Y’all, I absolutely love fall!
The cooler (but not cold!) weather, the changing leaves, and—of course—the food. Here in Albuquerque, we all know that it’s not fall until you smell that green chile roasting. We love to use that green chile in everything, and this super easy slow cooker tortilla soup recipe is one of our favorites.
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Tortilla soup is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and I love how easy this recipe is. I’m not sure exactly where the inspiration for this dish came from, but I know my sister-in-law made something similar when we visited her in Denver a few years ago, and it was amazing. It’s perfect for those days when you know you’re going to be super busy and don’t want to have to come home and figure out what to make for dinner. I put this slow cooker tortilla soup together first thing in the morning and set it on low.
I use frozen chicken breasts, so it doesn’t cook too fast. You can put this on before heading off to work and it will be perfect by the time you get home.
One of the big tricks with this slow cooker tortilla soup recipe is that you have to wait to put the heavy cream in until just before you serve it. If you dump it in with everything in the morning, it will curdle and get weird by the time you are ready to eat it in the evening.
I’ve never frozen this slow cooker tortilla soup, but I think it will freeze great as long as you don’t add the cream (again, it gets really weird!). So if you make a big batch, just move the amount you want to freeze into a freezer-safe container before you add the cream to the part you plan to eat immediately.
I’ve made big batches of this soup in my huge slow cooker for potlucks, meal trains, and all sorts of get-togethers, and it’s always a hit. And no one ever believes me when I tell them how easy it is.
Feel free to add additional seasonings; this is just the way my family likes it. I think it would be great with some fresh cilantro, but I’m always outvoted on that one.
I hope you give this super easy slow cooker tortilla soup recipe a try. It’s definitely a fan favorite in my family, and I just bet it will be in yours, too!
Super Easy Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons red chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (I use two cans because we like lots of tomatoes)
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped green chile
1 cup heavy cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
Instructions
Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, add the chicken broth, cumin, red chile powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Add tomatoes, onion, and green chile.
Pour contents of bowl over chicken in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
About thirty minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker.
Add heavy cream and let cook for about 20-30 more minutes.
Finally, serve topped with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
Originally published October 2018.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ABQ Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
