is to use the same amount of fat as flour. I would just use the same amount as the butter, which would be 1/2 a cup mixed with the 1/2 cup of flour. You could always cut back if you’re concerned about the amount, and do 1/4 cup of both oil and flour. The roux just helps to make the soup thicker, so you could also just completely skip this step too.
This looks delicious! What could I use instead of butter?
It’s so good! And you can make a roux using any kind of fat. I’ve used vegetable oil before and it turns out just the same.
This looks delicious and can’t wait to try. I do have a question. If I wanted to add like black beans and corn, would I drain them before adding to slow cooker? Thanks for any help you can give me.
Yes, just drain the corn and drain and rinse the black beans before adding to the soup. Let me know how it turns out!
Can I make this on the stove and if so how would it be adjusted
Hi Haley! You can absolutely make this on the stovetop. To adjust it just cook the chicken and shred on it’s own. Just cook the chicken in a skillet with a little bit of water until it’s cooked through, about 20 minutes. Then shred it. Make the soup as directed otherwise and just add in the shredded chicken. Hope that helps!
I’ve tried several recipes of this sort in search of a soup most like Chili’s tortilla soup and I have got to say …“This is it”‼️
This was easy to make and it was simply delicious.
I will definitely be making this a staple to my kitchen.
Yes!! It’s so good! We make it all the time 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it too!