Mexican Chicken Soup Made In Slow Cooker

Step 1: Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin and some salt and pepper.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes with chiles, tomato paste, onion, red and yellow peppers (refer to the NOTE below), and chipotle pepper. Stir and place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Step 3: Remove the chicken to a plate and use 2 forks to break the chicken into chunks (or shred it if that's what you like). Return the chicken to the pot, taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

Step 4: Stir in the lime juice and grated peel and taste again.

Step 5: Serve piping hot in a bowl with avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, crushed tortilla chips and cilantro leaves on top!

NOTE: I find that sometimes adding raw onion to a slow cooker recipe results in a funny taste (sort of like the rawness of the onion is escalated and it tastes boiled at the same time. It's hard to describe.). Therefore, I have found that if I saute the onion with some of the other vegetables prior to placing it in the crockpot, the dish doesn't impart that "funny" taste, rather it adds more of a palette friendly taste (for this recipe I saute the onions with the yellow and red bell peppers). I LOVE slow cooker recipes, don't get me wrong, but I don't care for the weird taste that certain ingredients can sometimes impart. If you've experienced this "weird" taste too, saute it and the weird taste will not be there.