Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I had been on the hunt for a delicious (and easy) chicken tortilla soup, and with the weather we’ve been having lately it was much needed.  I finally found a soup on Pinterest (my insomniac cure) and modified it my way.  Low and behold a delicious, quick and easy soup was born!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 can Herdez salsa casera
• 1 can green chiles
• 1 can black beans, drained 
• 2 ears of corn or 1 can
• 6-10 cilantro stems
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 Zucchini, chopped (optional)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Garlic powder (about 1 tsp)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Cumin (about 1 tsp)
• Chipotle chile pepper (optional)
• 4 corn tortillas, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Drizzle olive oil on bottom of crock pot add Chicken and all ingredients cook on low for 6-8hrs.  Add cilantro & 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

I added about 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream to mine the last hour because I wanted a richer creamier soup, this is totally optional.

Once ready, shred the chicken, give it a good stir.  Serve this delicious bowl of soup with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado & fresh lime juice.

As always, Buen Provecho!

Pulled Pork (Crockpot)

Our friend is visiting for the next week and I wanted to have a hearty dinner ready for when he and my hubby get home. As I’ve mentioned in the past (starting to sound like a broken record) life with twins can be hectic and quick and easy dinners are all the rage with me at the moment. I recently bought a new crockpot which I’ve been wanting to use. Pulled pork seems to be pretty much the only way my husband will eat pork. With that said, tonight we dine on pulled pork sandwiches.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 – 4lb pork butt
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 onion, cut in quarters
• 1 Tbsp all purpose seasoning, (I used Adam’s Reserve House Seasoning)
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Cup chicken broth
• 1/4 – 1/2 Cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 Cup honey
• 1 Tbsp Worchestershire
• 1 Tsp chili powder (I used a chipotle chili powder)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Hamburger buns
• Butter

DIRECTIONS:
Prep all your ingredients the night before, in the morning you simply toss it all in the crockpot before you leave to work or to run your errands.
Mix the BBQ sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, mustard, worchestershire, light brown sugar, chili powder, all-purpose seasoning and crushed garlic. You can mix this over night or the morning of. Clean your pork and remove any excess fat (leave some, because a little fat is always good).

Pour the vegetable oil in the crockpot and add about 1/4 of the onions. Place the pork on top of the onions, add the remaining onions to the mixture and pour over the pork.

Set your crockpot on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8hrs, basically until the pork is fork tender.  Once the pork is fork tender (using 2 forks) start shredding it.  At this point you have two options;  you can place the shredded pork back into the juice or (what I did) heat a enameled cast-iron (or dutch oven) and pour about 2 cups of the liquid from the crockpot and add the shredded pork to this juice.  This worked better for me because the slow cooker produces so much juice and I didn’t want the pork sitting in a liquid bath.  I also added a healthy drizzle of honey and a pinch of salt.

When you’re ready to eat, butter the inside of your buns and place on a skillet, butter side down until golden brown. I used onion burger buns to add another depth of flavor.  Spoon the pulled pork over the toasted buns.

Enjoy with a side of coleslaw; according to many coleslaw belongs on top of the pulled pork not on the side. In my opinion, you’re eating you decide where it goes 😉 and I prefer mine on the side.  Potato salad also goes great with pulled pork!

Tasty Tip:  Make pulled pork sliders for a party, pulled pork quesadillas, or pulled pork grilled cheese, etc…be creative!

Buen Provecho!