Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

This crockpot chicken tortilla soup is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for a comforting meal. It cooks slowly in a crockpot or slow cooker so it's ready after work with no stress and minimal mess. It's also great as leftovers!

Ingredients:

1.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or leftover turkey breasts)

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed (you can also use dried black beans if you presoak them.)

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-4 jalapeño or other hot peppers, seeded and minced (adjust to your spice preference)

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lime

Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

6 Corn tortillas or tortilla chips

Optional toppings: crumbled Queso Fresco, shredded Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, diced tomato, red onion, lime wedges, and avocado slices.

Instructions:

1. Layer vegetables, beans, and chicken into crockpot
2. Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, salt, and pepper over the ingredients in the crockpot.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the crockpot, ensuring that all ingredients are covered.
4. Set the crockpot to cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. The longer cooking time on low will result in more tender chicken and melded flavors.
5. About 30 minutes before the soup is done cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the crockpot. Stir to combine. If the chicken does not shred easily, let it cook longer until it is fork tender.
6. Continue cooking, lid off, until soup reaches desired consistency.
7. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup and stir.
8. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.
9. Serve garnished with lime wedges, chopped fresh cilantro, and optional tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado slices for extra flavor and texture.

Makes 6-8 servings