Easiest Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

When the snow is flying and the mountains are calling, make the Easiest Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup and head for the ski slopes.

Oh, Utah, how I love your fickle weather patterns. After months of praying to the snow gods, Utah’s ski bunnies finally got the snow they’ve been craving…and then some!

Whether you’re a Utah native who was born to ski, or a ski bum who ventured out West for a ski adventure and never left, a week of snow like the one we had last week means only one thing…powder skiing.

Or maybe you’re the kind that would rather crawl under the covers with a book and hibernate when the snow flies (I confess to being a little of both). Either way, you’re going to love how easily this soup comes together, all while you enjoy your favorite winter activity. Oh, the magic of slow cookers!

Since we’re a family who prefers dark chicken meat, I like to make my Chicken Tortilla Soup with organic chicken thighs, but feel free to use chicken breasts if you prefer. To add a smoky flavor, I use Hunt’s Fire Roasted diced tomatoes and Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn kernels. Any brand of fire roasted tomatoes or corn will work, and if you can’t find them, simply opt for what’s most easily available to you. You can always add a little smoke flavor with a dash of smoked paprika if you wish.

What does your favorite bean say about you? I grew up in South America, and hardly a week went by that my mother didn’t cook a hearty pot of black beans. In our family, there are two bean camps–the back beans and the pintos. Since I’m the cooker, guess who wins? 😉 Kidding. I do love a pot of refried pinto beans. For this soup, go with whatever bean makes your heart sing.

To make the soup creamy, I remove the chicken from the pot and blend about a third of it with an immersion blender. You can leave it brothy or choose to blend the whole thing–your soup.

Can we talk garnishes for a minute? Everyone knows garnishes are essential to Chicken Tortilla Soup – think cilantro, avocados, cheese, scallions, sliced radishes, and of course, corn tortilla chips! And don’t forget to top it off with a generous squeeze of lime juice to add just the right amount of tanginess.

Are your taste buds totally titillated yet? I hope so! Bookmark this recipe, get your shopping list together, place all your ingredients in your slow cooker and go have yourself a good time while the Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup magically cooks itself into your heart.

Print Recipe

Easiest Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

When life gets busy, make the Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup. Be sure to have plenty of tasty garnishes on hand – think cilantro, avocado, cheese, sliced radishes and scallions...and of course, good quality tortilla chips for that coveted crunch.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time6 hrs

Course: Soup

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jackelin

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds organic chicken thighs or breasts
• 2 medium-size yellow onions peeled and diced
• 5 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups good quality chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen roasted corn kernels
• 1 15 oz. black beans rinsed and drained
• Lime wedges

Instructions

• Place all ingredients up to and including the canned tomatoes into a slow cooker" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours. Add the corn and the black beans and cook 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. Remove the chicken onto a cutting board and shred using two forks to separate the meat. In the meantime, partially blend the soup in the slow cooker using an immersion blender (I like to blend about a third of the soup and keep the rest chunky - your choice). Place the shredded chicken back in the pot. Serve the soup into individual bowls and garnish with diced avocado, cilantro, cheese, radishes, cilantro, tortilla chips and whatever other delicious toppings sounds good to you. Squeeze a good dose of lime juice into your bowl and enjoy!

Notes

If you prefer to add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker at the very beginning so that you can walk away for six hours, that's fine - the black beans and corn will just be a little softer than if you add them at the five-hour mark.