The Best Chicken Tortilla Soup In The TOWN!

The name says it ALL! I remember when I first started getting interested in cooking, My friend from high school gave me this recipe and told me to just throw it in the crockpot and LEAVE IT ALONE! I thought, ok, thats easy! So a few days later, I went to the grocery store with my then boyfriend ( and now husband ) and gathered all the ingredients. I did what my friend told me to do, chop everything up and throw it in! Easy enough. Ever since then, I fell in LOVE with this soup and I now make it all the time, And I still do. Sometimes when I don't feel like using a rotisserie chicken, I like to buy some chicken breast  and cook it with the olive oil, garlic and onions seasoned with some lemon pepper and garlic salt =) You can also add anything you want to you this soup.. sometimes ill toss in some black beans and some corn. or whatever you have on hand..  If you DO decide to try out this amazing recipe please don't skip the garnishes! they're for sure the icing on the cake!!

Ingredients:

1 (46 ounce) can chicken broth

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes 
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I use rotisserie from the deli)
• 2 anaheim chiles , diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 -4 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chili powder ( but i always use about 1/8 - 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne powder)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 
  

Garnish

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, pulled from stem
• a couple of lime, cut into wedges
• 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips 

- Throw everything except the garnishes in your crock pot and let it cook on high for 5-6 hours.

- Dress with garnishes and give it a squeeze of lime (a must:-) and you're good to go!

OR! 

If you are not using a crock pot, saute the garlic and onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil before adding the remaining ingredients.Let it simmer for at least an hour so that all the flavors mix together!!  I like to serve it with some red rice on the side OR in the soup :)

ENJOY!! 

xo-Kelly