Name: Slow-Cooker Southwestern Chicken Soup
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon canola oil; 2 onions , chopped fine; 1 jalapeño chile , stemmed, seeded, and minced; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce; 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 (15-ounce) can white or yellow hominy , rinsed; 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes; 1 red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; Salt and pepper; 2 (12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts , skin removed, trimmed of all visible fat; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves; 4 radishes , trimmed and sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

To put a Southwestern spin on a healthy slow-cooker chicken soup, we built a flavorful base by skillet-browning our aromatics in a small amount of oil. This gave us the full robust flavor and complexity we were seeking and could not achieve by using the microwave alone. To give this soup a little heat, we sautéed a jalapeño chile with the onions before stirring in smoky chipotle chile, tomato paste, and spices. Deglazing the pan with a little chicken broth ensured that all the rich brown bits ended up in the slow cooker. As we slowly cooked our bone-in skinless chicken breasts, this spicy, tomatoey broth infused the meat with flavor without causing its texture to deteriorate. The addition of hominy contributed to the heartiness of this lean dish and added body to the broth. For fresh flavor and crunch we garnished each bowl with thinly sliced radishes and cilantro.

Instructions

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and jalapeño and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, chipotle, oregano, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.

Stir remaining 3 cups broth, hominy, tomatoes and their juice, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into slow cooker. Nestle chicken into slow cooker, cover, and cook until chicken is tender, 3 to 5 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to carving board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard bones. Stir shredded chicken into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top individual portions with cilantro and radishes before serving.