Chicken Tortilla Soup

    This is one of my favorite soups.  It started as a weight watcher soup, but I have adapted it to suit my taste.  It is very low calorie and is full of veggies.   As long as you go easy on the toppings it is a healthy dinner option with a lot of flavor. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts           5.48
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes with chilies               1.88
1 10 oz can mild red enchilada sauce                    1.14
1 medium onion-chopped                                       .40
1 bell pepper--chopped                                         .88
4 oz can diced green chillies or jalapenos                .78
1 summer squash or zucchini peeled and shredded  .39
3 carrots--peeled ans shredded                              .30
14 oz fat free chicken broth                                   1.78
1 C corn                                                                .25
1 bunch cilantro                                                     .74
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf

Toppings: sour cream   .98, pickled jalapenos 1.00, and tostitos scoops 3.48

Directions: 

In a large crock pot combine raw chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, diced chilies, onion, green pepper, carrot, squash/zucchini, broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and bay leaf.  (all ingredients except corn and cilantro)

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  When chicken breasts are fully cooked, pull them out and cut them up into bite sized pieces on the cutting board and return the chicken to the soup.  Add corn.

 Just before serving add lots of chopped cilantro.  We like about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro.  Now comes the toppings.  We like pickled jalapenos, sour cream and tortilla chips.  The original recipe calls for tortillas that you brush lightly with oil, cut into strips and bake until crispy.  This sounds like way too much work, so we buy a big bag of scoops tostitos and use a handful of them to help us enjoy our soup. 

This soup would also be great with celery, black beans, hominy, okra, or a little Parmesan on top.  Feel free to use any great veggies that you find in the fridge.  I was able to make 4 dinners at $3.51 each!  The toppings were $1.37 each. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza