MACRO-FRIENDLY CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Today is our first snowfall of the season, and so I woke up with the urge to throw something in the crockpot – for the ease, the atmosphere and aroma, and the content: warm soup. I went through the sort of mental rolodex that I have in my brain of go-to crockpot recipes and knew that I needed something that didn’t involve any prep (no chopping and no pre-cooking) because 1. I hadn’t really accounted for the prep time (chopping, browning, etc.) that some crockpot recipes call for before you even turn on the appliance, and 2. a crockpot recipe wasn’t on our bingo card of meals for the week, so I was going to need to rely on staples that we have in the freezer and pantry.
Enter: chicken tortilla soup. It’s macro-friendly (almost 30g protein/serving and at around 300 calories, leaves room for plenty of toppings). It’s got color (veggies in the soup mean that I don’t also need to prep those). Fiber is in check (about 8g in a bowl from those beans and corn). Everything in the recipe is shelf- and freezer-stable (no worries about ingredients going bad or to waste). And it’s easyyyyy and tastyyyyy.
Oh, and you can’t mess it up. You can absolutely add more of the things you love (love black beans and want to throw in a second can? Go for it.) and less of the things you don’t (need to eliminate any heat? Used diced tomatoes instead of the fire-roasted ones.) with no effect on the consistency or eat-ability of the soup.
Okay, enough blogger-talk. The recipe:
MACRO-FRIENDLY CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
PREP TIME: 5 minutes | COOK TIME: 3-8 hours | MAKES: 6-8 servings
WHAT YOU NEED:
3-4 lbs chicken (breasts or thighs)
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
4 cups chicken broth (or bone broth)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
Toppings of choice
WHAT TO DO:
Place (raw) chicken in the bottom of a 6-qt or larger crockpot.
Add all other ingredients and cover.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Shred the chicken (either remove from the crockpot, shred with forks, and return to crockpot or shred right in the crockpot).
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your favorite things!
MACROS PER SERVING: 28g P | 25g C | 10g F | 8g fiber
NOTES:
Recipe macros are based on dividing into 8 servings, using about 3.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken bone broth.
Have fun with toppings! Sour cream, cheese, and a few tortilla chips/strips are our go-to; chopped cilantro, a squeeze of a lime wedge, and avocado are also tasty (tbh I would love some avocado slices, but my husband’s allergic, so we don’t usually have them at home).
This is a really versatile recipe, and can be modified to your liking. I would recommend using at least the can of tomatoes, but other cans of vegetables/legumes can be swapped depending on your preferences. (Not a fan of heat? Use diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted. Prefer pinto to black beans? Have at it. Dislike beans and want double the corn? That works, too! I find that three cans of “stuff” will give a good content-to-broth ratio.)
I love a crockpot that does not require any prep beforehand, and this one checks that box. No need to even defrost your chicken if you’re pulling it straight from the freezer! (Which is precisely what I did this morning!)
Soup is delicious the day it’s made, but even better as leftovers as the spices and flavors have a little more time to mingle.
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
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