Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Whew!  I can't believe how long it's been since I posted something, but it just might be a long time before I do another one, too!!  I make no promises when the next one will show up, so just come back every so often to check.

This recipe was so easy, and tasted so good, with stuff that I bet is already in your pantry, that I thought I better share it with you. 

The hubby had to leave early this morning to start meetings at 6 a.m., so I thought I'd surprise him and actually have something for us to eat when he/I got home from church this afternoon.  (Trust me, it IS a surprise when I cook something, especially without him asking "So, what's for dinner?" first!!  I really hate that question!  I always feel like saying:  "I don't know, what are you fixing?!"  I know, I'm bad!)

The recipe came from allrecipes.com, makes 8 servings and is super easy!  Hope you like it.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 lb. shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 oz.) can whole peeled
       tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen corn, or a can of corn
1 T chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, 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 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3.  Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

4.  Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.  To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

(I used green enchilada sauce, canned corn, 1 pint of my bottled chicken and garlic powder.  To garnish the soup, I sprinkled grated cheese over the tortilla strips then added a dollop of sour cream on top.  Oh yeah, and I didn't have any cilantro, so I just threw in some dry basil and dry parsley.)