Dump Meals

Chicken Freezer bag

Chicken Tortilla Soup

dumpmeals.com/recipes/chicken-tortilla-soup/

Chicken breasts, beans, corn and tomatoes with green chiles in a cumin-spiced broth. Top with crisp tortilla strips.

Serves
6
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours
Slow cooker
6-quart

Chicken tortilla soup gets its flavor from cumin, chili powder and a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. The chicken cooks whole in the broth and shreds at the end, so there is no browning and no chopping beyond one onion. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens the whole pot.

The crunch comes from the toppings, not the soup. Put out tortilla chips or strips, shredded cheese, sliced avocado and chopped cilantro and let everyone build a bowl. Leave the toppings off the pot itself and the soup keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.

For a thicker soup, mash a few spoonfuls of the beans against the side of the pot. For a smoother broth, leave them whole. Leftover soup keeps in the refrigerator for a few days, and the toppings stay in their own bowls.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Near the end

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

To serve

  • tortilla chips, for serving
  • shredded cheese, for serving

Directions

  1. If your meat is frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator first. Never put frozen meat in the slow cooker.
  2. Put the onion, garlic, beans, corn, tomatoes, broth and spices in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir.
  3. Lay the chicken on top and push it down into the liquid.
  4. Cover. Cook on low 3 to 5 hours or on high 1½ to 2½ hours.
  5. Check the chicken. It should read at least 165°F in the thickest piece.
  6. Lift the chicken out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Stir in the lime juice.
  7. Ladle into bowls. Top with tortilla chips and cheese.

It's done when the chicken reads at least 165°F in the thickest piece and shreds easily. The soup is steaming hot throughout. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Make it a freezer dump bag

Put the chicken, broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, onion, garlic and spices in one 2-gallon freezer bag. Add the lime juice later. Squeeze out the air, seal, label and freeze flat.

Bag: 2-gallon freezer bag. Keeps: 2 months for best quality; safe indefinitely at 0°F in the freezer.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Frozen on:

Thaw in the refrigerator 36 to 48 hours, until no ice is left in the middle. Never cook it from frozen, and cook it within 2 days of thawing. Dump into a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 3 to 5 hours. Check with a food thermometer that the chicken reads 165°F in the thickest piece. Shred the chicken and stir in 2 tablespoons lime juice.

Best within 2 months of the date above.

Plan several bags at once with one shopping list and printable labels.

The planner prints this label free. A designed set for all 17 freezer recipes, plus blanks, is in the Freezer Bag Labels pack ($7).

This recipe is one of the ten in The Freezer Session ($12): ten dump bags, one shopping trip, one afternoon.

Cooking for two

Halve everything: 1 lb chicken, 2 cups broth, half of each can. Use a 3-quart slow cooker, so the food still fills it about halfway. Start checking the chicken at 3 hours on low; it must reach 165°F.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

  • Taste before adding more salt. Canned beans and broth already carry some.
  • Leave the chips out of the pot. They go soft within minutes.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in the slow cooker.

Food-safety sources

More chicken

  • Salsa Chicken Low 5 to 7 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours Freezer bag Chicken thighs, salsa, beans and corn in one pot. Shred and serve in tortillas, over rice or on its own.
  • Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Low 4 to 6 hours, or high 2 to 3 hours Freezer bag Boneless chicken thighs in a sweet, salty honey and garlic sauce, thickened at the end and served over rice.
  • White Chicken Chili Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours Freezer bag Chicken and white beans simmered with green chiles and cumin, then finished with cream cheese for a creamy broth.
  • Teriyaki Chicken Low 4 to 6 hours, or high 2 to 3 hours Freezer bag Chicken thighs and carrots in a ginger and garlic teriyaki sauce, thickened at the end. Serve over rice.