Yesterday, we we went for a family walk after our Thanksgiving dinner and it was beautiful outside. The temperature was nearly 60 and just gorgeous. Today, winter has set in with temperatures in the low 30’s and wind chills in the teens here in the Midwest. I can’t say I’m thrilled (I told Mike today I wanted to live in Florida) but at least I can have warm soup for dinner while curled up by the fire (if I can convince Mike to light one…) 🙂
Continuing with our Mexican kick, I threw together (literally) chicken tortilla soup. I’ve made several versions, but this quick and easy crockpot recipe wins out often because it is so painless. It makes a lot, freezes well, and is good for leftover lunches. I’m not sure where the base recipe originated from but it’s probably somewhere in cyberspace.
I threw this soup together while the trio was eating breakfast and it was ready to go by lunchtime with thawed chicken breasts. I’ve also made it using frozen chicken breasts, which I’d recommend if you plan to make it in the morning and serve for dinner. This soup pairs well with BLT Guacamole and chips.
If you have some leftover turkey that you’d like to throw in instead of chicken, I think it would be just as good. I’d reduce the cook time to 2 to 3 hours since the turkey is already cooked. I don’t see anything wrong with adding a bit of Mexican flair to your Thanksgiving leftovers!
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
- 1 - 4 oz can green chilies, drained
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 - 15 ounce cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper
- 4 corn tortillas, sliced into ¼ inch stripes
- 2 Tbsp. cilantro
- ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- lime juice
- avocado (optional)
- Place chicken in crockpot and toss in the chilies, garlic, onion, Rotel, broth, cumin, and salt and pepper on top. Stir occasionally while cooking to shred chicken as it cooks. For frozen chicken cook on high for 8-9 hours. For thawed chicken, cook on low for 4-5 hours. Just before serving, add tortillas and cilantro. Serve by topping each bowl with shredded cheese, diced avocado, and a squeeze of lime.