Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Enchilada Soup

I was gifted an awesome crock pot last year for Christmas, but have only used it a handful of times. The reason I haven't taken greater advantage of this awesome tool (dinner that cooks while you're at work = amazing) is because I'm an anxious freak. 

I tried to leave a chicken dish to simmer away while I was at work once a few months ago and I thought about it alllll day. I did not think about my delicious dinner like a normal human. Instead, I obsessed about all the potential harm a crock pot could do while it sat on my counter for 8 hours, namely setting my kitchen on fire.  Yes, I realize that the purpose of this machine is to turn it on and leave it... and I realize that there's little to no chance that this thing could get hot enough to start a fire, but like I said ... anxious freak. 

So now I only use the crock pot while I'm home, which kind of defeats the purpose. But, at least I don't have to spend an entire day considering calling the fire department to "just check on my home". 

Here's what you'll need...

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

8 oz can tomato sauce

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

3 tsp chili in adobo sauce

15 oz can black beans

2 cups frozen corn

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup pepper jack cheese for topping 

Here's what to do... 

Heat olive oil in crock pot and set to "saute". If your crock pot does not have this function, you may do this step in a pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion has softened (3-4 minutes). 

Change crock pot to "slow cook" and add all remaining ingredients except cheese and cook for 4-6 hours on low. 

After 4-6 hours, remove chicken breast from crock pot, shred chicken and return to soup. 

Serve and garnish with cheese. You may also top with scallions, additional cilantro, sour cream, or some crushed tortilla chips.