Chile Relleno Soup may just be my most popular soup recipe EVER. It’s creamy and cheesy, and chockfull of roasted poblanos and tender chicken. With 31 grams of protein and only 5.5g carbs, it’s, hearty, healthy, and delicious!
This wonderfully cheesy Chile Relleno Chicken Soup recipe has graced the pages of this website since 2015. From the moment I hit publish, it became one of my most popular keto soup recipes. And it remains so to this day.
It’s so rich and flavorful, and perfect for a chilly day. All the flavor from the roasted poblanos, cheddar, and garlic make it ridiculously satisfying. We make pots and pots of this stuff during the winter because the whole family loves it.
And many readers express the same. This is a recipe worthy of obsession!
If you love Mexican style soups, be sure to check out Chicken Enchilada Soup and my Keto White Chicken Chili! And don’t miss this Roasted Poblano Sauce, which is delicious over chicken, pork, and fish.
Why we love it
This is a recipe that even the low carb skeptics love, because it’s so rich and flavorful. It has all the same mouthwatering flavor of a Chile relleno in a velvety broth, with chunks of chicken for added nutrition.
In case you are unfamiliar, Chile rellenos are a popular Mexican dish that features poblano peppers stuffed with cheese and fried in an egg batter. They are seriously tasty, but the batter doesn’t make them particularly keto-friendly.
Since I love cheese and I love roasted poblanos, I knew those flavors would work well in a soup. I added chicken for a more hearty meal, skipped the flour (obviously), and used cream cheese to help thicken the broth and make it ultra-creamy.
And then I topped it with sliced cheese and broiled it for a delectable melty, cheesy twist. It was an instant success! And with 31g of protein, it makes an ideal low carb, high protein recipe.
Reader Reviews
“I have never left a comment on any recipes I’ve tried, but this is the exception! My husband & I are so in love! It was amazing! Thank you so much for the wonderful addition to my extensive soup ‘collection.’ This one will remain on the top of the list!” — Ann W.
“This soup is amazing! If you are on the fence about trying it, leap right on over and get’r’done! This will probably be the best soup you’ve ever made! Carolyn, my keto journey is becoming a lifestyle thanks to your wonderful recipes. Keep them coming, please!❤️” — Kathy
“This soup is delicious! Shared it with some friends who are picky eaters and they loved it. Pepper jack on top definitely adds that extra little kick. My husband loves that he can enjoy and not have to worry about a spike in his glucose levels. Cant wait to try some of your other soup recipes.” — Josie
Ingredients you need
- Poblano peppers: These large green peppers are typically quite mild and not spicy. If you don’t want to roast them yourself, you can used fire-roasted canned green chilies. If you like more heat, you can use Hatch Green Chilies which come in mild, medium and hot varieties.
- Boneless skinless chicken: You can use thighs or breasts. You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken and add it at the very end.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat cream cheese for extra creaminess.
- Cheddar cheese: You can use sharp or mild cheddar. Shred it yourself or use pre-shredded
- Sliced cheddar or pepper jack cheese: I like to top each bowl of soup with a slice of cheese and place it under the broiler to melt and brown. You don’t have to do this but it’s a nice touch!
- Kitchen staples: Butter, onion, garlic, chicken bone broth, cumin, salt and pepper.
Step-by-step directions
1. Roast the peppers: Roast the poblano peppers until the skin is charred and blistered. You can do this over the open flame on a gas stove, or by heating your broiler to high and placing poblanos within a few inches of the broiler (turning to get all sides charred).
2. Remove the skins: Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub the skin to remove as much as possible. Cut out the seeds and then place in a food processor or blender to finely chop. Set aside.
3. Sauté the vegetables: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and poblanos and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Simmer the soup: Stir in the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chicken pieces and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. Blend it up: Add the cream cheese and the cheddar to the same blend or processor in which you chopped the poblanos. Add about 1 cup of the hot broth from the soup. Blend until smooth and then stir back into the soup.
6. To serve: Preheat the broiler. Dish the soup into individual ovenproof bowl and float a slice of cheese on top. Set under the broiler, about 6 inches from the heat and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Expert tips
If you are using canned chilies, you will want two 7-ounce cans or at least there 4-ounce cans. Drain off the liquid and chop them finely before adding to the soup.
