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 (⅓ 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 Chicken Recipes You Might Like
- Chicken lo mein recipe
- Pesto Parmesan Chicken
- Easy Chicken Cacciatore
- Smothered Chicken Breast
- Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs
- garlic chicken thighs
- Ranch Chicken Marinade
- Simple Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Barbecue Chicken
- Wingers Sticky Fingers
- Sweet Chili Sauce Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken Breast
- Chicken Ricotta
- Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Other Soup and Stew Recipes You Might Like
- Southwest Potato Corn Chowder
- Award Winning Best Crockpot chili recipe
- Crockpot Tortilla Soup
- Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup
- Thai Ramen
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Chicken Salsa Chili
- BBQ Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Dumpling Soup
Zesty Queso Keto Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 28 ounces petite diced tomatoes not drained
- ¼ 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.
Nan White says
Great soup!!! Delicious....making it for the 6 th
Sara says
This was super good! I used rotel (tomatoes and green chille) instead of just tomato and added lime, onion and cilantro before serving. It was so delicious. If I wasn’t Keto it would taste fantastic with tortilla chips.
ALauren says
Jeebus can you shrink the ads? Your site has my computer running 10 times slower.
Heather Cheney says
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Sue says
Sodium content is 44 percent. That is extremely high. Maybe it can be adjusted.
Heather Cheney says
Please be aware nutrition facts are for reference only and calculated through an app. Please do your own calculations if you have certain dietary restrictions.
Sophie says
The sodium can be lowered here in lots of places.
1. Omit the extra salt.
2.Use homemade chicken stock or low-sodium packaged. Same with the salsa & taco seasoning. Make your own fresh, (this way, you know exactly what’s in it!) or buy the lower sodium version. If I buy canned tomatoes, I always try to buy the sort with No Added Salt. Read your labels!
Alisa Farmer says
Three thumbs up from my family! This immediately went on the list of foods to eat again. I'm always searching for something new to feed my diabetic husband who controls his diabetes with his diet, and with my homemade taco seasoning, this was declared a winner.
Denise says
Recipe for your taco seasoning?
Heather Cheney says
https://heatherlikesfood.com/homemade-spice-mix-recipes-printable/ Omit the cornstarch if needed.
Winnie krushensky says
The cream cheese curdled
Sandi says
I used my immersion blender after adding the cheese and it blended everything beautifully. Instead of 8 oz. cream cheese, I used 4 oz. cream cheese and 4 oz. Queso Fesca cheese. Delicious recipe!
Judy C. says
To reduce carbs if your taco seasoning has too many, try substituting with Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip mix instead. It has zero carbs for 1/2 tsp. so for the amount needed for this recipe, it probably has 1 carb. The taco seasoning I have has 9 carbs for the amount used in this recipe. I’d rather eat my carbs in the tomatoes! Great recipe, by the way!
Chris M says
Yikes 9g sugar per serving and 12 net carbs, definitely not keto friendly.
Paulette Boone says
Maybe I'm missing something, but the carbs per serving for this seem super high for being Keto. Is it for the whole batch and then divide by the amt of servings?
Angela says
It’s the taco seasoning . If you use your own seasonings instead of a mix the carbs will go way down.
Chris M says
I agree also 9g of sugar definitely not keto friendly. I’ll pass on this one
Heather Cheney says
Please be aware nutrition facts are for reference only and calculated through an app. Please do your own calculations if you have certain dietary restrictions. I can confirm that this soup is keto-friendly. Use homemade taco seasoning or cut down on the tomatoes, if needed.
Marla Pfister says
I tried to find salsa verde/green salsa in my supermarket but didn't have any luck. If I can't find it, is there a substitute ingredient I can use?
Thanks!
Anne says
Tomatillos boiled for 10 my no or until soft. Remove tomatillos and put in blender. Ad d a little of the boil d water to make texture you like. Add some lime juice ,cumin ,garlic & onion powder
Heather Cheney says
It's available in most, if not all grocery stores where all the salsas are. There should be many brands to choose from in both cans and jars. Even Trader Joes has an excellent Salsa Verde.
Susan says
This looks so good! However, I was wondering how much is considered a serving?
LeAnna says
Oh my gosh, just wanted to let you know how amazing this was! Thank you! I will be making this again.
Kelly says
This soup was delicious! Will definitely make this again!