Sometimes your best friend sends you 9 text messages in a row, to which you only respond minimally…and it’s not until hours later that you realize IT’S HER BIRTHDAY.
 Sometimes you have fails…and sometimes you have Fails. Good thing she’s my best friend or she might just hate me.
 In my defense, I did send her a birthday present way early this year. We’re talking like a few months ago. It was to combat all the other years of our friendship where I sent her present 2 months late.
The reason she was sending me so many texts in a row was because she was showing her 4 year old son Star Wars for the first time, and was giving me the live-tweet experience. “Why do they have blue milk? Why can’t I have blue milk?”   “Why does Darth Vader want to blow up Leia’s planet? What does that even MEAN?”  **Alderaan blows up**  “COOL!”
The real question here is why I’m making chili in July. The answer? 9 cans, some chicken and a crock pot. Seriously you guys, there’s easy, and then there’s stupid easy. This recipe falls into the latter category, and it is worth every dead brain cell you might suffer as a result of not exercising your mind enough.
 This is one of those meals that’s nice to have up your sleeve, because you could go to the store and buy almost everything you need, and then not make it for 3 months. Just leave the chicken in the freezer and the cans on the shelf until you are having a crazy busy day, and then voila. Dinner. Dinner for half the week, actually. This recipe is huge and barely fit into my crock pot. If you have a dinky one, half it.
This Cream Cheese Chicken Chili is ridiculously delicious in spite of its humble from-a-can origins. I got the recipe from my cousin who is quite possibly the pickiest person on the planet, (she doesn’t like pork…or strawberries) so if she can scarf it down, you know your kids will :)
Happy Birthday, Sarah! Love, your day late and a dollar short BFF…have some comfort chili.
Throw those birds in completely frozen. Or thawed, it doesn’t matter. Reduce the time if they are thawed. I used 2 thighs and 2 breasts here.
Beautiful, beautiful beans.
Member how I said this barely fit in my crock pot? I wasn’t kidding.
Cream Cheese Chicken Chili (Crockpot)
This Cream Cheese Chicken Chili is ridiculously easy and really packs a punch. Plus it's made in a crockpot.
Ingredients
- 3 whole chicken breasts, frozen or fresh
- 3 15-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 15-oz cans whole corn, undrained
- 2 10-oz cans Rotel, undrained
- 2 packages Ranch dressing mix
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 8-oz packages cream cheese
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
To garnish:
- tortilla chips
- limes
- avocado
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the bottom of a large crock pot. Add the beans, corn, Rotel, Ranch dressing mix, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, cumin. Stir together.
- Add the cream cheese on top and put the lid on.
- Turn the crockpot to low and cook for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. (Or do it on high, about 4-6 hours.)
- Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks.
- Use a spoon to stir in the shredded chicken and the cream cheese (which should be melted).
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.
- Serve with tortilla chips, lime juice, avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. You can also serve this as a dip with tortilla chips.
Notes
This recipe as written makes a crazy huge amount. If you half it, don't worry about using 2 1/2 cans of beans. Use 2 cans or 3. Or replace one can of beans with corn. Honestly this recipe is pretty flexible.
You can totally use chicken thighs too. This time around I used 2 thighs and 2 breasts.
Source: my cousin Misty!
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 1235mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 867IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you make this? I'd love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!
Here are some more no-brainer crock pot meals:
Here are some more from around the blogosphere:
Crockpot Caramel Chicken from 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast from Recipe Girl
Vegetarian Greek Lentil Soup with Tomatoes, Spinach and Feta from Kalyn’s Kitchen <this sounds amazing.
IPA Honey Chipotle Slow Cooker Chicken from Cooking and Beer
I made this last weekend and my family loved it. I substituted chipotle chili powder for the crushed red pepper because that’s what I had. As Karen said, it makes a ton. I froze some and still had some leftover. I only had one kid home for dinner one night so I took what was left, added some salsa and used the mixture for burrito filling. I just added some shredded Mexican blend cheese on top of the filling and rolled it up in flour tortillas. It was 90+ with about 200% humidity here so I threw them in an olive oil coated cast iron skillet and put it on the grill for 15 min. Fantastic. I am making the chili again for a party next weekend. Switching out the canned corn for fresh so I will report back.
