Chicken Tortilla Soup

There are 5 million ways to make Chicken Tortilla Soup.

This soup is a favorite of my husbands when we go out to dinner, so I wanted to figure out a good recipe to make it at home. When I started doing my research, I found out that a lot of people use whole cans of salsa, or store bought enchilada sauce, or things equally as disturbing. Don’t get me wrong, I love salsa, but not as a base for my soup.

Something I have learned when creating soup recipes in the past is how important it is to create layers of flavors and textures. Chicken tortilla soup is the ultimate example of this process. From the soup base to the toppings, this soup truly is a perfect example of a balanced recipe.

Tips:

*If you want lots of meat in the soup, use 3 chicken breasts instead of two. I happen to think two is perfect!

*Make sure to season each layer of the process with salt, and once the chicken is cooked, check for seasonings again.

*For an extra level of spice, used fire roasted chiles and tomatoes. I usually just use fire roasted chiles and regular tomatoes, but I have done both and like it either way!

*Use fresh or frozen corn….for real! Canned corn just doesn’t taste as good. I like to cook the corn separately for added flavor, and if you can grill the corn, that’s even better.

*SERVE WITH THE TOPPINGS! I cannot stress this enough. The soup is excellent on its own, but I PROMISE if you add my recommended toppings you will get the full effect of how perfect all of these flavors marry together.

Ingredients

1 red onion, chopped small

2 red bell peppers, diced into about 1/2 inch pieces 

2 chicken breasts 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon oregano 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

14oz diced tomatoes 

4oz can fired roasted green chiles 

14 oz can black beans or kidney beans; drained and rinsed

1 garlic clove, minced 

32 oz vegetable broth, chicken broth can also be used 

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen, not canned 

Salt and pepper 

Highly recommended toppings: cotija cheese (or sour cream), avocado, lime, cilantro, tortilla chips and hot sauce

Directions:

1. Place the chopped onion and bell peppers in the slow cooker and top with the chicken 

2. Sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper

3. Pour in the green chiles, tomatoes, beans, broth, and garlic

4. Stir everything together

5. Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 or until the chicken is cooked enough to shred

6. Remove chicken and shred using two forks

7. Place the chicken back into soup and cook for another 20-30 minutes on low

8. Meanwhile, cook the corn in a skillet with about a tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of salt; I like to cook it so it gets a bit of a char or browning, but this can also be done on the grill if you have fresh corn on the cob

9. Add the corn into the soup

10. Serve hot with toppings!