Chicken Quesadilla Soup at Home

A satisfying and creamy slow cooker chicken quesadilla soup with quesadilla “croutons.” This straightforward chicken quesadilla soup recipe is sure to be a huge hit!

Both of my boys will tell anyone that their favorite soup is tomato basil. It’s pretty cute to hear out of the mouths of such little guys, but they also aren’t messing around. I’ve never seen anyone eat as much tomato basil soup as my toddler can and the babe can definitely put down some grilled cheese (that has been heavily dredged in tomato basil soup).

So whenever I try a new soup out, they whine to just have tomato basil instead. While I know they love the actual soup, I think they like dipping rolls, grilled cheese croutons/quarters, or bread in the soup the most. So, in attempts to get them to eat a different soup I thought of a variation on grilled cheese croutons — quesadilla croutons!

Sure enough, I served up bowls of this chicken quesadilla soup to hear the complaints that they wanted tomato basil instead and “didn’t like this soup” (that they’d never tried). But the minute I whipped out some quesadillas (some cut into croutons and others cut into large quarters), they were willing to give it a try.

And, I’m happy to announce, we now a have a contender for the famous tomato basil soup!! Everyone, including the boys, LOVED this soup.

While the mini quesadilla croutons are certainly fun and home cooks enjoy them, it’s also equally fun (and time saving) to cut the quesadilla into large quarters and dip them in the soup. The kiddos liked the croutons best, but I’ll admit I liked the bigger quarters of quesadilla to dip into this soup!

Although I’ve talked a lot about the quesadilla “crouton” addition, I can’t miss talking about this soup because it is absolutely satisfying. I know I’ve been calling it a “soup” for this entire post, but be aware it is more the consistency of a chili or very thick soup. I didn’t want to call it a chili, because it doesn’t really have “chili” ingredients, but it is definitely a thick and hearty “chili” like consistency.

And besides the quesadilla croutons or quarters, the actual soup is quesadilla inspired — it’s got all the ingredients of a great quesadilla — shredded chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and plenty of Mexican seasonings. And it’s also got all the great toppings of a quesadilla! We top this soup with a generous spoonful of sour cream, a huge handful of Colby Jack cheese, a squeeze of fresh lime, and plenty of green onions. With all these toppings and the quesadilla croutons or quarters, this is a seriously hearty quesadilla soup the whole family will love!

Ingredients

• 1 green bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breast; I prefer thighs)
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (10 ounces red enchilada sauce)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 2 (15.25-ounce) cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 (15.25-ounce) can southwestern corn (undrained (or regular sweet corn, or fire-roasted corn))
• 1 cup chicken stock (or chicken broth)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese (full-fat, very softened)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• skippable toppings (see note 1)
• 4 to 6 flour tortillas
• 1-1/2 cups Colby Jack cheese

Method

1. In a large slow cooker (I use a 6-quart one), add the diced green pepper, diced onion, chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, undrained tomatoes, drained and rinsed black beans, undrained corn, chicken stock, and minced garlic.
2. Add all the seasonings: the cumin, paprika, seasoned salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir well and cover the slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for 3–5 hours (or until chicken will easily shred) or low for 5–8 hours (again, until chicken will shred easily).
4. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred in another bowl using two forks.
5. While that cooks, cube the cream cheese into small cubes (it should be very softened—melt in microwave) and put them in the slow cooker. Stir well and cover. Change temperature to high. Let it sit for a few minutes, and using a large whisk, briskly whisk the cream cheese to melt.
6. Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Stir and cover. Cook on high until all the cream cheese is completely melted. Whisk once more.
7. While that cooks, make the quesadillas. Warm a wide skillet over medium to medium-a hot burner. Lay one tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle all over with 1/2 cup of cheese. Once the cheese starts to melt, lift a corner of the tortilla and check the underside. When the cheese is all melted and you see golden-brown spots on the underside of the tortilla, fold the quesadilla in half and remove to a cutting board (I cook these to very crisp since they’ll be in soup/dipped in soup). Repeat until all the quesadillas are made. Cut into large quarters or smaller croutons. Serve hot with the soup!
8. Serve the soup bowls with sour cream, Colby Jack cheese, avocado, fresh lime, cilantro/green onions as desired. If you only do one topping, the cheese is a must! If you don’t serve with the quesadillas, add some tortilla strips to the top.