Thanks for the review Joanne! omg, burrito filling, why didn’t I think of that. It’s so thick that of course it would hold up. SO trying that next time!!
I was wondering how you were going to make this chili look appetizing and you totally did it! I mean I know it’s amazing because I eat it like once a week but just looking at the plain chili isn’t so pretty so.beautiful job! Paul literally eats it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I also add a 3rd thing of cream cheese! Oh baby! And you’re way better than me, I think I send my best friend a text on her birthday, but only if Facebook reminds me! haha
Haha thanks Mis! I was going to add the 3rd thing of cream cheese like you said but it LITERALLY would not fit in my crock pot. I was going to add it after it cooked but then I liked the spice level so much that I just left it. Thanks for an awesome recipe Misty!!
Oh man, I totally did that to my best friend in March too – I didn’t remember to text her until almost midnight – good thing for understanding friends :) And stupid easy meals. They are my favorite! I haven’t felt like cooking as much lately so love these set and forget meals. This chili looks and sounds delicious!
At least we do it to our best friends Kelly–at least they understand!!
I love chili and this one looks Ahhmazing!
I’ve definitely been there with remembering a birthday a little too late- I mean, we’re only human! I can’t even remember my own birthday half the time! Ha! And I don’t care if it’s summer- this chili looks super delicious.
I’ll take the chili, there’s polar vortex thing happening here in KC, where it feels like spring and should be 90 degrees, so I’m COLD. Chili could do me some good. Especially if there’s cream cheese involved.
This is definitely going to the next potluck! If it has cream cheese you KNOW it has to be good!
At least you remembered the same day! The worst would have been remembering the next day. Now that would have been a FAIL!
This chili is what a lazy housewifes dreams are made of! I love “set it and forget it” meals like this. Come dinner time, open up the crock pot and admire the magic. Sounds deeeelish!
Heck yes! I love dead brain cell dinners, and I’m always looking for a few more to have on hand for the roughest of days.
This looks awesome and I laughed at the stupid easy quote!
YUM! My family is going to love this!
Seriously Karen, you have NOTHING to worry about being a little late for your BFF’s birthday. My guy and I finally celebrated mine last Friday with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and cake from Rick’s Dessert Diner… That was 2.5 weeks after the actual date, and from someone I live with too! ;) And I only questioned your sanity for about 0.00023 milliseconds before I realized that a crockpot would be the perfect solution for not heating up the house cooking dinner in this current heatwave. So brilliant!
I love soup anytime of the year so I am totally down with this! And it looks so creamy and delicious! And super bonus that it’s in the crockpot. I loveee my crockpot!
You say “cream cheese” and I’m in for anything and this looks awesome. I really need to get over my too-scared-to-leave-the-crockpot-on-while-we’re-gone-all-day fears :/
I don’t think I’d ever cooked in my crock pot and not left it at home unattended.
My crock pot saves me on many countless late nights at work…. I throw everything in before I leave out on low and when the kids and I get home we have a great meal. Just opening up the door and smelling that food that has been simmering for hours is amazing. It saves me and I am able to have good food that otherwise I’d miss due to time constraints.. I just love my slow cooker.
It is just the best to come home to a completed meal, right? Love my crock pot. Hope you enjoy the chili, it’s so easy and good!
If you already have pre cooked shredded chicken on hand when would you recommend throwing it in the crock pot? Right at the beginning or more towards the end? Also, would cooking time need to be adjusted since chicken is already pre cooked? Thanks!
Hi Ann-Marie! I would add it in the last few hours of cooking. That way your chili has time to absorb the chicken flavor, but you don’t overcook the chicken to death ;) Great question!
My boyfriend makes a chili very similar to this, and it’s my favorite winter-time foods. I love how easy it is, and that it tastes SO good! I’ll have to try it with all that cream cheese though (his is the “diet” version), I think it’s calling my name ;)