On the weekends when we are making brunch I will sometimes prep something for the slow cooker so that I can relax at night and not make two big meals. As I chopped up peppers and onions for omelets I also set some aside to make this easy slow cooker chicken taco soup.
We have a lot of tortilla chips left over from having friends over to BBQ so I was craving a hearty soup that would be good to dip them in. I debated on whether I should make crockpot chili or chicken taco soup. I decided on the chicken taco soup since I am striving to eat more lean chicken and less red meat (I had a steak earlier this week, so I am not perfect at this just yet).
Ingredients for the easy slow cooker chicken taco recipe:
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1 small onion
- 1 can black beans drained
- 1 can chili beans drained
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste (a reader recommended halfing this if you prefer a less tomato-ey broth)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 can diced fire roasted green chilis
- 1 bottle/can of beer
- 1 cup chicken broth (you may add more later to suit your preferences)
- 4 small chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Tortilla chips
I chopped the onion, green bell pepper and red bell pepper and added them to the slow cooker for the chicken taco soup.
I drained and added the cans of beans, can of corn, can of chills and the tomato paste into the slow cooker for the taco chicken soup. I prepped the spices separately and tossed them in (along with the bay leaves). You can substitute the spices for a premixed taco seasoning packet if you prefer.
I then added the bottle of beer (I used a darker beer since that is what was in the fridge, but add whatever version you may have around the house). You can also substitute more chicken broth instead if you don’t have been around the house (as I do live in Utah and there are a lot of beer free households). Add the cup of chicken broth and stir things up a bit.
Add the chicken breasts into the soup (I keep all of our chicken frozen, so I added them frozen knowing they will thaw and cook). Turn the slow cooker on low. At this point you may want to consider adding more broth if you prefer a thinner soup. I let it cook for about 4 hours, but you can probably let it cook longer if you need to. After about 4 hours pull out the chicken breasts and shred them a bit with two forks. Add them back to the soup for about 30 minutes.
Add shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro and tortilla chips and serve.
Great idea to prep for two meals at once. It looks hearty and delicious.
It definitely saves time and made for a relaxing day that I didn’t have to try and figure out what to make for dinner later on! 🙂
Just finished this soup for dinner tonight. I feel like the broth could be increased and the tomato paste decreased. I love tomatoes, but this recipe (as written) creates a VERY tomato-y and dense soup. Increasing the broth after cooking helped the consistency.
Thanks for your suggestion Kevin! I updated the recipe with your notes.
I do prefer a heavier broth in my soups, but I found it not too thick after cooking it on low. I imagine if it were turned up to high or if the broth were substituted for beer it may come up thicker. So for those that prefer a lighter, less tomato-ey, broth is sounds like adding more broth and half the tomato paste (I would consider cutting the ketchup too) is the best way to do it!
Yum Yum! I just started at Kendall College (my culinary institute) and we have to make 5 new things this weekend that we’ve never made before. This is going on my list …with a few added ingredients of my own, course! 🙂
Thank you!
Good luck in college (mildly jealous about cooking school 🙂 ). I would love to hear how it goes and what additions/improvements you make!