Slow Cooker Flu-Fighting Chicken Enchilada Soup

As I mentioned in the last couple of blog posts (that I struggled to produce), I was down with the flu for a couple of weeks. Every morning as I lie in bed unable to right myself, I cursed the ineffectiveness of flu shots. I get a flu shot every year; the last two years I've also gotten the flu. What’s with that?

I’ve gotten wiser over the past couple of years, namely when I feel a sore throat coming on (always a flu precursor), I know what’s ahead, and spring into action making a big pot of soup in the crockpot. Boy, was I glad that I did, because I ate this soup five days in a row. It was a struggle to eat at all, but I knew the importance of this, and, day after day when I could barely put one foot in front of the other I was so glad that I had this waiting for me in the fridge. It improves with age, it seemed to anyway, but who am I to judge, really? My sense of taste was shot after a while.

This is easy to put together, essentially you just throw everything into the crockpot. I'd like to say that it makes the house smell spicy, warm, and wonderful, but having had absolutely no sense of smell you can’t prove it by me. There's a lot of good stuff in this soup, with the chicken, the tomatoes (that I seemed to crave), chicken stock, and warm spices. One day, when I was feeling particularly ambitious, I served the soup over a scoop of rice, and it made a very hearty and satisfying meal. When you're down with a cold or the flu, all you want is comfort, and this is comfort in a bowl.

Slow Cooker Flu-Fighting Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 cups chicken stock

1 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained

1 15-oz. can creamed corn corn

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. dried cilantro

Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove the chicken from the crock pot, shred and return to the pot. Serve topped with a squeeze of lime juice, and garnish as you see fit. For a heartier meal, serve atop a scoop of rice.

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This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style,