Taco Soup

It's time for another quick and easy recipe on the cheap! Well not so much quick today since this is a slow cooker recipe, but still cheap and easy. My wife insists on calling it Taco Soup, but it's almost more of a chicken chili.

Be warned: this recipe will make quite a bit of soup. Enough for around 4 people or to have some leftovers. You will need a pretty big slow cooker with at least a 6 quart capacity. Cooking time is around 6 hours. For ingredients you will need:

1 pound boneless chicken breasts
1 med or large yellow onion
2 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
2 cans of original Ro*Tel
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 cup chicken stock
fresh cilantro

One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make. Very little prep goes into it. Clean and trim the chicken breasts and set them aside. Dice your whole onion and cilantro finely. When opening the cans of corn and beans you can choose whether or not to drain them. I suggest draining the corn, but not the beans.

In the slow cooker combine all of the ingredients but the chicken. Stir very well, making sure the taco seasoning in particular is well blended. Add as much chopped cilantro as you want, to taste. You can use dried cilantro, but fresh cilantro will have a much stronger flavor. If you don't have or care for chicken stock just use a cup of water.


Once all of vegetables and stock have been combined and thoroughly mixed you can add the chicken breasts. Simply lay them on top of the mixture and push down on them until they are completely covered. Drop the top on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours fish out the chicken breasts and shred them.


The chicken breasts should be tender and come apart easily. After shredding put them back in the soup and cook for 2 more hours. Once it is done ladle into a bowl and sprinkle lightly with pepperjack or cheddar cheese. Add some crushed tortilla chips for a little crunch. If you would prefer beef over chicken you can make an easy change. Brown and drain a pound of ground beef and add it to the soup instead of the chicken. This recipe should serve 4 to 6. Enjoy!