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Low FODMAP Chicken Enchilada Soup (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)

Em Schwartz, MS, RDN

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Made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, this Low FODMAP Chicken Enchilada Soup is a comforting twist on the Tex-Mex classic. With a bit of a spicy kick, a bowl of this is a tasty way to warm up!

A small white bowl filled with low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup topped with crushed blue corn tortillas, a dollop of coconut milk yogurt, a little cilantro and red pepper flakes. It's sitting on a white marble slab with an antique spoon and dark gray cloth napkin in the background.

LOW FODMAP CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP

Warm-up with a bowl of this scrumptiously, slightly spic-ayyy low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup.

To make things more hands-off, this low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup is designed to be made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. It features a flavorful veggie-filled base of tomatillos, sauteed leeks, and jalapeño.  To make the veggie base nice and smooth, I also recommend using a blender or immersion blender for this recipe.

A small white bowl filled with low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup sitting on a white marble slab. It is surrounded by a wooden pinch bowl filled with chili flakes and a coconut shell bowl filled with blue corn chips.

I’ve opted to include chicken breasts for a bit of lean protein. They cook with the veggies until tender, are then shredded, and stirred back into the soup. Before serving, I recommend adding fresh lime juice and cilantro (if you’re a fellow fan) for a boost of complimentary flavors.

This recipe makes great leftovers. It’s yummy right away, but I think it gets even better after a night in the fridge letting all of the flavors blend together. If you plan to enjoy as leftovers, refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for up to four days. I’d also recommend leaving out the (optional) cilantro and other optional garnishes until ready to serve.

A can of La Costeña tomatillos used in low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup.

ARE TOMATILLOS LOW FODMAP? 

According to Monash University, canned and drained tomatillos are low FODMAP in 1 cup or 75-gram servings. Currently, there is limited data available on FODMAPs in tomatillos. With the available information, we don’t know if fresh tomatillos are “safe”, nor if larger amounts can be tolerated without doing individual test-to-tolerance experiments.

Tomatillos aren’t a super common kitchen item, especially if you’re from the rural midwest like me, but you may have had them if you’ve tried green enchiladas or salsa verde before. If you’re unfamiliar, tomatillos look kind of like a green tomato and are considered a staple in Mexican cuisine. They grow in a papery husk, kind of like a ground cherry or goldenberry and have a tangy, slightly sweet taste.

Although fresh tomatillos are available in many larger grocery stores, canned tomatillos may be a little harder to come by. The only brand I’ve been able to find is La Costeña. I found it in the Hispanic section of Woodman’s, as well as online on Amazon. 

An overhead shot of a collection of bowls - two medium white bowls are filled with low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup, a wood pinch bowl is filled with red pepper flakes, a white pinch bowl is filled with chopped fresh cilantro, and a wooden coconut bowl is filled with blue corn chips.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Although this low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup is delicious on its own, it’s made extra special with optional toppings like cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, and plain low FODMAP yogurt.

I like to use plain low FODMAP yogurt as a sour cream substitute. Being essentially dairy-free (a non-FODMAP intolerance), plain COYO coconut milk yogurt is my current favorite. Coconut yogurt has been tested by Monash and a low FODMAP serving is considered 125 grams. If you tolerate dairy, you’re more than welcome to use a dollop of sour cream – a low FODMAP serving is up to 2 tablespoons (40 grams) – or plain lactose-free yogurt, like Green Valley Creamery.

A small white bowl filled green enchilada chicken soup. The soup is topped with fresh cilantro, crushed blue corn chips, fresh cilantro, and red pepper flakes. The bowl is set on a white marble background. On the top of the image gray text reads Low FODMAP Chicken Enchilada Soup. At the bottom of the image gray text reads FUN WITHOUT FODMAPS.
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A small white bowl filled with low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup. An antique spoon and dark gray napkin peek into the background.

