Chile Relleno Soup #slowcooker

Creamy, cheesy soup always warms the heart and the belly. This slow cooker soup is a play on the classic Mexican dish – Chile Relleno, which is a roasted green pepper (usually a poblano) stuffed with chopped meat and lots of cheese, then battered and fried. Chile Relleno Soup is a perfect fall soup loaded down with cheese, chicken and peppers. The cream cheese gives you that extra creamy texture you crave.

I use my slow cooker all year around, but it definitely gets more use in the cooler months. And while I am a firm believer that you can make way more than just soups in your crockpot, it is also still one of the best ways to make soup. When you allow the flavors to mingle and meld together for hours and hours, you get a delightful depth of flavor. For this recipe you can cook it on high for 4-6 hours OR low for 6-8 hours. It is preferrable to cook it on high, as the higher temp assures the cream cheese will fully melt into the broth. But if you need to start this before you head off to work in the morning, the lower setting will work just fine.

As I mentioned above, chile relleno is usually made with a poblano, and that’s what I used in this recipe. However, sometimes an Anaheim chile is used and you could definitely make that swap out on this recipe. While neither of these chiles are necessarily hot, the Anaheim chile tends to be a bit milder than the poblano. When you are dicing the peppers, it’s important to remove all of the ribs (white parts on the inside of the pepper). The ribs tend to have a bitter taste that isn’t the most pleasant when slow cooked. This is actually true for most peppers.

This soup is a full meal for sure. A few of the kids grabbed a tortilla to dip in the soup so that’s an option if you need a “side”. This soup also keeps very well. So if you do have any leftovers, they will make great lunches for the rest of the week. Just portion the soup out into serving sized food storage containers. You can reheat in the microwave or stove top.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Chile Relleno Soup #slowcooker

The flavors of the Mexican classic Chile Relleno in a creamy cheesy soup.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Keyword cheddar cheese, Chicken, chile relleno, corn, cream cheese, creamy soup, poblano, white onion

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Slow Cooker Time 4 hours hours

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 Slow Cooker at least 6 qt.

Ingredients

• 2 qt Chicken Broth
• 1 Medium White Onion diced
• 2 Large Poblano Chiles diced
• 16 oz Cream Cheese cubed
• 1 15oz can Sweet Corn
• 1½ lb Chicken Breast
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 4 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded, divided

Instructions

• Add all ingredients EXCEPT the cornstarch and cheddar to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and secure lid. Cook on HIgh for 4-6 hours (or Low 6-8 hours)
• Remove chicken and shred or chop.
• Stir soup to incorporate the cream cheese fully. Then remove about 2 cups of soup to a bowl. Blitz with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cornstarch and blitz again to combine. Return to slow cooker, along with shredded chicken.
• Add three cups of cheese (one cup at a time) and stir until melted.
• Serve soup with a sprinkle of cheese on top.