Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I just tried this a few months ago and it is awesome. It's become my new favorite soup! IMO, you can't beat Allrecipes.com when you're looking for a certain recipe. I love Q'doba's tortilla soup and have been looking for something similar to make at home. I think I found it. The only thing I did differently is add 1/2 small can of tomato paste. Keeping diced cooked chicken breast in the freezer makes this a snap to throw together. You might like to kick the heat up a notch; my husband prefers it mild. We topped ours with shredded cheese and tortilla chips instead of tortilla strips.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (make sure you shred the chicken breast!)
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

P.S. This is a great "take and make" recipe if you need to take something to work.