crockpot chicken tortilla soup

Welcome to another edition of the I-love-Mexican-food show.

I honestly can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you sooner.

For awhile, particularly last summer, we were having this for dinner at least twice a month.
At least.

It's just so easy and delicious!
And on days like today when I've got work all day and an hour of spin class, going home to cook dinner is the last thing I want to do.

Oh, and did I mention it has all those Mexican spices I'm in love with?

Of course it does.

recipe slightly adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks

Things you'll need:

1-2 lbs shredded chicken {approximately 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, boiled and shredded}

1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 can hot enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can chopped green chiles

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 can low-sodium chicken broth, or 2 1/2 cups

1 can whole kernel corn {or 1 cup frozen corn}

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

dash of cayenne

1/4 tsp. crushed bay leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 package Spanish rice

Lightly grease crockpot with olive oil cooking spray.

Add shredded chicken.

Toss in chopped onion {missing above because I ran out! :(}, zucchini, and garlic.

Add water, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and corn.

Add cilantro, spices, green chiles, and bay leaves.

Instead of crushed bay leaves, I just threw in a whole one and removed it before serving.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, prepare Spanish rice according to package.

Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

When rice is completely cool, stir into soup.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and tortilla chips!

You may be able to substitute the rice for quinoa...

I've yet to experiment with that, but I don't see any reason why not.

I'll keep you posted.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Servings: 9

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Cals/serving: 157

Fat/serving: 1.4g

Carbs/serving: 24g

Protein/serving: 9g

This soup is definitely a favorite over here in the D-W household.

It also makes for amazing leftovers {oh hey lunch tomorrow!}.

And who doesn't like throwing a bunch of delicious things in the crockpot and coming home to a fully cooked dinner?

That's right, everyone likes that.

So get on it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I've got some new cocktails to share soon with that delicious IZZE Fortified that I was talking about Friday.

Add that to the running list of new obsessions I have.

Happy Monday!