Week Five: Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Alrighty folks! This is one of many versions of chicken tortilla soup that I'll be trying over the weeks.  There are so many good recipes for this type of soup out there, several of which you all have offered up to me already, and because it's so popular, we just must do quite a few.


Over the past couple of years, I've become a fan (some say a fanatic) of America's Test Kitchen.  I love the science they describe and the methods behind the recipe, and find it so helpful to engage that way while I'm putting a dish together. Telling me why we do what we do in a certain recipe helps it make sense, and therefore, the process becomes much more intuitive, which makes one a better cook, I think.  Because I am not one of those cooks, like my friend Precious Page, who can put a little of this, and a little of that, in a dish, and know it's going to come out right. So ATK helps me this way.  And you'll be hearing a lot more about them from me...I have their cookbook volume called Soups and Stews.  


Anyway. (Think Ellen when you read this, and smile.) I found this recipe on Susan's blog, Wildlife in the Woods via the ATK FB page. It is from ATK's cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution.   She gives great tips in her post, and it would have behooved me to read them before cooking!  The called for amount of jalapeno and chipotle in adobo sauce are too much for even my spiciness liking! It didn't ring a bell with me that those amounts would yield such heat.  So be forewarned:  reduce the amount according to your taste.  See. 
I told you I wasn't intuitive in the kitchen.

Ye ol' Crock Pot

I also liked this recipe because it brought out the old crock pot, aka slow cooker.  I own a crock pot, but don't use it often, mainly because Jeffy isn't fond of crock pot meals.  But soup seems like the safe and perfect use for it. Tried the Mission Super Thin tortilla chips for the first time and loved them!

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Soup + Salad

adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution
Ingredients:
1 T. vegetable oil
2 tomatoes (12 oz.), cored and chopped  (I used @12 oz of cherry tomatoes - full of flavor!)
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced (I always wear gloves for this!)
8-10 garlic cloves, depending on size of cloves and your family's preference, minced
1 T. minced canned chipotle chile in adobo
1 T. tomato paste
8 c. chicken broth (I used half store bought, half homemade)
10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Garnishes:
4 c. crushed tortilla chips
8 oz. crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese) or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 ripe avocado (Mine weren't ripe yet, so I skipped this last night, but I wished I had had it!)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño  and cook until onion is softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, chipotles, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 c. broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir remaining 7 c. broth and cilantro stems into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. (Mine only took 4 hours.)
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard cilantro stems.
4. Stir in shredded chicken, and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add any additional seasonings (chipotle or jalapeño peppers, or salt and pepper) according to your taste, at this point. Place tortilla chips in serving bowls, ladle soup over top, and serve with cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.

"He is not an honest man who has burned his tongue and does not tell the company that the soup is hot."  

~~Old Proverb