Crockpot favorite: chicken tortilla soup

Definitely a keeper, although next time I might add some corn to add a little more body to the soup. 

Photo via Fat Free Vegan

Tortilla Soup from The Slow Cooker Revolution

serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 tbs vegetable oil

2 tomatoes, corred and chopped 

1 onion, minced

2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced (I used half of a poblano pepper and it worked fine)

6 garlic cloves, minced

4 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo 

1 tbs tomato paste

8 cups chicken broth

10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine 

1.5 lbs skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

salt & pepper

Garnishes:

4 cups tortilla chips

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add tomatoes, onion and half of jalapenos and cook until onion is softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, 1 tablespoon chipotles and tomato paste and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Stir in 1 cup of broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker. 

2.  Stir remaining 7 cups broth and cilantro stems into slow cooker.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender 4-6 hours on low. 

3. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly , then shred into bite size pieces (if there is bone, you can remove it now too).  Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using a large spoon. Discard cilantro.

4. Stir in shredded chicken, remaining jalapenos and remaining teaspoon chipotles (if you want to add more spice) and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste (I found the soup already flavorful enough so did not add any salt or pepper).  

Place tortilla chips in serving bowls, ladle soup over top and serve with cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro and lime wedges.