Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I usually don't like recipes with more than five or six ingredients, but this soup is so easy that I don't mind the longer list. Just dump everything into the slow cooker and let it cook.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken or 1 pound raw chicken, shredded halfway through
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

Top with shredded mexican cheese, green onions, sour cream & tortilla chips

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. To serve, top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

Quick tips:

• Try tossing in two or three raw chicken breasts and shredding halfway through instead of going through the trouble of cooking the chicken first.
• Replace 2 cups of water with an extra can of broth.
• Add a can of black beans.
• I like to freeze individual servings of the leftovers for quick meals.
• Double the recipe so you can freeze even more leftovers.