What you need:
1 whole fryer chicken
8 cups chicken broth (you can make this when you cook the chicken)
32 ounces diced tomatoes, pureed if desired
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tsp honey
3 chipotle peppers soaked in adobe sauce
spices to season (salt, pepper, parsley, etc.)
optional: avocados, sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese
What you do:
1. To prepare the stock and the chicken, plan to start preparing the meal in the morning.
2. Cook the whole fryer by placing in a slow cooker covering completely with water, adding seasoning and spices and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. After 8 hours, remove the chicken and place in a bowl or on a large plate. Remove skin and the meat from the bones and shred the chicken. Using two forks to shred is quick and easy.
4. Strain the liquid from the slow cooker into a bowl or stockpot to remove any large pieces of chicken. If you will be using the slow cooker to complete the meal, rinse out the crock and add the liquid back in.
5. Depending on the size of the chicken, you can use all the meat or separate 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of meat for the soup. Save the remaining chicken for another meal.
6. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and honey until smooth.
7. Pour this mixture into the broth with the chicken. Stir to combine.
8. Add the chipotle peppers, if using. I think they add great flavor to the soup. You can omit if you want.
9. Continue cooking in the slow cooker for another 1-2 hours or around 45 minutes on the stove top on medium-low or a slow simmer.
To serve, prepare the bowls by layering diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and cheese. Ladle the soup over the top until everything is covered! Top with more cheese if desired.
