Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

The cold nights and lack of desire to actually "cook" anything had me feeling super lazy yesterday.  Fortunately, my chicken was already defrosted when I came across some old photos of my husband and I living in San Diego.  And what better way to celebrate San Diego-living than... well, fish tacos, but that was out of the question -- so second best.... Chicken Tortilla(less) Soup.

Since I can't have tortillas I didn't add them but feel free to add them in.  In San Diego you find tortilla slivers in the soup (think noodle replacement) as well as crunched on top.

I use a crockpot but if you don't have a crockpot, you can put this in a stockpot on the stove on LOW and keep it covered.

2 chicken breasts
1 cup (ish) of chicken stock or water (I prefer chicken stock)
large can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 medium onion - chopped into large chunks *you can dice up some extra for soup topping*
jalapeño(s) (use this according to your spice tolerance.  We love spice so I used 3 in the soup and 1 chopped fresh on top when I served)
Handful of chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic - chopped
salt
pepper
cumin
crushed red pepper (if desired)
cayenne pepper (if desired)  (i told you, we like heat)
avocado (if you don't have a fresh/ripe avocado, try guacamole!)

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and pour the stock/water over top.  I eyeball this that's why I can't give you an exact measurement.  But you want the stock/water to come halfway to the top of the chicken.  Enough so the chicken will break down.  If you use too much or too little it's ok, you can always scoop some out once you're adding ingredients.  Add in the chopped garlic and spices (definitely salt, pepper and cumin)

Cook the chicken in the crockpot on LOW for a few hours (about 2).  You want to check on it when it's cooked and you can use 2 forks to pull the chicken apart.  You're looking for some shreds and some small chunks but mostly shreds.

Then add in the full can of tomatoes - all of it, juice included.  Add chopped cilantro, onions and jalapeños.  *If you can eat or want to eat corn, add in a frozen bag of corn.  Also you can add tortilla slivers if you're going for that as well.*

Cook for a few more hours on low.  The tomatoes should break apart but feel free to use a spoon/fork to help it along.

Once the onions are soft, you're good to go!

Top with fresh avocado and sour cream if you desire.  Also add some of those chopped onions and/or jalapeño if you want some extra heat/crunch.  Add some crushed up tortillas on the top/around the sides if you want.