Soups On...Chicken Taco Soup

I love to make homemade soup!! I love the smell as it lingers though my house - it gives it such a homey smell and feel. Making homemade soup usually means large quantities of deliciousness, more than one person can eat; therefore, allowing me to share my love of homemade soup with friends and family. One of my favorite recipe sources is allrecipes.com, I visit this site almost daily for new recipe ideas - and to post rates/reviews of recipes that I've tried...I post as Aunt Meg. Every once in a while I get a notion to research specific categories of recipes...sometimes based on the season/celebration, theme or to satisfy a hankering for a certain type of dish. A few years ago I was searching for a soup recipe for a soup/salad lunch at church. It was during this search that I found a recipe for Chicken Taco Soup. As I reviewed the recipe, it was confirmed that I found the soup I would be making to share. Since that time, I've made it several times - and it has become a favorite of mine and others. It is SUPER easy to prepare - the longest part of preparation is opening all the cans!! In addition, to the ease of preparation - I love the fact that you just place everything in a crock-pot (one of my best friends in the kitchen), turn the crock-pot on and let the ingredients do "their thing". In a few hours you have a wonderful batch of yummy deliciousness!!

I made the soup yesterday for some friends while we worked on a few ministry projects. Several FB friends asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here - to share it with them and those who follow this blog who are not my FB friend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I (and so many others) do!! Enjoy!!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped*
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer*
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)*
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

*I use red onion, chicken broth in place of beer, and Taco/Mexican Cheese in place of cheddar (when available).

Directions:
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
source: www.allrecipes.com

Great accompaniments to this soup(that is really a hearty meal)...
- crusty bread
- cornbread or corn muffins
- a great course to a mexican themed dinner or party menu