Easy Crockpot Accidental Chicken Soup

I love my crock-pot.  Love it.  Now don't get me wrong, I also love to cook, however, the time I can allocate to cooking throughout the week is much less than I would like.  Enter... my crock pot. Why do I love it so much? Because you don't really need a recipe to make something healthy and delicious.  Granted, I realize my affection for tweaking and going "off-book" is not shared by many other people, but slow cooker cooking really is simple.  It just is. 

Take this soup for instance.  I am calling it my accidental chicken soup.  Why? Because I didn't intend it to be a soup in the first place.  In fact, I was just making shredded chicken to have on hand thorough the week (I was originally planning on making my healthy chicken and apple salad!), but the day ended up being colder than I realized, and I decided I wanted soup!  In fact, this was the soup I had on day 1, but I realized I wanted something a bit more, so on Day 2 I added kale that had been steamed with diced tomatoes.  Needless to say, this soup was SO GOOD.  My "recipe" is below and no, it's not very precise.  After all, you can add or take out items as you like... that's the beauty of an accidental soup!

2lbs chicken
2 cups broth
1.5 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed (you could use one, or 2. I just had a half of a can open)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 bag kale
Spices and seasonings as desired (this time I *think* I used chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, and a squirt of sriracha.  I say think, because I honestly don't remember- I just throw things in I think will taste good together. Remember, if it smells good together, it will generally taste good together!)

1. Cook chicken in broth (or water) for approximately 3-4 hours on high, or 6-7 hours on low
2. Shred or cut chicken in slow cooker with forks (the longer it is cooked the more likely it will shred.  I like my chicken shredded in soups but again, it's your choice!)
3. Add beans and seasonings as desired.  Add more broth or water as desired
4. Add kale and tomatoes with juice to large pot with 1 can water, cover and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until steamed to desired "doneness"
5. Add kale and tomato mixture to your slow cooker.  
6. Taste and enjoy!

What else might I add? Carrots, celery, onion... All these thing I would (probably) put in with the chicken and broth/water to begin with.  The key to accidental soup is... don't overthink it. Use what you have, and think about what flavor combinations you've had in the past that you like.  That's the beauty of it, as long as you are using good ingredients, you can't go wrong!

Do you make "accident" dishes or do you always go by a recipe?