Cheesy Chicken Chili

This meal makes enough for a small country.  Adam and I had two big bowls and I am freezing the rest.  Freezer “take-out” is my kind of take-out. Total hands-on time for this dish was less than 10 minutes.  The hardest part was not slicing my finger on the top of the cans.  I failed at that.  If you fail at that, beware of the lime juice later.  Ouchie.

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Chili

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 (1 oz) packets Ranch dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese or Neufchâtel
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Garnish:

• Tortilla Chips
• Limes
• Cheddar Cheese
• Lime
• Hot Sauce (If you’re feeling really saucy)

Instructions:

1. 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.
2. Add the cream cheese on top and put the lid on.
3. 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.)
4. Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks – it may be tender enough to mix all the ingredients and shred the chicken in one motion!
5. Use a spoon to stir in the shredded chicken and the cream cheese (which should be melted).
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.
7. Serve with tortilla chips, lime juice, avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. You can also serve this as a dip with tortilla chips.

*Inspired by Recipes Cookbook