Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photo by Katie Kay

Every now and then I come across a recipe that I can't screw up.  In fact, the more I adjust and play with it, the better it gets!  This is one of Matt's favorite crockpot meals, and it smells my house up like nothing else.  It makes me feel like the mom on Home Alone with my perfectly Christmas-decorated house and my apple pie on the counter (except for the whole 'forgetting-my-kid' thing.)  There's a special homeyness to that house that I feel so wistful about, especially around the holidays.  
It takes me back to the time my mom left me alone for a holiday.  Only it was 4th of July, not Christmas, and she dropped me off at my (closed) school.  I hid at the top of a fire escape, thinking that was the safest place for me until she came back for me.  I'm pretty sure she still loves that story.
Back to the soup.  Over the years I've adjusted the ingredients according to what I have in the fridge, or what's available in the produce section.  This week I picked up a fresh jalapeno and a poblano.  They added depth to the broth without overdoing the spiciness.  
When I serve this, I top it with fresh chunks of avocado and crunchy tortilla strips, but I completely forgot to add them before I took my picture above.  I'm a little sad about that because the avocado is essential.  Matt disagrees but you know how he is with textures and green stuff.  Weird.
Using the recipe below, I had too much to fill my crockpot.  I guess I was a little exuberant.  You can halve the recipe for a large crockpot full of soup, or you can prep everything below, then divide it in half like I did.  Cook one batch one night and cook the next batch the following day.  Freeze your leftovers and enjoy the awesome smell in your house for an extra 24 hours.
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup by Katie Kay
3lbs chicken (I used frozen breasts) 2 small yellow onions, diced 4 ears of corn, sliced in rounds (or 1 can of corn) 1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered 1 small yellow squash, sliced and quartered 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 poblano pepper, diced 1 jalapeno, diced 1 bulb garlic, chopped 1 4oz can chopped green chiles 1 15oz can red enchilada sauce 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice 3 Tbsp chili powder 3 tsp cumin 1tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp onion powder 2 tsp salt 64oz chicken stock
Toppings: grated cheese, avocado, cilantro, fresh lime wedges, tortilla crisps or crumbled tortilla chips
Combine all ingredients in a very large crockpot, or see my note above about dividing in half.  Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  Using 2 forks, shred chicken and stir well.  Serve with desired toppings.
Leftovers freeze very well!