Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine all ingredients (everything on the list up to and including cilantro) in a crock pot, Dutch oven or large pot over low heat. Add chicken breast and push it down into soup mixture. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, remove chicken, shred it and place back in pot. Continue simmering on low until 45 minutes before meal time. If you find the soup to be more thick than you would like, add more broth/stock and increase your spices in the same ratio.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Using a knife or pizza cutter cut several corn tortillas into thin strips lengthwise and then cut those strips in half. Spray both sides with cooking spray, and spread out on a foil lined pan. Sprinkle kosher salt and chili powder on strips. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp.

At this time prepare brown rice according to package directions (this usually requires 45 minutes). Add the brown rice to the soup.

Serve soup in bowls, topped with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream and avocado, cilantro or green onions. Refrigerate or freeze leftover soup.

Additional cooking notes:
For crock pot, cook on low -6-8 total cooking hours, on high, 3-4 total.

On stove, I cooked on low heat for a total of 6+ hours, however it could have been eaten after 3-4. Once the chicken is cooked through, you can eat it.

In a hurry? Heat the other ingredients and throw in previously cooked chicken! Voila soup in no time!