Chicken Enchilada Soup - Slow Cooker heaven

Finally, Finally, F i n a l l y!!!!

The weather is starting to change and we got a burst of cool days.  We even got some dark looking clouds, but sadly no rain.  Here in Los Angeles we need rain....can anyone bring us some rain please?

So taking advantage of the nice cool weather I decided to get out my slow cooker and try a new soup recipe I found over at Gimme Some Oven.  Ali has a great food blog and I just fell in love with this easy soup recipe.  It features my favorite Mexican flavors.  What's better sounding than Chicken Enchilada Soup made in the Slow Cooker??? not much!

So out came my slow cooker, and I had all items already on hand in my pantry (love that) and some chicken from the freezer.  Most of the ingredients for this are ready made...but let me tell you what.  This soup's flavors are OFF THE HOOK!  No kidding.

One secret to this dish....good quality enchilada sauce.  Pick one you really really like.  You can also adjust the heat of the soup by the heat of the enchilada sauce.  I don't particularly like 'canned' enchilada sauce. The tinny taste bothers me.   I either use a good bottled one or strangely enough a package of sauce mix where you add tomato paste really tastes good.  My favorite bottled sauce is from Sprouts.  A new medium spiced sauce with great flavor.  

I just threw everything in the crock pot before leaving for work.  Turned it on low and let it cook for about 8 or 9 hours and when I got home....OH MY HEAVENS!  

Sinfully delishhhh!

Really.

Try this....now.

It's perfect for fall.  Great for a weekend, or perfect for Halloween night.


Chicken Enchilada Soup

serves 4-6

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
2 cups good-quality chicken stock
1 1/4 cup red enchilada sauce, I used Sprouts brand
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, peeled and diced thinly
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla strips

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

Serve warm, with optional garnishes.

You can also refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

adapted from Gimme Some Oven