Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last Sunday was the perfect day to make my favorite Chicken Tortilla soup in the crock pot.

I have adapted this recipe from a recipe I found online (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-tortilla-soup-i/) with a few substitutions.

 Ingredients:
1/2 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp chile powder (I used La Fernandez medium or hot chile powder)
1 tsp cumin
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I use Hunt's Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1/2 cup or 4 oz fire roasted green chiles (I use frozen green chiles that were fire roasted, but a can of green chiles is ok)
32 oz chicken broth (I used Pacific Naturals chicken broth, because it is natural ;))
1 can red enchilada sauce (I prefer to use La Fernandez's enchilada seasoning pack and cook according to the directions) 
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded


Garnishes:
4 corn tortillas
Canola oil
Cilantro (optional, not everyone likes it)
Cheddar Jack cheese
Lime
Avocado sliced (optional)


Instructions:
1) Boil chicken breasts 20-30 minutes until they are cooked thoroughly. Rinse under cool water to help with shredding (and not to burn your fingers!!). I either hand shred or fork shred my chicken. Set aside.
2) In a saute pan, saute onion and garlic until they are cooked thoroughly. Set aside.
3) In a crockpot, combine all ingredients except the frozen corn. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
4) Add the corn about 2 hours before the soup is going to be served (it can get a little mushy if added earlier).
5) Prepare the fresh tortilla strips. Brush canola oil onto tops and bottoms of corn tortillas and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake them in the oven at 425 for 5 minutes, flip over strips and cook another 5 minutes. The strips should be a nice golden brown color.
6) Serve soup in nice giant soup bowls.
7) Garnish with tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, lime juice, cilantro and/or avocado slices.
8) Enjoy!


The finished product (the Fiestaware really brings out the colors in the soup!!)

The soup keeps well in the fridge for a few days or can also be frozen back in a freezer-proof container!