Bonnie's Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Our very dear friend, Bonnie generously passed along to me one of her classic recipes that she knew our family would love.  Bonnie knows and truly appreciates what a foodie I am and how I'm always on a quest for a new dish to try...especially a Mexican dish.  :)  Many thanks to our sweet and beautiful friend, Sista B...I post this recipe in your honor.  We love and miss you lots!  xoxo

I so enjoy preparing dinner in my Crock Pot, so as to make the house smell wonderful, with tasty temptations, teasing most all of our senses all day long, until the final reward when dinner is served.  So for this dish in particular, and being on a bit of a health kick, I've combined multiple recipes to come up with the healthiest, tastiest version I could.  This is yet another versatile dish that you can serve over rice, in tortillas or crispy taco shells, serve with chips as a nacho dish, eat it like chili or tortilla soup.  You can make it richer by adding a cut up cube of cream cheese at the end of the cooking process, which is how Bonnie's recipe directs (see below)*.  Or skip the cream cheese and make it lighter, it's still very tasty that way.  On our first attempt at this recipe we made a tortilla soup by adding more broth and topping our soup with avocado, cheese, baked tortilla chips and lime slices.  It was absolutely fabulous.  No matter how you decide to prepare this meal, it's definitely one to add to the repertoire.  Happy cooking! 

4 chicken breast bone-in (I left one breast with the skin on to help add flavor to the broth, also, most of the recipes I saw called for boneless, skinless breasts...I prefer bones in because that also helps add to the flavor)
2 cans seasoned black beans, not drained
2 cans of corn, drained and rinsed
Chicken broth, (the amount depends upon how you will be serving, more for a soup, less for tacos or nachos)
1 package taco seasoning...I prefer McCormick's because I'm partial to the name ;)
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
1 cup salsa, I used mild "Hell on the Red, " (but why not kick it up a bit with a hotter salsa if you like it extra spicy)
1 can hot Ro-tel tomatoes or use original to make it less spicy
Mexican cheese for topping
Avocado, sliced for topping
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

Put beans, corn, taco seasoning, and broth in crock pot and mix together until seasoning is dissolved. Place chicken breasts on top and spread salsa on chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 

Shred meat and serve however you want (see explanation above). Garnish with cheese, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and hot sauce.

*For a richer version and the way our friend Bonnie prepares it, is to add a small, cut-up bar of cream cheese on top towards the end of the cooking time.  Let melt and once melted stir through and serve with tortilla chips.

**Also, this is such an easy freezer meal to save with any leftovers.  Prepare it with 5 chicken breasts and eat half for dinner and freeze the other half in a gallon-sized freezer Ziploc bag for another meal.  Make sure you let the food cool before freezing it. On the day that you're ready to eat it, let it thaw and then cook on low in your Crock Pot for 2 - 3 hours.