Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

This week has been unusually chilly for the month of May in lovely Santa Barbara, and my daily craving for a warm bowl of soup has amped up - especially after a long afternoon of paddling. 

Generally, I don't think recipe posts will be a common thing here (unless you, dear readers, want it to be), but this little mix was a big hit so I figure there is no harm in sharing.  (The can of beer is the key.) I usually refer to my slow cooker as "the magic pot" because, well, it is!  There is nothing better than coming home to the sweet greeting of hot food ready for me to nom nom nom.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 bag frozen whole kernel corn
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 cups spicey V-8
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 package taco seasoning
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
jalepenos (optional)

Directions
1. Toss the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, beer, V-8 and diced tomatoes in your "magic pot." Add taco seasoning, and stir. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down until they are just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. 
(If you prefer it to be even more soupy, add more V-8.)

2.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, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips, as desired.
 
3. Play this fun game: start watching a scary movie and try not to spill any hot soup on yourself.