Chicken Nacho Soup

I came across this recipe from Valerie Phillips, editor of the Food section in the Ogden Standard Examiner newspaper, and before that for the Deseret News, for a Slow Cooker Nacho Chicken soup. I decided to make it for dinner last night, so here is how I did it. 

First of all, I mixed up my own taco seasoning mix from what I had in my cupboard based on this recipe from allrecipes.com. But since the original soup recipe called for TWO cans of chicken broth and TWO cans of chopped chili, in my mind I was doing TWO recipes of taco seasoning mix. Then I realized I should have only done one. Oh, and also since I didn't have chicken broth, then I just did water with chicken bouillon powder in it, so I added the bouillon into the taco seasoning mix. So, whether it's "right" or not (I'll let you know later), here's what I did for the taco seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon chili powder (I just did one tablespoon instead of doubling it so it wouldn't be so hot)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (again, I'm afraid of the heat!)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (didn't double this one as ground cumin smells like stinky socks to me, so I have a hard time adding a lot of it, even though I always like the end product)

1 teaspoon black pepper (also didn't double this one, plus I left out the salt that the recipe calls for because I figure that between the bouillon and the canned goods that I'll be adding there will be plenty of sodium in this soup.)

I also noticed that in her recipe, the two cans of diced chili are 7 oz. each, but my cans of diced chili are 4 oz. each. I still only added two of them, again not wanting to make the soup too hot.

Another adaptation: I didn't start the chicken in my crock pot until 4 p.m., which means that I didn't do it in the crock pot, but instead cooked it in the broth and soup and seasonings in a pot on the stove so it would cook faster than it would have in the crock pot. But, you know, I bet two hours in a crock pot on the high setting would have been plenty of time to cook the chicken thoroughly.

Okay, the results are in. The soup was yummy! A little on the hot side, but that can be adjusted. As I went through the recipe, I realized that she has the ingredient of "2 cups crushed tortilla chips" listed twice. But in the directions, she talks about adding "the cheddar." So I think that one of those chips listings must really be for cheddar cheese. But it doesn't matter to me; I think it tasted fine without the cheese, and is likely better for me anyway. (In fact, I'm wondering if the cream of chicken soup is even necessary. Leaving it out would eliminate some fat.) Also, I'm glad I didn't add the salt to the taco seasoning mix that I put together, as the soup had plenty of flavor and was salty enough. Here's how I would do it next time:

Chicken Nacho Soup (Does it count as "Nacho" soup if there's no cheese?)
1 or 2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
3 1/2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup fat free sour cream
a couple handfuls crushed tortilla chips

In a small bowl combine the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and chicken bouillon powder.Put the water, soup, green chilies, combined seasonings, and chicken pieces in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours until chicken is done. Half an hour before serving, turn off the heat and remove chicken to a platter with a slotted spoon. Stir the beans, corn, cilantro, sour cream, and chips into the soup pot. Shred the chicken with a couple of forks, or chop it on a cutting board with a knife, and then return to soup pot. Stir all ingredients and serve.