By Heather Cheney LAST UPDATED July 22, 2019 · FIRST PUBLISHED February 12, 2018, 48 Comments

Zesty Queso Keto Chicken Soup

Whether you eat keto or not, this zesty queso keto chicken soup is my new favorite for chilly nights. You can make it in the slow cooker or instant pot and it’s creamy, slightly spicy and full of flavor.

While I’m ready for winter to be over, I’m never ready for soup season to end. This queso chicken soup is creamy and smooth and packs a big punch of flavor from the use of salsa verde in the soup base.

You can make this as low carb or high carb as you’d like, too! This chicken queso soup would be great with the addition of some black beans and frozen corn. Serving it up with some tortilla chips is also delicious!

I’m very non-committedly trying to eat keto for a while (with lots of help from these delicious little peanut butter balls) so I keep the recipe as is and eat with a good serving of diced avocado and Monterrey jack cheese. I’m pretty sure I could live off this soup… or this creamy chicken one when I’m not eating keto. I clearly have a thing for creamy soups.

Making Chicken Keto Soup in the Instant Pot

This chicken queso soup can be made quickly in the Instant pot and it’s definitely my favorite way to make it! Directions for doing so are in the recipe card below.

Making Queso Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker

When I think ahead this recipe is great in the slow cooker, too. Just throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for at least 6 hours or until the chicken shreds easily. This recipe is pretty similar to my green salsa chicken soup with hominy, so if you want a soup that is a little less creamy and lighter you should try it!

Recipe Tips for this Queso Keto Chicken Soup

Adding ingredients: like I mentioned above, if you don’t need this soup to be low-carb, this soup is great with the addition of black beans and frozen corn. Just add them in with the rest of the soup ingredients and cook as directed.
The recipe calls for salsa verde or green salsa. Note that prepared salsa verde can vary greatly in heat. I’ve found that Herdez brand has a medium heat that my family can handle. La Costena is another brand I’ve used and liked.

Can I use Neufchatel Cheese instead of full-fat Cream Cheese?

Neufchatel cheese is very similar to cream cheese but is a bit moister and has a lower fat content (1/3 fat) of regular cream cheese. I haven’t tried using it in this recipe specifically, but have in other soup recipes with success. It may be a bit harder to incorporate into the soup, so you may have to put a little bit of muscle into it, but it should melt fully and leave you with a soup that is lower in fat. I do not advise using fat-free cream cheese, however.

Other Creamy Soup Recipes That You Might Like

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
28 ounces petite diced tomatoes not drained
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa verde or green salsa
8 ounces cream cheese softened
avocado and monterrey jack cheese for topping

Instructions

Instant Pot:

Place chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes with juices, salt, chicken broth, and green salsa in Instant Pot. Set to manual mode and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. Allow pressure to release naturally (about 15 minutes), remove and shred the chicken. Set aside.
Stir softened cream cheese into the soup in the pot and whisk until fully melted into the soup. Return chicken to the soup and serve with diced avocado and monterrey jack cheese.

Slow Cooker:

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and shreds easily. Whisk cream cheese into the broth fully if needed after cooking time is up.

Nutrition

Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

About the Author

Heather Cheney is a food blogger, recipe developer, and photographer currently living in Utah. A former caterer, baker and cake decorator, she learned to love food in culinary school 12 years ago. She now passes that love and knowledge onto readers of Heather Likes Food, hoping to empower home cooks with the skills they need to create flavor-packed meals.

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