Chicken Enchilada in a crockpot

After all these years, I was really missing out on an amazing kitchen investment -- CROCKPOT. I got one for Christmas and it came with a mini crock for sauces. This past weekend, Saturday Jan. 14, 2012, I decided to make something warm and homey since it was 8°F outside. The first recipe to try in the crockpot was Chicken Enchilada Soup. Turned out to be delicious and it was an experimental recipe/crockpot test...successfully satisfied with taste AND the crockpot.

Once you buy all of the ingredients, you basically just toss everything into the pot, even the uncooked chicken, let it cook for 4-6 hours on low and you have a meal for days! (depending on how many people you will be serving of course)

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 onions
• 3 cups chicken broth (I bought low sodium, fat free)
• 8 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp of chili paste (if you like a good spice)
• 1 cup chopped cilantro (add less if you don't like it, but cilantro is one of my favorites)
• 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2-3 cups frozen corn
• cumin to taste
• dried oregano to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 boneless chicken breasts (do as much chicken as you like)

First step, you want to combine in a medium sauce pan the following: A splash of olive oil to get the onions and garlic sauteed nicely (5 minutes). Then, add the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring that to a boil, add some cilantro and then toss that into the crockpot.

Also add to the crockpot, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, cumin, dried oregano, chili paste, salt and pepper, and the chicken breasts. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once cooked, shred the chicken. A great technique I found was by using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, let it cook for another 10 minutes so the chicken soaks up extra flavor, give it a final stir and you are ready to indulge!

Great toppings: shredded cheese, a dallop of fat free or light sour cream, extra cilantro and some scallions.

This dish will definitely be made again soon! It's great for lunch, dinner or a light snack (smaller portion). Dip some fresh warm bread into this soup and your taste buds will be happy :)