Crock Pot: Chicken Taco Chili

Anyone else loving this chilly nights we’ve been having?! Winter is my favorite season. Yes, I know it’s not Winter yet, but doesn’t it feel like it? Seems we went straight from Summer to Winter?! What happened to Fall? Brrr…

Perhaps I love this weather because where I live, we get snow once every few years so it’s a magical treat for us verses a nuisance to those that have to deal with it on a daily basis?

Perhaps it’s because I like to snuggle up to a warm fire? Who doesn’t love the sounds and smells of a great fire?!

Or, perhaps it’s because on cool nights, such as this, I am a sucker for a good, hearty bowl of soup like this Chicken Taco Chili? And, I’m a sucker for a good crock pot recipe, too.

I happen to love cooking from scratch, but there’s no denying the ease of a crock pot. I use mine all. the. time. Steel cut oatmeal, french dip sandwiches, soups, and even desserts. Yep. I love my crock pot for those days when scratch cooking seems like too much of a chore or I have too much going on.

Dump your canned beans in a strainer and rinse thoroughly. You could just dump the cans into the crock pot without rinsing them, but this is my preference.

I’m weird like that. Because, what is “stuff” that the beans are canned in? Is it just the natural starches of the beans mixing with the water it was canned in? Is it oil?

Whatever it is, it doesn’t belong in my soup.

Strain your corn and dump ‘em in.

Dump in your green chiles.

Pour in your tomato sauce.

You get the idea…

Dump…dump…dump…pour…pour…pour.

Dump in your cumin…

and your chili powder.

Add your taco seasoning.

Now, this can be a fabulous gluten-free recipe. Just omit the packaged taco seasoning I’m using here, and head over here to get a great gluten free taco seasoning recipe.

Add your diced tomatoes.

Add your onions and garlic.

You can use whatever kind of onion you happen to have on hand. Red, yellow, white – it doesn’t matter.

And, I realize that hard core foodies out there are going to gasp when I say this, but you can use jarred garlic. The horror!

Mix all of your ingredients up together, like so.

You could stop right here and have a vegan chili, actually.

It smells so good already!

Place your chicken breasts on top of your vegetable and spice mixture.

Cover your crock pot and set to low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours.

Once the chickens been cooked, take it out, shred it and then add back to the crock pot to mix through.

Ladle it up and eat as is for a low-fat option or go gang busters and add shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips like I did!

Warm, delicious, comfort food in a bowl!

Get your downloadable recipe Chicken Taco Chili. Enjoy!