The peppers can be roasted ahead of time. You can also roast, peel and the freeze the peppers in a reseable bag for up to 1 year. This is a great way to roast a big batch of peppers and you just grab a bag whenever you have a craving for this dreamy soup.
If you are adding cheese on top to broil, get the large square deli slices. They fit nicely over the top of most soup bowls, so they won’t sink in as you try to float it on top.
You can garnish your soup with some chopped avocados, green onions, cilantro, sour cream or some hot sauce, if you like some extra heat.
Recipe FAQs
Poblano peppers are usually quite mild, so you won’t find this soup recipe spicy. If you prefer it spicy, you can add some jalapeños or use medium or hot Hatch chiles instead.
This keto chicken poblano soup recipe has 7.5g of carbs and 2.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5.5g net carbs per cup of soup.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this one, as the creamy can make it split during the freezing and thawing process.
More delicious comfort food meals
Chile Relleno Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium poblano peppers
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken bone broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken (thighs or breasts) cut into ½ inch pieces
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese (thin sandwich slices, ¾ ounce each)
Instructions
- Roast the poblano peppers until the skin is charred and blistered. You can do this over the open flame on a gas stove, or by heating your broiler to high and placing poblanos within a few inches of the broiler (turning to get all sides charred).
- Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub the skin to remove as much as possible. Cut out the seeds and then place in a food processor or blender to finely chop. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and poblanos and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chicken pieces and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and the cheddar to the same blend or processor in which you chopped the poblanos. Add about 1 cup of the hot broth from the soup (avoid getting any of the chicken in there). Blend until smooth and then stir back into the soup.
- To serve: Preheat the broiler. Dish the soup into individual ovenproof bowl and float a slice of cheese on top. Set under the broiler, about 6 inches from the heat and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Cathy says
Oh my Carolyn, this soup recipe is so delicious. I am always looking for tasty keto recipes and the Chile Rellano Soup is so flavorful. It’s definitely a new favorite!
Erin J. says
Delicious! I followed the recipe but only had fat free cream cheese. It worked okay, but it probably isn’t as rich as the full fat cream cheese. I will make this again! Thank you!
Rita Warren says
Absolutely amazing recipe! This is outstanding. Easy and super tasty. Thank you thank you thank you for giving us this recipe. I’ve already shared it with my brother and one of our sons. It’s going in my favorites file
Allison says
Wonderful flavors! I reduced the amount of cream cheese and skipped the sliced cheese topping to make it a little lighter. Recommend sliced green onions and chopped cilantro on top!
Jody says
I was really disappointed. It’s not bad, but it is definitely not as great as the reviews indicate. In my opinion, it is rather bland and even with the cream cheese and cheddar cheese added into the soup, the broth is extremely thin. Will not make again.
Lester Poole says
To freeze a batch, prepare as shown, but do not add the cream cheese or cheese topping. Heat soup from freezer and add the cream cheese and cheese toppings as directed in above recipe. A great way to shorten prep time and have a deliscious meal in no time at all.
Lynnita says
Is the bowl you are using one cup?
Can this recipe be halved? There are just two of us here!
Thank You,
Lynnita
J. Mur says
For most recipes I usually just take half of each ingredient and it makes half the Servings that the original yields
R Kelley says
I used your basic recipe, but realized my poblanos were very hot, resulting in a soup too hot for us. So I added a can of creamed corn and some sweet seasoning mix, and it cooled the heat some. Very good.
Cheryl says
This is absolutely the best soup I have ever eaten! I didn’t have raw chicken, so I used Sams rotisserie chicken that has been in my freezer almost a year and it came out amazing! I didn’t have to add salt, pepper, nor anything to thicken it. Putting it under the broiler with a slice of pepper jack cheese on top makes a very nice and appetizing presentation. Thank you! Cold weather today in South Central Texas and this is so perfect this day or any day, no matter the weather.
Amy Paterson says
Really an outstanding recipe. I love making soup, and this one is a keeper!