Low FODMAP Chicken Enchilada Soup

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Em Schwartz, MS, RDN
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 hours 5 mins
  • Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Description

Made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, this Low FODMAP Chicken Enchilada Soup is a comforting twist on the Tex-Mex classic. With a bit of a kick, it’s a tasty way to warm up.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. garlic-infused olive oil
  • ½ cup (45 grams) chopped leek leaves (green parts only)
  • 300 grams drained, canned tomatillos (approximately ½ of a 28 oz. can)
  • ½ to 1 jalapeño, halved and seeds removed (optional)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 4 cups low FODMAP chicken broth
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice, to taste
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Garnishes

  • Plain low FODMAP yogurt
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Crushed tortilla chips

Instructions

Slow Cooker:

  1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute leek leaves until bright green, fragrant, and soft. Place the sauteed leek leaves into a blender. Add tomatillos, jalapeno, cumin, and ¼ cup water. Blend until smooth.
  2. Pour tomatillo mixture into a slow cooker. Add chicken broth. Stir to mix. Add chicken. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. (I like to use two forks.) Return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir to mix. Add lime juice to taste, as well as the (optional) finely chopped cilantro. Adjust flavor as needed with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve warm topped with optional garnishes.

Instant Pot:

  1. Press the “Saute” setting on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add oil and saute leek leaves until bright green, fragrant, and soft. Cancel the “Saute” setting. Add tomatillos, jalapeño, cumin, chicken broth, and chicken. Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot and secure. Set vent to “Sealing”.
  2. Select the “Soup” setting on the Instant Pot. Adjust the time to 30 minutes on “High Pressure” and cook. After cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes before carefully switching the vent to “Venting” and releasing any remaining pressure.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from the Instant Pot and shred. (I like to use two forks.) Set the shredded chicken aside.
  4. Using an immersion blender, blend the remaining tomatillo mixture in the Instant Pot until smooth. Return the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot and stir to mix. Add lime juice to taste, as well as the (optional) finely chopped cilantro. Adjust flavor as needed with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve warm topped with optional garnishes.

Notes

Leek Leaves: A low FODMAP serving is ⅔ cup or 54 grams. 

Tomatillos: To date, only canned and drained tomatillos have been tested. A low FODMAP serving is 1 cup or 75 grams.

Jalapeño: I make this recipe using 1 jalapeno with seeds. This adds a good amount of heat. 🙂 To decrease the level of spiciness, remove seeds and/or use a ½ jalapeño. Green chiles (like jalapeños) are low FODMAP, however, contain capsaicin. Capsaicin may be a non-FODMAP IBS trigger for some folks. Avoid if you believe you fall into this camp.

Low FODMAP Yogurt: One of my favorite sour cream substitutes! If you tolerate dairy, try plain lactose-free yogurt or a small amount of sour cream. Check your Monash app for the serving sizes.  For my dairy-free friends, try coconut milk yogurt (I like CoYo). A low FODMAP serving for coconut milk yogurt is 125 grams.

Corn Tortilla Chips: A low FODMAP serving for corn tortilla chips is 50 grams. Blue corn chips, specifically, have not been tested. If you’d like to err on the “safe” side, choose regular corn tortillas chips.

  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Keywords: low FODMAP, chicken soup, enchilada soup

An overhead shot of a collection of bowls filled with chicken enchilada soup, red pepper flakes, cilantro leaves, and blue corn chips. There is black text in the middle right reading low FODMAP chicken enchilada soup. Centered text at the bottom of the image reads FUN WITHOUT FODMAPS.
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Comments

  1. Ameris says

    Just made this and I’m sipping on some now. It’s so good! It tastes like the green salsa from La Constena I would have all the time before IBS.
    I doubled the recipe and used 1 deseeded jalapeno, perfect for me. It’s a very easy recipe. I was going to opt out of the blending at the end since I don’t have an immersion blender, but OMG – don’t skip that part! The tomatillos give such a nice flavour that they need to be in every bite. And when the leeks are blended it doesn’t taste like leeks (which makes it more authentic tasting)
    Bookmarking this! Thanks so much, Em 🙂

    (I’ll definitely be trying your other recipes)

    ★★★★★

    • Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says

      Thank YOU, Ameris! I appreciate you taking the time to share. 🙂

  2. Syema Ailia says

    Good recipe, just want to know why you opted for canned tomatillos rather than fresh?

    Thanks

    ★★★★★

    • Emily says

      Thanks, Syema! Fresh tomatillos have not yet been tested for FODMAP content. Sometimes processing can impact the FODMAP content of foods. So, I recommend using canned, which have been tested and are low FODMAP. 🙂