Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yesterday, we got U-Verse installed at our house. It took about 6 hours from start to finish since they had to run new cables and figure out some issues. So basically I couldn't watch football or use the internet for 6 hours, but I had to be home. Bored, I decided to make a crockpot of soup. I was originally thinking chili but I had the ingredients for tortilla soup on hand.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Serves 8-10)

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used leftover chicken from this recipe)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 large can Ro-tel (use regular diced tomatoes for a milder soup)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 white onion, diced

2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced

1 roasted red pepper, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if desired, depends on how hot your jalapenos are)

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Corn tortillas or tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot (I used my 6 qt and had plenty of room), starting with soups, tomatoes and stock, stir until well mixed and add in vegetables, beans and garlic. Add chicken, cumin and chili powder. Cook on high for 2 hours. Taste and add cayenne pepper if desired. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 2 hours. Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Brown tortillas in a small skillet with a small amount of oil, sprinkle with garlic salt (I use Lawry's) and cut into small pieces. Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips or crushed chips and more cheese if desired.