Name: Crockpot Crack Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 485 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts; 2 cups corn kernels; 1 cup onion (chopped); 15 ounces black beans (drained and rinsed); 10 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies (undrained); 2 cups chicken broth; 6 ounces bacon (cooked and cut up); 1 ounce packet ranch seasoning & salad dressing mix; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 8 ounces cream cheese (do not use low fat or reduced fat.); 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; green onions for garnish

Creamy crockpot crack chicken chili loaded with tender chicken, bacon, Ranch, Rotel, black beans, and cream cheese. Just 5 minutes of prep for an easy, hearty dinner that practically cooks itself.

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This crockpot crack chicken chili is loaded with tender chicken, bacon, Ranch seasoning, Rotel, and plenty of cream cheese because restraint has no business near a slow cooker in the fall. It takes about 5 minutes to throw together, cooks all day, and comes out thick, creamy, cheesy, and entirely too tempting to stop at one bowl.

Table of Contents

🥰 Is this crack chicken chili recipe for you?
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Recipe
🔪 How to make crack chicken chili
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
📚 More easy slow cooker chicken recipes
🍽️ Serve crack chicken chili with
💬 Comments

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🥰 Is this crack chicken chili recipe for you?

You want a dump-and-go dinner. Five minutes of prep, one crockpot, and no browning chicken or dirtying every pan you own.
Ranch, bacon, and cream cheese are your love language. They're all here, along with Rotel, black beans, corn, and enough cheddar to make sensible choices seem overrated.
You're feeding hungry people. This makes a big, hearty batch that's perfect for game day, potlucks, or teenagers circling the kitchen like mildly threatening wildlife.
You like creamy chili with a little kick. Rotel and chili powder bring plenty of flavor without requiring a waiver and protective eyewear.

🧾 Ingredients

Nothing exotic here, just a grocery-store lineup that gets considerably more interesting once bacon, Ranch, and cream cheese get involved. Use full-fat cream cheese and don't drain the Rotel. We have standards, and watery chili isn't one of them.

Chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are easy and shred nicely after a day in the crockpot. Thighs work too, especially if your slow cooker runs hot enough to qualify as industrial equipment and an OSHA violation.
Black beans - Drain and rinse them first. Pinto beans or another favorite bean can pinch-hit if that's what you've got.
Corn - Fresh, frozen, or drained canned all work. This is chili, not a corn pageant.
Bacon - Cook it first, then crumble it into the crockpot. Six ounces may sound excessive, but I don't understand the question.
Onion - Chop it and toss it in. No sautéing required because we're not dirtying another skillet without a court order.
Rotel tomatoes - Use the diced tomatoes with green chiles and don't drain them. Mild, original, or hot is entirely between you and your personal tolerance for consequences.
Cream cheese - Use the full-fat block, not whipped cream cheese from a tub. This is responsible for much of the thick, creamy situation we've gathered here to discuss.
Cheddar cheese - Stir it in at the end so it melts into the chili. Freshly shredded melts more smoothly, but I'm not sending the cheese police if you open a bag of pre-shredded.
Ranch seasoning - One packet brings a ridiculous amount of flavor without making you measure seventeen different seasonings like you're defusing a bomb.
Chicken stock - Gives the chili plenty of savory flavor and keeps everything from becoming a chicken-and-bean casserole by accident.
Cumin and chili powder - Just enough warm, smoky flavor to remind everyone that this is chili despite all the Ranch, bacon, and cream cheese carrying on.

📖 Recipe

🔪 How to make crack chicken chili

This is the kind of crockpot recipe that barely qualifies as cooking. Dump everything in, park the cream cheese on top, and walk away for most of the day. Shred the chicken, stir in the cheddar, and accept compliments as though you spent hours hovering over the stove.

Step by step images showing how to make this chili.

Place chicken in the crock pot and add a packet of ranch seasoning.
Add the remaining ingredients and place cream cheese on top.
After the cooking time has elapsed, shred the chicken.
Stir in shredded cheese and serve.

Overhead view of the slow cooker filled with chili.

😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)

🥓 The chili is too thin. Use full-fat block cream cheese, not whipped or reduced-fat cream cheese from a tub. If it's still soupier than you'd like, leave the lid off for a bit at the end or mash some of the beans into the chili to thicken it up.

🥓 The chicken is dry. Slow cookers have wildly different ideas about what LOW means. If yours runs hot, start checking the chicken before the 6-hour mark. Chicken thighs are also more forgiving than breasts.

🥓 The chili is too thick. Congratulations, you've accidentally made dip. Stir in chicken broth a little at a time until it's back to chili territory.

🥓 It's not spicy enough. Ranch, cream cheese, and cheddar keep this recipe pretty mild. Use hot Rotel, add diced jalapeños, or shake in some cayenne until it develops the appropriate amount of attitude.

🥓 It's too salty. Ranch seasoning, bacon, cheese, Rotel, and chicken broth are all bringing salt to this particular potluck. Use low-sodium chicken broth and wait until the chili is finished before deciding it needs any additional salt.