Creamy chicken chili with southwest flavors that cooks right in the crock pot. Chicken breast, corn, pinto beans, ranch seasoning & spices combine in the slow cooker for an easy, simple family dinner. Serve with shredded cheese, avocado slices, and cilantro.
CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE
I am so glad that Thanksgiving week is over. It just happens to be my very favorite Holiday, but it’s also a pretty crazy week. The only thing I cooked all last week was Thanksgiving dinner which we ended up eating leftovers of until Sunday night.
I love me all the Thanksgiving foods but seriously, a girl can only have so much turkey and green bean casserole 🙂
Before all the madness began I made this chicken chili recipe with southwest flavors for dinner and it was delicious! The best part is that it’s so easy to make and uses minimal, and inexpensive ingredients.
Ingredients needed to make creamy southwest chicken chili
- chicken broth (I use reduced-sodium in this recipe)
- pinto beans
- canned corn
- petite diced tomatoes
- packet of ranch seasoning mix
- cumin, garlic powder, chili powder
- cream cheese
Don’t forget all the toppings. Just like any chili recipe, the toppings take it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I like to serve this chili with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, avocado slices, and tortilla chips.
Kids will love this chili because they can eat it with tortilla chips. My kids would eat anything if they could eat it with chips!
Tips for making creamy chicken chili
- Substitute any bean you love for the pinto beans. My family prefers pinto beans so that’s what I have always used. Black beans are another great one to use in this recipe.
- There are so many different canned corn varieties in the store now. For a bit of heat use a can of fiesta corn, or a can of gold n white corn (my personal favorite), or sweet yellow corn.
- If you want lots of spice then use a can of Rotel instead of the plain diced tomatoes. Or add more chili powder and/or cayenne pepper.
- Be sure and cut the cream cheese into cubes before adding it into the slow cooker. This will help it melt and soften much faster.
To make this chicken chili simply combine the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, corn, pinto beans, and ranch seasoning into the insert of a slow cooker.
Combine the spices and sprinkle it over 3-4 chicken breasts. Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
Cover with the lid and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours.
Shred the chicken and add it back into the crock pot along with the cubed cream cheese.
Let it cook for an additional 30 minutes so the cream cheese can soften. Stir it up to combine everything and serve!
Try these other chicken chili recipes
Southwest Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 can (14.5) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1 can (15 oz) corn (do not drain)
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds)
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese (cut into 8 small cubes)
Toppings
- chopped cilantro
- shredded cheese
- avocado slices
- tortilla chips
Instructions
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Spray the insert of a crock pot with cooking spray. Add the chicken broth, black beans, diced tomatoes, can of undrained corn, and packet of ranch seasoning mix. Stir together to combine.
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In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Sprinkle this on both sides of each chicken breast. Place chicken into the crock pot.
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Cover with the lid and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours.
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Take chicken out and use 2 forks to shred the chicken (you can also just shred it right in the crock pot). Add the shredded chicken back in, and add the cubes of cream cheese. Cover with lid and let the cream cheese melt and soften, this takes about 30 minutes. Stir everything together until creamy and combined.
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Ladle into bowl and serve with chopped cilatnro, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and avocado slices.
Recipe Notes
If you use the full-salt chicken broth you may want to cut back the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
I use full-fat cream cheese but you can use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese if wanted.
My crock pot cooks things pretty fast (higher temperature) so mine takes 6 hours. If you have an older one or know it cooks at a lower temperature then you may need 7 hours. You just want the chicken to be so soft and tender that it falls apart when you try to take it out to shred it.
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