During the summer when I was in college, I worked in a really popular Mexican restaurant in my home town. I was so excited to get a serving job there because it was always super busy (big tips!), and the food was amazing. I assumed I would gain at least 10 pounds that summer because of the delicious food, but I ended up losing weight because I spent 12 hours a day on my feet running around! One of their best dishes was easily one of the most simple, their Chicken and Rice Mexican Soup. I had never tried this soup prior to working there, but once I did try it there was no turning back. It had a great broth base with shredded flavorful chicken, some tender rice, just enough spice, and they loaded it up with mozzarella cheese. The best part about the soup was how the cheese melted in the soup once it was sprinkled on top. It made for every single bite to be cheesy delicious.
Still, 8 years later I am trying to recreate this delicious soup. I found a great recipe on Easy Yourself Skinny (love her skinny recipes!), which didn’t contain rice, but looked so good and easy. With a couple of modifications I think it’s become the perfect Tortilla Soup. When I make it at home I substitute the chicken for beans since my family is vegetarian, but when I make it at work I use the chicken. I make it really frequently and it’s super tasty and healthy. Aside from the delicious taste, the best part about this soup is that you just throw everything into the slow cooker and let it cook all day. Once you get home from work you have a house that smells great and dinner waiting to be served.
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 (15oz) can black beans if making vegetarian
- 1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce (I used hot to give it a kick)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups of water
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. cumin (may add more if you want a spicier soup)
- 1 tsp. chili powder (may add more if you want a spicier soup)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
- 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- lime for garnish
- 7 corn tortillas
- olive oil
- 1. In the slow cooker place chicken breasts or beans, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles and garlic. Pour in the water and chicken/veggie broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro.
- 2. Cover, and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high setting for 3 to 4 hours.
- 3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into pieces and then place back into soup. Stir. (this step is only needed if making with chicken)
- 4. To make the tortilla strips, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, and salt over tortillas to give them a great flavor.
- 5. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning.
- 6. To serve, sprinkle 1 TBS (or more if desired) of cheese over the soup, and place tortilla strips over soup. Garnish with a lime.
- Nutritional info for chicken recipe (not including cheese): Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Calories: 135 • Fat: 2 g • Carbs: 14 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 14.8 g • WW Points+: 3 pts
- *Would be less with bean substitution
Like Tortilla Soup as much as I do?! Check out these other recipes:
Crockpot Tortilla Soup from Today’s Creative life (below)
Thanks for visiting!
– Allyson
This looks amazing and I have everything for it already! We are playing around with going more vegan because we have been reading the book Eat To Live by Dr. Furhman. This recipe would be mostly by his way of eating. I can’t wait to try this but will have to leave out a lot of the heat because the hubby is a weenie. LOL
This recipe is almost totally vegan! Just take out the cheese basically. It definitely isn’t spicy with the listed ingredients…it has a bit of spice, but nothing crazy, that’s for sure! I hope y’all love it!
oooh wee that looks good! I can taste the cheese and tortilla chips already!
Yum! Pinned this. I’ve actually been looking for some slow cooker soup recipes for fall!
This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
Mmm, I love tortilla soup! Pinning, and thanks so much for sharing it at my link party!
Thanks, Jessi!
This sounds awesome. Thanks for linking to What’d You Do This Weekend.
Linda
Sprinkle one TBS of — what? — over the tortilla strips at the end?
omg! Thanks for pointing that out…CHEESE!!! Don’t skimp on the cheese!
O M Gee! This soup looks so good! Definitely going to try it!
I hope you like it!
Should the chicken be thawed or frozen?
It could be either, but for frozen I would increase the cooking time 2 hours.
I’ve made this soup about 10 times now! It is so amazing. I pinned it and have shared with many! I add jalapeño for a little kick and avocado to top at the end. SO good
That is so awesome! I am really happy y’all enjoy it as much as we do! I am going to share your comment on my FB page, too!