Crock-Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

The return of cooler weather also means the return of some fall food favorites.  Time for more soup, chili, and all those other yummy dinners that my Crock-Pot fixes for me!  Although I must confess, this one is a soup we have all the time.  I couldn't wait for fall or winter weather just to enjoy this!

My favorite part about making soup in the Crock-Pot is that everything goes in at once, and it does the work all day with little to no intervention from me.  I've read some so called slow cooker recipes that require so much work in advance or throughout the day that it really isn't an easy or one pot dish at all.  With the exception of chopping some onions and shredding the chicken, that's exactly what this recipe is.  Dump it all in the Crock-Pot and wait till dinner!  

What I also like about easy Crock-Pot recipes is the ability to customize them.  You could easily do turkey breast instead of chicken.  Frozen corn works just as well as canned corn.  Use whatever type of tomatoes you have on hand.  (Rotel would be excellent here!)  Add more or less jalapenos depending on how spicy you like it.  I've even added some of the juice for the extra flavor.  Add some of your favorite salsa or hot sauce.  Try adding other vegetables.  I've even made my own enchilada sauce and used that when I didn't have a can in the pantry.  Add some cumin or garlic or red pepper flake to your liking.  Those touches are what gives this super easy Crock-Pot soup a really hearty homemade taste.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 14-15 oz can diced tomatoes (petite diced or regular), including juices from can
• 1  14-15 oz can whole kernel corn, including juices from can
• 1  14-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp diced jalapenos OR one 4 oz can of diced green chiles
• 1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 6 cups of water (or replace 2-3 cups with chicken stock)

Directions:  

Put all ingredients in the Crock-Pot.  Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.  About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, pull out the chicken breasts.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Shred (using 2 forks to pull apart) or dice and return to Crock-Pot.  

Serve topped with sour cream and shredded cheese.  We also love adding Frito's Scoops on the side or into the bowl!!  Enjoy!

Update:  By request I've added the can sizes I typically use for this recipe.  Mostly they are just the normal size cans.  If I happen to only have a large can (28 oz or so) of tomatoes or the enchilada sauce on hand I will go ahead and use the whole thing.  This is one of those recipes you can easily customize to whatever you have on hand.  The flavor will change slightly, but really with these ingredients you just can't go wrong!  

I put this in the crock pot again today.  We literally have this at least once a week!  Sometimes, like today, I use a 7 oz can of green chiles.  I realized the last time I bought them that the 7 oz can is only about 10 cents more than the 4 oz can so that's what I'll be picking up from now on.  I don't find them to be very spicy, but they definitely add plenty of flavor to the soup.  Whichever you use though will work!  Enjoy!