Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tonight I made this soup.  This soup so close to the soup that was viciously and most evilly removed from the menu of a restaurant here in the City that it almost made me cry.

Seriously.  I needed a tissue.

I had a deep and undivided love for that soup.

I found THIS SOUP just by chance on this awesome blog, Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  And ever since I saw it there - I've been wondering....

I started looking at the other recipes that they had posted - and was kind of smitten.  I am attracted to their blog because they post what I like to think of as "Classic" recipes.  Recipes that have been handed down to them by their mothers, mothers-in-law, friends, and between each other.  And I kind of love those.  Recipes like that NEVER go out of style.  So these ladies' blog was added to my regular rotation.

The soup itself is so EASY I could hardly believe it.

Ellen's recipe calls for the chicken to be cubed - but I thought it would be even EASIER to just leave the chicken whole and then shred it later and Ellen agreed.

First, stir together the black beans, corn, and salsa and put in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Then put the chicken breasts on top.

Then stir together the cumin, water, cream of chicken soup, and diced tomatoes. 

Pour on top of the chicken and bean mixture.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

After 5 hours, pull the chicken out and shred it up, then add it back in.

Add some cilantro.

Then some cheddar.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes longer.  Ellen suggests adding in tortilla strips at this point too - but I thought they might get soggy if the soup was leftover.

Now.  If I was serving this for looks (I guess that's kind of the point of this), I would top the bowl with cheddar, sour cream, and fried tortilla strips - I think it would have taken it over the top for sure.

Holy MAN this was so good.  I kind of wish that I'd had a bun or a tortilla to clean the bowl with.

But I just made do with licking it clean.

The only thing I would change is to reduce the cilantro - to maybe only a couple of tablespoons....  It kind of overpowered the soup a little.

Another thing I might try is to add a little extra water (maybe like 1/4 cup) and just use all salsa instead of the diced tomatoes with jalapenos (which are kind of a pain the rear because I have to go to a different grocery store to buy them).

What else is there to say?  It was delicious.  I loved it.  I wept.  I'm making it a part of my regular rotation!!!

This is the Cane Girl - signing off.
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 cup chunky salsa (mild, medium, or hot)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (approx 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (10 oz each) cream of chicken soup
1 can (approx 15 oz) diced tomatoes with jalapenos or green chiles
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Corn tortillas cut into strips

1. Stir the salsa, corn, and beans into the bowl of a slow cooker.
2. Top with whole chicken breasts.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the soup, tomatoes, water, and cumin.  Pour over the chicken and beans in the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on high to 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
5. Remove the chicken breasts and shred.  Return to the slow cooker.
6. Stir in cheese and cilantro.  Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes.
7. Top with corn tortilla strips, cheese, and sour cream and serve.

Source:  Mennonite Girls Can Cook