Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is an easy and flavorful chicken soup made in the slow cooker 

topped off with shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips.

Ingredients:

1lb. chicken breast, trimmed

15oz. can sweet whole corn kernels, drained (*I used frozen corn, thawed)

15oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

5 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup onion, diced

3/4 cup green pepper, diced

1 serrano pepper, minced


1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (*I added this on my own...optional.)
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

1 tsp. ground pepper, divided

½ cup half and half or heavy cream (*I added this on my own...optional.)
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
seasoned tortilla chips, crushed
avocado, cilantro, sour cream (optional)

Directions:

To your slow cooker, add the first 10 ingredients (chicken through chili powder) plus 1 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. ground pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Prior to serving, remove chicken breasts and transfer chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer.  If shredding by hand, simply transfer to a plate or bowl.  *Before turning the slow cooker off, add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half and whisk.  Cover, and allow to cook until chicken shredding is complete.  For easy shredding, use a paddle attachment for the stand mixer and mix.  Season chicken with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Return shredded seasoned chicken to slow cooker bowl and turn off heat.  Stir gently.

If serving immediately, divide among bowls. Top off with a generous helping of shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips.  If desired, add sour cream, avocado, and/or cilantro.  Soup may be stored in the fridge for up to several days. 

*www.bakedbyrachel.com