Paleo Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken Soup

All optional or non Paleo Friendly ingredients are in bold print.  The picture is shown with corn, because I was taking it to a pitch in and this helped to make a lot more soup.

• 6-7 chicken boneless skinless tenderloins or 3-4 full chicken breast
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 yellow, red or orange bell pepper diced
• 1 white or yellow onion diced
• Optional, this will make it really spicy- 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper seeded and diced
• Optional- (If following a clean or lean eating plan but not Paleo, a small to medium size bag of frozen corn is great in this recipe and/or 1 can reduced sodium black beans rinsed to remove excess sodium)
• Optional- spinach, diced zucchini or mushrooms
• 1/2 to 1 carton organic reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth (start with half of the carton and add more if needed as it cooks to reach your desired consistency, the veggies and chicken will also create liquid)
• 1, 14.5-15 oz can organic no salt added diced tomatoes (2 cans work well too)

Most veggies or broths will work in this recipe so adjust to use whatever you have on hand.

Starting here you will want to adjust all spices depending on your level of spice preference:

• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder (adjust to preference)
• 1 Tbsp cumin (you can start with less and adjust to preference)
• A few dashes crushed red pepper
• Optional -  A few dashes chipotle pepper, Again this recipe is spicy
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (adjust to taste)
• A few shakes of crushed red pepper

Spray or line a crock pot and set to low
Add all ingredients starting with the veggies, then the broth, then the spices, stir, add the chicken and stir again
Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours
Remove chicken and cube
Return chicken back to the crock pot and cook until veggies are tender crisp and the chicken is cooked through
Tip- If using full chicken breast, you may want to cut in half before adding to the crock pot to reduce cooking time.

If your family members have different preferences for the spice level and you made the soup mild, add a few dashes of hot sauce to individual bowls to crank up the heat

This is great served with Paleo Almond Biscuits for dipping.  These can be found in my Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe.  http://flavorfulandfit.blogspot.com/2013/02/paleo-sloppy-joes-over-paleo-biscuits.html