Let me tell you something. Crockpot cream cheese chicken chili has taken over our house.
I first made a big batch of this crock pot meal last Sunday, and I’ve made it three more times since then. Why? Because my husband loves it. I love it. His family came to visit, tried it, and loved it, so I sent some home with them. I have made four huge batches in one week because this stuff is such a hit.
And it’s easy; read: crockpot meal. You dump all the stuff into the crockpot (we use this one) and forget about it all day. Right at the end, you stir in the cream cheese and let that get friendly while you chop the cilantro, slice the avocado, and prep the limes. And heck, blend the margaritas.
But wait! The secret gets better…
… come closer …
… it’s dirt cheap.
Like, unbelievable inexpensive to make. So I’m sharing the recipe below that will feed four average* people. I can promise you that this will be made many, many more times, especially as we venture into the Fall season.
Ingredients:
- 4 frozen chicken breasts
- 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (original)
- 2 cans of corn, undrained
- 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 packages of Ranch dressing mix
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- (Optional) 1 tsp onion powder (I didn’t have any so I used garlic powder instead, you know, just for fun, and it turned out great!)
- 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (here’s where the off-brand stuff works just fine)
- Optional (but highly recommended): piles of cilantro, sour cream, and avocado for topping
What to Do:
- Throw chicken breasts, Rotel, corn, black beans, Ranch dressing mix, chili powder, and cumin into the crockpot and cook on high for about 4 hours (can also cook on low for about 6-7 hours).
- If you’re home, stir occasionally. If not, carpe diem and don’t worry, it’ll be fine.
- 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, take the chicken out of the crockpot and shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks. Put chicken back in the crockpot.
- Then, put the cream cheese in and stir it for a few minutes, encouraging its break-down.
- Replace the lid and let hang out for the remaining half hour.
- Stir a little more to ensure the cream cheese has melted.
- Serve and enjoy! And might I suggest pairing this hearty soup with sourdough dinner rolls? Because that’s what we used instead of spoons and my, oh my, is it a foretaste of Heaven. Get it.
*Average = not my husband and I’m 99.9% sure you’d be left with zero leftovers for lunch the next day (or breakfast, like my sister-in-law tried). I triple the original batch and we eat off of it all week at work.
What about you? What’s your favorite fast and cheap meal? Dish below 😉
Just pinned that. And plan to make this ASAP. OMg yum!
Ok. Making that. ASAP.
Awesome! Easy, affordable, yummy crockpot meal… count me in!
I made it for dinner tonight, and it was delicious!! Perfect to eat as the air is getting chilly. Thanks again!
That sounds delicious! I will have to try it! I recently made a yummy soup that will be a Fall regular in our house. It is simple too. Tortellini-sausage-tomato-cream cheese-goodness!… I don’t know the real name, we just call it ‘good’! 😉
Oh yum! This looks delish and i am totally making it soon. Love crock pot cooking and anything with cream cheese!
do u put the chicken in the crockpot frozen??
When you say to use the ranch dressing mix, do you use the powder mix? Or the dressing?
This is so yummy and so easy! I am a stay-at-home mom/grad student. This is the perfect meal for nights when I have class. Even my 3 year ol loves it!
I have a 1.5 QT crockpot, should I half the recipe? It says it can fit up to a 2lb roast…
Can you use non frozen chicken? How does that affect cooking time?
HoW many carbs
Do I need to add some chicken broth to it if I am using a rostisserie chicken? If I used the frozen chicken breast it would add liquid to it so I don’t want to loose that! What are your thoughts?
I made this chili today for a work chili cook off (I won) and it was amazing! I cooked it over night and put the cream cheese blocks on top of the other ingredients so by morning it was nice and soft and easy to mix in, only needed to shred the chicken!
Making this for dinner tonight I can’t wait to try this
What size chicken breasts are you using? Approximately what does it come to in terms of weight?