Do you ever just have one of those days?  A day where everything you try just fails?  Yeah, this was my day last week.  The time got to be 6:00 p.m. and I still hadn’t made dinner! The kids had been bickering all day and I wanted to go and hide in the bathroom.  But, I didn’t.  Instead, I realized the problem was that everyone was hungry.  Again.

It became ever apparent that we were going to eat sandwiches or I was going to have to figure out if I had any ingredients for an Instant Pot meal.   (I’m so very thankful that I have an Instant Pot now!  I can make slow cooker meals in 40 minutes or less now!)  

It turned out that I was able to make some adjustments to this meal that came from my Freezer to Slow Cooker Subscription plan and have a delicious meal ready for my family with no complaints.  I was even able to make it gluten free for my daughter who is currently trying out a GF diet.

Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe for the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups (24 oz) chicken broth
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 4 oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon of lime juice

Toppings: sliced avocado, green onions, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips.

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients except lime juice into Instant Pot.
2. If chicken is still frozen (like mine was), set manual timer for 20 minutes.
3. If chicken was thawed, set it for 12 minutes.
4. Before serving, remove chicken from Instant Pot and chop or shred into bite size pieces.
5. Put chicken back into Instant Pot.
6. Stir in lime juice.
7. Top with your preferred toppings.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients except lime juice into slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
3. Before serving, remove chicken from slow cooker and chop into bite size pieces.
4. Put chicken back into slow cooker.
5. Stir in lime juice.
6. Top with your preferred toppings.

Freezer Bag Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients except lime juice into gallon size freezer safe bag.
2. Label & lay flat to freeze.
3. Remove freezer bag from freezer the night before, so that it is thawed when you’re ready to slow cook it.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
5. Before serving, remove chicken from slow cooker and chop into bite size pieces.
6. Stir in lime juice.
7. Top with your preferred toppings.

Serving Suggestions:  Cornbread