Warm and spicey

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

When the weather starts dropping, I can’t think of anything better to eat than a big bowl of homemade soup. Usually, I rely on my mom or grandma for this, but since I am an adult now, it’s all up to me.

In college, my soups were always just broth and vegetables. For some reason, the idea of cooking chicken and shredding it was too much of a hassle. Even now, it is a deterrent.

But to make this task a little easier, I decided that I would buy an already cooked whole chicken from the grocery and substitute that, instead.

Last year, when I originally thought of this, I told my grandmother and she said, “No, absolutely not.”

I know I’m not the first one to think of this short cut, but my grandmother said that it was out of the question. “You can’t make a chicken broth without cooking the chicken,” she told me.

But I wasn’t making my own chicken broth, I was buying it, in can form. Apparently this was not the proper way to make soup.

Although this Chicken Tortilla Soup is made in the slow cooker and has a lot of ingredients, most from a can, I guarantee it is an easy, delicious meal.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

What you need:

Soup
3 shredded, cooked chicken breasts or 1 whole cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Toppings
Fresh lime juice
Jalapeno jack cheese, grated
Avocado

What to do:
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, bell pepper, green chilies, pinto beans and garlic into a slow cooker.

Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
Stir in corn and cilantro.

Cover, and cook on low setting for six hours or on high setting for three to four hours.

Top with lime juice, tortilla strips, grated cheese and avocado or, make a avocado and cheese quesadilla.