Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tasty, nutritious, and creamy chicken soup topped with crispy homemade tortilla strips! Made with wholesome, clean, ingredients that don't leave you feeling guilty after your third bowl ;)

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Low Calorie

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 10

Servings people

Calories 284kcal

Author Jillian Schneider

Equipment

slow cooker

Ingredients

1 lb skinless chicken breasts trim fat
2 cups frozen corn thawed
2 cups fat free, no-salt-added chicken broth
14.5 oz can no-salt-added tomatoes diced
¼ cup onion finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves minced
1 cup cream cheese can use whipped or a block of cream cheese
2 6 inch whole wheat tortillas cut into ¼ inch wide strips
2 avocados cleaned out and cut into pieces for topping
½ cup reduced fat cheddar cheese shredded
plain greek yogurt for topping
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin

Instructions

In a 3-4 ½ quart round or oval slow cooker, stir together the chicken, corn, broth, tomatoes with liquid, onion, garlic, cream cheese, and all spices. Stir to combine. Cook, covered, on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Arrange the tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp. Transfer baking sheet to a cooking rack. Let the strips stand for about 15 minutes or until cool. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside.
When the soup in ready, take 2 forks and shred your chicken pulling apart in opposite directions with the forks until all chicken is shredded. Then using a ladle scoop the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with cheese, add avocado, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt as a healthy substitute for sour cream. Top with the crispy tortilla strips!

Notes

How can my kids help? Have your kids make the crispy tortilla strips. Use a hand-over-hand approach to help them slice the tortilla into the strips. Your child can also lay the strips on the baking sheet.

When serving I also topped my soup with plain greek yogurt, as a healthy substitute for sour cream and half an avocado. I try not to eat too much cheese because I am slightly addicted, but here I sprinkled some reduced-fat shredded cheddar.

When buying your ingredients remember,

chicken breast - boneless, and skinless
chicken broth - always try and use no salt added or low-sodium to alleviate having too much sodium in your soup. You can always add more if you feel you need to give it some more flavor.
garlic cloves - fresh is always best, but as a busy mom, I am always trying to find ways to cut corners. My favorite way to cut corners when using minced garlic is to buy it already minced. My go-to brand is Spice World Minced Garlic!
cream cheese - feel free to use whipped cream cheese or a block of cream cheese. Either kind will give your soup the creaminess you are looking for.

Nutrition