Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
One word - amazing! It is made in the crockpot - my favorite preparation method. This only took 5 minutes to throw together before work. You could even mix it up the night before and just turn the crockpot on before heading out the door. The chili was delicious! We both loved it. It was even great reheated for lunch the next day. I doubled the recipe for a 5 qt. crock pot. Also substituted one of the cans of black beans for pinto beans.
One word - amazing! It is made in the crockpot - my favorite preparation method. This only took 5 minutes to throw together before work. You could even mix it up the night before and just turn the crockpot on before heading out the door. The chili was delicious! We both loved it. It was even great reheated for lunch the next day. I doubled the recipe for a 5 qt. crock pot. Also substituted one of the cans of black beans for pinto beans.
- Carbohydrate 26.2131612323932 g
- Cholesterol 251.0735 mg
- Fat 53.0003715929254 g
- Fiber 5.10373518106189 g
- Protein 65.4254523282982 g
- Saturated Fat 16.8271351789172 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (458g)
- Sodium 683.722739459685 mg
- Sugar 21.1094260513313 g
- Trans Fat 4.78696286860628 g
- Calories 849 calories
Step-by-step
- Drain and rinse black beans.
- Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans.
- Top with seasonings and ranch mix.
- Stir together.
- Place cream cheese on top.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Stir cream cheese into chili.
- Use 2 forks to shred chicken.
- Stir together and serve.
Adding cream cheese to a simmering pot of chili relies entirely on thermal emulsion stability. Casein proteins in dairy can curdle when exposed to sudden, high heat or high acidity. Cooking this dish on a low setting for six to eight hours gently denatures the dairy proteins without breaking the fat emulsion. Rotel tomatoes introduce citric acid, which aids in tenderizing the chicken proteins while simultaneously threatening to separate dairy fats if boiled. Low heat prevents this separation.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Behavior
Assembled raw ingredients can sit in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours prior to cooking. However, fully cooked batches containing dairy behave differently in the freezer. Cream cheese tends to break down and adopt a grainy texture upon thawing because water molecules separate from the fat solids during ice crystal formation. For best results, freeze the chili before stirring in the cream cheese, then melt the dairy into the base after reheating.
- Refrigerate cooked portions within two hours for safety.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers for up to four days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat to avoid scorching the dairy solids.
