Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This comforting, flavor-packed chicken tortilla soup comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker. Loaded with tender shredded chicken and just the right kick of spice, it’s a hearty and satisfying meal that practically cooks itself.

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slow cooker tortilla soup the relatable chef

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup reminds me of Nicaragua. My aunt used to make the best one. We would often beg her for it and it was always so comforting and delicious. She had the spread all setup with the broth in one place and then all the little toppings. We would sit there slurping away enjoying the most delicious bowl of soup. If you see recipes that involve black beans or corn, please know that is not authentic!

You dont need a slowcooker for this recipe if you just want to cook it over a pot on your stove thats fine too... you just have to monitor it and cant really be walking away as much as you can with a slowcooker. Since this soup is tomato-based it is important to use a non-reactive pot. Avoid aluminum, cast iron, and copper which are all made of metals that can react with tomatoes and make the it taste like metal. Non-reactive pots that work well include: Stainless steel, enamel-coated cast iron, ceramic, and glass.

I have two versions of the recipe noted specifically due to the pepper. The easy version is to just use the listed Goya peppers. The authentic version is to use the pasilla chile. It's not that its hard to use the pasilla chile...it's that its hard to FIND! And I personally cannot stand when a recipe calls for something that is hard to find. If you have a Latin supermarket nearby, you should be able to find it there. Otherwise, don't sweat it! Use the Goya peppers and it will still be delicious. Is the pasilla better? Yes.. its a beautiful, smoky and rich pepper (not spicy) with so much depth. It's really magical to see the flavor come to life just from that pepper. But sometimes we dont have time to be going to specialty places and that's just fine!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3

Course Soup

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 cups

Equipment

1 Slow Cooker You can opt to make over the stove in a big pot if you dont have a slow cooker.

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken breast
1 Onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp Paprika even better if you have smoked!
1 tsp Salt
6 cups Chicken Broth

CHILE INSTRUCTIONS- USE THE GOYA ADOBO FOR THE EASY VERSION OR THE PASILLA FOR THE AUTHENTIC VERSION

2 tbsp Goya-Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce just two tbsp of the sauce
2 Large dried pasilla chiles

Optional-toppings

1 Lime not optional!! a must!
Cilantro also a must!
Latin white cheese cut into cubes
Diced avocado
crispy tortilla strips

Instructions

First, if you are using the pasilla chile, let's cook the chiles just a little bit to get them fragrant and juicy. I like to slice them open, discard the seeds and slice into strips. Add to a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil and let them saute for a few minutes until fragrant. Set aside on a paper towel.
If you are using the canned adobo you can skip this step
Next, Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes more until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Now, we want to blend together most of the ingredients so you can either use a blender, immersion wand or whatever you have handy. If you have to do it in multiple batches, thats ok too. So, we are going to add the chiles or adobo, onion and garlic, canned diced tomatoes, cumin, chile, paprika and salt. Puree until smooth.
Transfer blended tomatoes to your slow cooker. Add your chicken broth and mix. Add in your chicken breasts Cook on high for 2 hours. Once it's done, remove your chicken, shred and then add back into the soup and cook for another hour.
Once it's done cooking, garnish with lime and chopped cilantro.

Keyword slow cooker, tortilla soup