Crockpot: Mexican Turkey Soup

Hot soup to warm you up.

Roasting a turkey is such a welcome treat for my family that I no longer leave it for just Thanksgiving and holidays. And, I intentionally try to end up with quite a bit leftover. I love finding new ways to use the turkey.

Note: If you, like me, have trouble remembering how to determine the size of turkey you need, go to the Butterball website and enter your information. So handy.

This soup recipe spun from my love of Turkey Verde and Claim Jumpers’ Chicken Tortilla Soup. Why not combine the two for a real flavor punch? I referenced several recipes (allrecipes.com and food.com) and put my own spin on it. The result is this fiery, warm-you-to-your-core Mexican Turkey Soup.

My oldest son, who is usually an adventurous eater, opted out of trying the soup the first time. He chose, gasp, chicken nuggets instead. Well, he saw Brian and I oohing and awing over the soup and finally tried a bite. He marched right over to the kitchen cabinet, grabbed a bowl and filled it up 🙂

Ingredients List

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 small tomatoes, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (7 ounce) can salsa verde
• 1 (19 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used La Victoria)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 fork full of pickled jalapeno pepper slices, minced
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped or shredded (can substitute uncooked chicken breasts or uncooked turkey cutlets)
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Toppings

• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 fork full of pickled jalapeno pepper slices, minced
• 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and diced
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips

Method

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for one minute. Stir in onions and garlic to coat with oil and then cook until onions are transparent.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and stir until soft, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat an allow mixture to cool.

Meanwhile, plug in your slow cooker and set it to low. Pour in chicken broth, salsa verde, red enchilada sauce and half-and-half. Add in cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and jalapeno.

Place your cooled, skillet mixture in a food processor or blender and puree. Now add the mixture to your crockpot.

Add the turkey to the slow cooker, stir and put the lid on.

Cook on low for 4 hours minimum if the turkey is pre-cooked. If you are using uncooked chicken breast, uncooked turkey or even frozen chicken tenderloins, just reduce the chicken broth by 1/2 cup and cook for a minimum of 8 hours.

When ready to serve, I first add a little cheese and then top my soup with a “salad” of jalapenos, green onions, cilantro and avocado. I also add a crunched handful of my favorite tortilla chips to finish it off.