Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Don't let the long ingredients list overwhelm you! This is a really easy recipe that pretty much involves throwing a lot of canned good into a crock-pot. I often put it together the night before and then put it in the crock-pot before going to work in the morning. The apartment smells so good when I get home from work and I am always happy to have dinner done already!


Ingredients

1-2 pounds shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
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
vegetable oil

Directions

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.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Tips:
-I usually just put two raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock-pot, and then shred it 30-40 minutes before the soup is finished cooking. Being in the crock-pot all day gives the chicken plenty of time to cook, and this saves me the step of cooking the chicken beforehand.
-I like to add some canned black beans, drained and rinsed. I also usually add extra corn.
-I usually serve the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, chunks of avocado, and cilantro. Sometimes I make the tortilla strips, but sometimes I just buy tortilla chips to serve with the soup instead.