1-Step One: Prepare Your Ingredients Before you even open your slow cooker, take a few minutes to prep your vegetables. Chop one medium onion into small, even pieces. Seed and chop both the red and yellow bell peppers into bite-sized chunks. Having everything ready makes the actual assembly a breeze. Open your cans of tomatoes, black beans, and locate your tomato paste and chipotle pepper. Drain and rinse the black beans in a colander under cold water to remove the canning liquid, which can have a metallic taste.

2-Step Two: Season and Layer the Chicken Place your three chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle them evenly with the two teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of cumin, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. This seasoning rub gets directly onto the meat, ensuring every bite is flavorful. The chicken breasts don’t need to be perfectly arranged, but try to spread them in a single layer if possible. This helps them cook evenly and absorb all those wonderful spices.

3-Step Three: Add Vegetables and Liquid Ingredients Now comes the fun part where everything gets dumped in together. Add your chopped onion, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper right on top of the seasoned chicken. Pour in the entire 28-ounce can of tomatoes with all their juice, followed by the 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies. Add your three cups of low sodium chicken broth. If you prefer a thinner, more broth-heavy soup, feel free to add an extra cup. Spoon in the four ounces of tomato paste, dropping it in a few different spots so it incorporates more easily during cooking. Add the whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce; for milder flavor, use just one, or increase to two or three if your family loves heat. Finally, add the drained black beans.

4-Step Four: Stir and Set the Timer Give everything a good stir to combine the ingredients. You don’t need to be perfect about it; the slow cooker will do the work of melding everything together. Cover with the lid and set your slow cooker to cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. If you have a busy day ahead, the low setting is perfect. Heading out the door in the morning? Set it on low and come home to a house that smells absolutely incredible. If you’re starting later in the day and want dinner ready faster, the high setting works beautifully.

5-Step Five: Shred the Chicken Once your cooking time is up, the chicken will be tender and ready to shred. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart right in the slow cooker. You can shred it into fine pieces or leave larger chunks, depending on your preference. The beauty of slow-cooked chicken is that it practically falls apart on its own. Some people prefer to remove the chicken, shred it on a cutting board, and return it to the pot. Either method works perfectly fine, so do whatever feels easiest for you.

6-Step Six: Add the Finishing Touches Stir in the juice from one lime. This might seem like a small step, but that hit of acidity brightens the entire soup and brings all the flavors into focus. Give it a taste and add more salt if needed; remember that the toppings will add saltiness too, so keep that in mind when adjusting. Your soup is now ready to serve! Ladle it into bowls and set out all your fixings so everyone can customize their own bowl. Speaking of which, if you love Mexican-inspired flavors, you might also enjoy our white enchilada soup for another cozy dinner option.