Janet's Crockpot Enchilada Soup

This recipe is from my friend Janet and it is so good! I love the combination of flavors, it's a hearty healthy soup, and it's a crockpot recipe - the triple threat of recipes in my book! I used mostly dried ingredients because that's what I had on hand, but you could certainly use fresh cilantro and garlic and I'm sure it'd be wonderful. I also used frozen chicken breasts and they worked great - yay for not having to worry about thawing. I served it with these awesome bread-sticks (which taste so much like Olive Garden bread-sticks) and it was a lovely meal. Thanks Janet!

Janet's Crockpot Enchilada Soup

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large), fresh or frozen
2 cups frozen corn
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
14.5 oz can chicken broth
10 oz can enchilada sauce
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (I use frozen because it's easy)
1 tablespoon dried cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (a few good cranks of the pepper mill)
shredded cheese for topping, optional

Combine in crockpot: corn, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, enchilada sauce, green chilies, onion, cilantro, bay leaves, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Give it a good whisk to stir in the herbs. Add the chicken, cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Transfer chicken to a large plate or bowl and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to crockpot and continue cooking for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove bay leaves before serving. Top with individual servings with shredded cheese if desired (my kids liked it that way).