What Is Crock-Pot® Chicken Tortilla Soup?

Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup is a dish made from shredded or diced chicken mixed with chili peppers, spices, and vegetables. The ingredients are combined in this type of slow cooker and typically left to simmer for several hours. Just as with many slow cooker dinners, this kind of soup requires simple preparation and can be adapted to different taste preferences. Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup gets its name from small pieces of tortilla that can be used as a garnish or mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. This soup recipe typically has some Mexican-inspired flavors and can be a favorite among people who enjoy spicy Crock-Pot® dishes.

Many recipes for Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup call for boneless and skinless chicken pieces that can be cooked with the rest of the ingredients at a relatively high slow cooker temperature. Some cooks prefer to brown the chicken pieces in a skillet first and leave them to simmer with the rest of the soup ingredients at a lower temperature. Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup can be cooked for about three hours at a high temperature or for up to eight hours at a lower temperature.

Popular vegetable ingredients for this soup recipe include tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and corn. Many recipes also call for chopped cilantro, and sometimes, avocado wedges as part of the garnish. Some cooks like to use diced red chile peppers, while others use green ones. These peppers can be either mild or hot according to different preferences. Other flavorings in chicken tortilla soup can come from black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and minced garlic.

Some versions of Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup have thick and rich textures from the addition of shredded cheddar or jack cheese. Other recipes may instead call for cream cheese or cream of chicken soup to be blended in with the rest of the mixture. Cooks who prefer to make a low-fat version of this soup recipe usually substitute chicken stock for cream of chicken soup. They may also only use small amounts of shredded cheese.

Tortilla pieces are additional ingredients in this slow cooker meal. Some recipes have instructions to simply cut raw tortillas into small pieces and mix these in with the rest of the soup. The tortilla pieces can also be crisped in a deep fryer ahead of time for added crunch. A favorite garnish for Crock-Pot® chicken tortilla soup is a spoonful of sour cream topped with fried tortilla strips and a couple of avocado wedges.