Chicken Tortilla Soup - So easy and fabulous!

With snow on the ground this morning, it had to be a soup day, especially a soup in the crockpot!  The sunshine shone brightly and melted all the snow away but that didn't dampen our appetites for this yummy soup!
I took basically the recipe for the soup from Allrecipes (love that site) and altered it just a bit for a bit lower carbs.
For our taste, it was not at all spicy.  But one son has literally drank salsa at the mexican restaurant before.  Spicy has to have some strong kick around here.   We heated corn chips and topped with cheese and sour cream for an easy but delicious dinner.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crockpot

1 pound cooked chicken (I had approximately that much already cooked in the freezer - you could easily use less meat and be fine)
2 cups chicken broth
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small onion chopped
1 pepper (I used orange)
1 can black beans
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 heaping tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro (I used dried flakes)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the above in the crockpot.  My chicken was frozen when I placed it in and in large chunks of meat.  Leave on low for 6-8 hours.  An hour or so prior to serving, shred any chunks of meat to make it easier to eat.  I took out the meat and used to forks pulling away from one another.  Serve with homemade tortilla strips or corn chips.  Enjoy!

Rave Review - Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Please forgive me for not taking pictures of this dish!  To get an idea what it will look like, check out the original post on Allrecipes.  This was So yummy and so easy to prep!  Sometimes a crockpot meal requires some prep time on the front end but not this one!  Literally - 5 minutes and I was walking out the door to a museum!  Smelled heavenly when we walked back in the door!
I honestly forgot to add the ketchup to the mix.  It could only add to the taste of this dish.  This meal will be added as one of our favorites.
I also only used 7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs to feed the 6 of us.  We still had a few leftovers.  I think 10 would have been way to many!
Not a huge fan of fruit and meat mixed together, I only used 1/2 a can of the pineapple.
None of my changes were bad.  This recipe was so good and easy.  I cooked Jasmine rice to serve with it and steamed peas.  So easy!

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup lite soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken thighs just until evenly browned on all sides. Place thighs in a slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and reserved pineapple juice. Pour into the slow cooker.
3. Cover, and cook 4 hours on High. Stir in pineapple tidbits just before serving.
4. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Remove thighs from slow cooker. Blend the cornstarch mixture into remaining sauce in the slow cooker to thicken. Serve sauce over the chicken.

Sweet Salsa Chicken - In the Bag and to the Table!

This is one of my favorite kinds of meals!  I pulled the bag out of the freezer this morning.  After it was thawed, I pour the chicken and sauce into a baking dish, popped in the oven and our main dish was ready!  And it was DELISH!
I'm not a fan of the term "dump chicken" - just sounds bad.  So from here on, I will refer to this as chicken in a bag!  Several weeks ago, I had purchased several packages of skinless, boneless chicken breast.  Some were baked at that time for dinner, others went into chicken pies or soups.  And 3 of them were made into this great recipe - Sweet Salsa Chicken.  Of course, I didn't have all of the exact ingredients on hand so I improvised - and it worked!
The basic recipe is chicken breasts, apricot jam, and salsa.  Throw all those ingredients in a bag and freeze.  Thaw and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  How easy is that!
My version:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut in half (easier portion size for my family)
1/3 cup apple butter
1 1/2 salsa (I used medium and it had some kick - would use mild next time)

Toss all of the above ingredients into a large ziploc bag.  Freeze.
Another option is to marinate it overnight or at least 8 hours.
If frozen, thaw completely.  Bake at 350 degree for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

We enjoyed this dish with a side of black beans, salads, and tortilla strips!