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Taco Ranch Chicken Chili cooks in the slow cooker and only needs a few pantry staple ingredients! It’s a dump & go chili with chicken, vegetables, beans, and lots of flavor. No chopping or prep work needed for this easy chili recipe!
Taco Ranch Chicken Chili Recipe (Made In The Slow Cooker)
This taco ranch chicken chili is one of my very favorite dump & go slow cooker recipes because there is no chopping or prep work required!
You quite literally dump everything into the crock pot and walk away. No fuss. No pre-cooking. Just easy!
Whenever I see a recipe that says it’s “easy” but then it has like 4 different veggies to chop… well it’s definitely not easy. But this chicken chili is. I promise. If you want another really simple recipe with no prep work needed like chopping, then try my popular recipe for 7 can chicken taco soup.
Simple Pantry Ingredients Needed
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – You need 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR about 2 pounds of chicken. If the chicken is a normal size then use 4, but if they are larger (like Costco or Sam’s Club size) then 2-3 would be plenty.
- Chicken Broth – You can use chicken broth, low-sodium chicken broth, or salt free chicken broth; whichever you prefer or what your dietary needs are.
- Tomato Sauce
- Black Beans : Make sure the black beans are drained & rinsed before adding them into the crockpot.
- Chili Beans : These are pinot beans in mild chili sauce. They are labeled on the can as ‘chili beans’. You do not want to drain them because you want that chili sauce inside the chili.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes : Regular diced tomatoes are just fine. I just prefer the smaller chop of the petite diced tomatoes especially for soups and chili recipes.
- Frozen Corn : Use yellow corn, sweet white corn, or a mix of the two corns.
- Taco Seasoning Packet : Use regular taco seasoning, low-sodium, chicken taco seasoning, zesty seasoning, spicy taco seasoning, or a mild taco seasoning in this recipe.
- Ranch Seasoning Packet
How To Make Ranch Chicken Chili (Printable Recipe Card)
Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together, making sure the chicken is nestled inside all the ingredients and somewhat covered.
Cover with the lid and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours.
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken, and add it back into the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
You can serve it right away with all your favorite chili toppings, or keep the chili inside the crockpot on the WARM setting until you’re ready to serve it.
Can I Make Any Changes To This Recipe?
- Chicken Broth : Use regular salted chicken broth, reduced-sodium, salt-free, or you can use water + chicken bouillon. A can of chicken broth has almost 2 cups in it, so just measure out 2 cups of water (plus the bullion) is using that.
- Black Beans : You can use kidney beans, white kidney beans, navy beans, white cannelloni beans, pinto beans, or ranch style beans (black beans in chili sauce).
- Petite Diced Tomatoes : Use regular diced tomatoes, or Rotel tomatoes with green chilies if you want some spice.
Serving Suggestions For Taco Ranch Chicken Chili
I like to set out toppings in bowls on the dinner table along with the pot of chili. Then everyone can make their own bowl or eat the chicken chili as is with no toppings. Here are some ideas for toppings.
- sliced avocado
- black olives
- sour cream
- chopped cilantro
- tortilla chips or strips
- jalapeno slices
- shredded cheese (any variety works!)
I find that when kids can make their own food (aka – use their hands to top their chili) then it’s more likely that they will happily eat it. Three out of four of my kids claim that they hate beans, but yet when I serve this and let them make their own, they don’t seem to mind the beans one bit!
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Bean Chili
- Taco Chili
- Best Classic Chili
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Turkey Chili Taco Soup
- Easy Quick Chili
- Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Taco Ranch Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) chili beans do not drain
- 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomaotes do not drain
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the slow cooker insert.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together, making sure the chicken is nestled inside all the ingredients and somewhat covered.1 can (15 oz) black beans, 1 can (15 oz) chili beans, 1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth, 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomaotes, 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce, 1½ cups frozen corn, 1 packet taco seasoning, 1 packet ranch seasoning
- Cover with the lid and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken, and add it back into the slow cooker. Stir everything together. * You can also just shred the chicken right in the crockpot if wanted. I like to remove it so I can shred it into finer pieces.
- You can serve it right away with all your favorite chili toppings, or keep the chili inside the crockpot on the WARM setting until you're ready to serve it.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love to see it! You can share it with me on @togetherasfamilyblog and follow on Pinterest @together-as-family-blog-recipes or Facebook @togetherasfamilyblog for more!
I made this and it was sooo good! Loved it! Will definitely make it again.
Oh yay! I love hearing this. So glad you loved it. The leftovers are really good too!
This sounds delicious! How much chicken broth is needed? I’ve never used canned I’ve only used a carton of chicken broth.
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth is about 1 cup + 3/4 cup. Since you are using a carton, you can always less or more depending on preference 🙂 Enjoy!
I’ve tried this recipe several times in the past and it’s always a big hit in my home! I was wondering if this would be a good meal to meal prep and freeze in gallon ziploc bags?
Yes, I think it would work really well to freeze. You may have to reheat it with some additional water or chicken broth.
Amazing flavor and punch with this recipe! My family enjoyed it so much that I fixed it for a Soup and Sandwich Supper at church – now all the girls want this recipe! YUM!
Very delicious! I added a can of Rotel for little more heat. No leftovers ?. Husband loved it, why there was no leftovers. Will make again.
Yes, Rotel is a great way to add some extra heat. My kids would refuse to eat it so I have to stick with the regular diced tomatoes, haha 🙂 I am happy to hear that you guys loved this chili.
I can not get over this chili. It’s absolutely amazing! First, it can’t get any easier to make. I mean, toss it all in the slow cooker and walk away. It just can’t get any easier. Second, it’s so delicious! I love the flavor of this chili. For something so simple, it packs some great flavor and really warms you up. Third, it’s filling, and only clocks in at 2 WW Freestyle SmartPoints per serving. That is a total win for me. I will definitely be making this again. In fact I have plans to make it again next week for a week’s worth of lunches. Thank you so much for this recipe. YUM!
Hi, am I able to use frozen chicken breast for this?
Yes frozen chicken will work just fine 🙂
Can you make this on stovetop??
It’s baked in a 9×13 dish which is about 8 servings (or at least in my family it is) with each serving being about 1 cup.
How would I make this in the instant pot?
Not sure. I’ve never done that. I would imagine you just add it all together in the pot and then cook for 20-25 minutes (?). It also may be too much stuff for the IP so that may have to be adjusted.
can you make this without chicken?
You definitely can, I would just suggest adding an extra can of beans. (pinto, black, or kidney) The extra beans help to replace the bulk lost by removing the chicken.
Hi, can I use a rotisserie chicken?
Yeah, that should work!