Slowcooker Chicken Enchilada Soup with Homemade Baked Tortilla Strips

From So Tasty So Yummy

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

My husband and I frequently eat Mexican food and lately, I've been making my own enchilada sauce. I often have extra sauce leftover. I recently was looking for a new way to use up some sauce when I came across this recipe. It was easy and so, so good! The homemade tortilla strips really made it special. And it would make the perfect soup for a Cinco de Mayo celebration! 

I've posted the recipe below with the directions from the original post. However, what I actually did was use approximately two cups of cooked, chopped chicken in place of the uncooked chicken breasts. I added the cooked chicken to the slowcooker about 45 minutes before serving the soup, so it could heat through. So not only is the recipe the perfect way to use up extra enchilada sauce, but it's also perfect for using up leftover chicken.  I've also posted the directions for the tortilla strips below the soup recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

½ cup chicken broth

2 cups milk, divided (I used 1 percent)

1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 10-ounce can of Rotel (diced tomatoes and jalapenos or green chiles)

1 10-ounce package frozen corn

½ cup onion, diced

½ cup green bell pepper, diced

1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce

2 chicken breasts, uncooked

Optional for topping: shredded cheese, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, tortilla strips

Directions

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to combine, stirring constantly until smooth. Continue stirring, cooking another 1-2 minutes (until the raw flour smell disappears). Carefully add the chicken broth to the sauce pan, whisking well to combine. Add ½ cup of the milk to the sauce pan; increase the heat and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens and remove from the heat.

Add the remaining 1½  cups of milk and the enchilada sauce to the sauce pan; stir to combine. 

Place the beans, Rotel, corn, onion and bell pepper into the slowcooker. Place the uncooked chicken on top and cover the ingredients with the sauce.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. 

Once cooked, remove the chicken and shredd. Place the chicken back into the soup and serve. Top with desired toppings.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Homemade Baked Tortilla Strips

Ingredients

6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips

Cooking spray

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste (if desired)

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place the tortilla strips in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for approximately 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

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