CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love CrockPots because they simultaneously make my life easier and make it seem like I've put a lot more effort into dinner than I actually did. Anything that can do that is definitely a winner in my book.

Because we're finally experiencing some fall weather around here, I decided to use the trusty CrockPot today to make some chicken tortilla soup, yum! And because it was so easy, so delicious, and I haven't posted a recipe in a long time, I thought I'd share with all of you! :)

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 10oz cans of Ro-Tel (I like the lime & cilantro, but the regular is fine)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn or two cups frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
2 14.5oz cans low-sodium chicken broth
1-2 cups of water
1 Tbsp garlic powder*
1 Tbsp chile powder*
1 Tbsp ground cumin*
1 Tbsp dried cilantro*

tortilla chips
sour cream
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
fresh cilantro

*Instead of these spices, you could include a packet of Taco seasoning if you prefer.*

Put chopped onion, cans of beans, rotel, corn, chicken broth, water, and spices in CrockPot and stir to mix. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they're at least partly submerged in liquid. Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breasts from soup and shred, if needed, (sometimes they'll just fall apart on their own, but sometimes they need some help). Return chicken to CrockPot, stir to combine.

To serve put a few tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, ladle soup over tortilla chips, top with shredded cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream, serve with more chips if you like. Enjoy!



FAQ's - Edited 4/18/2013

-This recipe yields about 12 cups, I would interpret that as 6 2-cup servings, but I realize that's completely subjective.
-The leftover soup makes a great casserole, you can find the recipe here.
We have an older version of this crockpot that we got as a wedding gift in 2006, and it's great!

-I have used frozen chicken breasts in place of thawed, and they worked great!  They did take an hour or so to thaw with the crockpot on high, so maybe allow for 30 min-an hour extra cooking time.

-Different crockpots cook totally differently, some people say that the extra water added made their soup very watery and tasteless, in my crockpot this is not the case.  If you like try skipping the water when you put everything in the crockpot in the morning, and if your soup looks too thick before serving add a little water and let it cook in for 10-15 minutes. 

-If you don't love spicy food like we do, look for the MILD Ro-Tel.  Since our 1 year old eats this now too, (and loves it!), we use one can of Mild Ro-Tel and one can of Regular.  The cilantro & lime Ro-Tel is more mild than the original version!

Enjoy!  If you try this out let me know how you like it! ;)

Jennifer