I don’t know about you, but there’s something about lazy Sundays in the cooler months during football season that BEGS me to use the slow cooker. And today just so happens to be said lazy Sunday with all of the aforementioned conditions. I had decided on Friday that I wanted to make a soup of some kind this weekend. But what kind of soup?

Yesterday mom and I went shopping. She was talking about this taco soup recipe that was so easy because all you do is throw the cans of ingredients in the crock pot and let it go.  Perfect! What are the odds that my mom would start talking about this easy slow cooker soup recipe when I was *just* thinking that I wanted to make soup in my crock pot this weekend?!

I’m not sure where she got the recipe from, but here’s our take after a few slight changes to suit our preferences. (I like soupier soup, if that makes any sense.) And as we were enjoying this tonight at dinner, we realized that with a few other modifications it could easily turn into a hearty chili, too. Those notes are at the end.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup (or Chili)

Ingredients

• 2 cans of kernel corn (I chose the Del Monte “Fiesta” style with red and green bell peppers)
• 2 cans of pinto beans
• 2 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (I only found these by Ro*Tel brand)
• 1 can of regular petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 2 pkgs Hidden Valley Ranch dressing seasoning mix (We used their Spicy Ranch variety)
• 2 pkgs taco seasoning (We went with mild)
• 1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Directions

In a large crock pot, combine all of the canned goods, including their juices. Stir in all of the seasoning mixes. Place your (thawed) chicken on top, put on the lid, and let cook all day on low for 8 hours. You could probably also cook on high for 4 hours if you were running short on time.

When finished cooking, use 2 forks to shred the tender chicken up right inside the crock pot. Then stir to mix it throughout the soup evenly. Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top. YUM!

This was a hit and even the kiddo loved it. He loves sharing soup with us, and I felt like he got lots of good nutrition from the beans, chicken, veggies, and tomatoes. You could substitute whatever protein preference you have – I did toy with the idea of using ground turkey.

Make it a Chili Instead!

• Substitute in a can of chunky tomato sauce for the can of chicken broth in the soup recipe
• Use ground beef instead of chicken

We found our soup to be just the right amount of spice between the green chilies, mild taco seasoning, and “spicy ranch” variety of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix. It was spicy enough that we enjoyed the bit of kick, but not so spicy that Liam wouldn’t eat it. You could definitely add in some hot sauce or go with a spicier taco seasoning to turn the heat up a notch if you wanted.

Hope you enjoy – thanks, mom!