Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken Tortilla Soup

I generally don't like tortilla soups because, 1 - they require you to put tortilla chips at the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup (and if you know anything about me, you know that I hate soggy foods of any kind.) and 2 - it's not a very flavorful soup (I don't think).  Well tonight I was pleasantly surprised and very excited to have Tortilla soup again.

This is a crockpot recipe that came out of my Pillsbury Slow Cooker magazine I picked up the other day while waiting in line at the grocery store.  So far it has been well worth the money I spent.  We have enjoyed some amazing food and all of it required little effort.  Anyway, you're here for the recipe of this delicious soup.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs (I diced mine prior to cooking)
32 oz. chicken broth
2 c. frozen whole kernel corn
1 (14.5 oz) can Muir Glen organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (yes, fire roasted is important)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
9 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1/2" wide strips
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro leaves (or 1 tbsp. dried)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Lime wedges, if desired
Chopped avocado, if desired

In 3 to 4-quart crockpot, combine chicken, chicken broth, corn, tomatoes, black beans, bell pepper, onion, 6 of the tortillas, chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper (I also added my dried cilantro).  Cover; cook on low heat setting 5-7 hours or on High heat setting 3-4 hours or until juice of chicken is clean when center of thickest part is cut.  Remove chicken; shred with 2 forks.  Return to slow cooker.  Stir in fresh cilantro.  Heat oil in 9" nonstick skillet.  Cook strips from remaining 3 tortillas in oil over meium heat about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and light golden brown.  Top individual servings of soup with tortilla strips, lime wedges and/or avocado.

**I was a little worried when I realized that I had to put most of the tortillas in at the beginning of cooking but the tortillas essentially dissolve making the soup thick and not brothy.  I was pleasantly surprised by this.  Also I didn't put in the cayenne pepper because I wanted David to eat dinner tonight (which he didn't really do anyway), and it was still excellent.  Of course we put sour cream in ours because that's the way David likes all soup, so if you want to add it go ahead.  The avocado is a great touch.**

Now because I can (it's printed in the magazine, so I don't have to figure this out) here's the nutritional information:
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
Number of Servings:  7
Per Serving
Calories:  350
Total Fat:  11g
Saturated Fat:  2.5g
Sodium: 1170mg
Total Carbohydrate:  41g
Dietary Fiber:  9g
Protein:  22g