Lisa T's Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I cannot take credit for this deliciousness. It is entirely the brainchild of one of my Auggie moms--the women who became part of my family when I became pregnant with Em and went looking for support online, nearly 15 years ago now. (Let's pretend I didn't say that, OK? Because it makes me feel very, very old. Almost as old as I actually am.) Thanks, Lisa T!

This is perfect for a cold, rainy, hailish day, which is what yesterday was.

(Happy now, @wondermama and @ejwillingham? If you're not, you will be once you try this out! And Kristen...it'd work just as well in a dutch oven cooked long, low, and slow either on the stovetop or in the oven.)

Lisa T's Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped
15 ounces chili beans
15 ounces black beans
15 ounces whole kernel corn
8 ounces tomato sauce
12 ounces beer
20 ounces diced tomatoes w/chilis
1 package taco seasoning mix (or, if you're me, just mix up a batch of Goodfountain's Taco Seasoning; the recipe is in the middle of that link)
3 whole chicken breasts, boned and skinned (I often double this; and thighs would work, too)
shredded Cheddar cheese, optional
tortilla chips, optional
sour cream, optional
cilantro, optional
whatever you might like to top this with, optional

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend.

2. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients.

3.  Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.  (I tend strongly toward the impatient and am all about last-minute-ness. Hence, I generally set the slow cooker for high heat, cover, and cook for 3 to 3.5 hours, kvetching all the time about how long it's taking.)

4. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Shred the chicken, then stir the shredded chicken back into the soup. Continue cooking on low for 2 hours. (Or, in the TC Has No Patience version of the recipe, continue cooking on high for half an hour or until you're ready to serve dinner.)

5. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, some chopped-up onion, maybe some olives. Whatever you want!

6. Come back here and tell me how wonderful it was, so I can pass your compliments along to Lisa T.