This crack chicken chili is made with juicy shredded chicken, bacon, ranch, and cheeses combined with beans, corn, and chili seasoning.
You may also love the combination of creamy chicken, ranch, and cheese in crockpot crack chicken and bacon cheddar ranch dip, too!
Table of Contents
Crockpot Cream Cheese Crack Chicken Chili
Crack chicken chili takes the classic crack chicken and combines it with elements of both crockpot white chicken chili and classic crockpot chili. It’s made with chicken, bacon, and ranch seasoning, but also plenty of beans, corn, chili seasoning, and cheese!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Full of flavor. You’ve got cheese, bacon, and beans combined with chili powder and cumin, sweet corn, tender chicken, and zesty ranch seasoning.
- Easy. With 10 minutes of prep time, this dump and set crockpot recipe is the perfect cozy chili recipe to turn to when you want a dinner everyone will love!
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Keep them whole for now, no need to cut them up. Chicken thighs can be used if you prefer dark meat.
- Chicken broth: Use any homemade or store-bought chicken broth. Regular or low sodium is fine.
- Ranch seasoning mix: Just a package will do.
- Seasoning: Chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.
- Beans and corn: I love the combination of black beans and pinto beans. You’ll need to drain and rinse them out of the can.
- Rotel tomatoes: You can pick up a can of rotel (tomatoes and green chiles) that’s either hot or mild or variations in between. It’s up to you how spicy you want yours.
- Cheese: Freshly grated cheddar cheese and a block of softened cream cheese.
- Bacon: I have an easy recipe for cooking bacon in the oven to prevent messy splatter. Once cooked, you’ll need to chop it into crumbles.
Substitutions and Additions
- Beans: Feel free to switch up the beans you use. Navy beans, kidney beans, or white kidney beans can be used instead.
- Extra spice: If you want even more heat, add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno into your white crack chicken chili.
- Toppings: Easy tortilla strips, restaurant style salsa, avocado, jalapenos, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
How to Make Crack Chicken Chili
In this order, add the chicken and broth to the crockpot. If you prefer a thinner soup, add an extra 1/2–1 cup of broth (or water). Then, sprinkle in the ranch and other seasonings and top with the beans, corn, and Rotel.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken to a board and use two forks to shred. Return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker with the cream cheese. Let it sit for 10 minutes before stirring.
Stir in half of the cheddar cheese and bacon into the chicken crack chili and sprinkle the rest over top. Cook on low for another 15 minutes until the cheese melts. Season to taste. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Make on Stovetop
- Stovetop: If you’re short on time, make this on the stovetop using leftover shredded chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken. Once the pre-cooked chicken and cooked bacon are ready to go, stir everything into the pot except the cream cheese and cheddar.
- Bring it to a simmer for 15 minutes, then add softened cream cheese to melt. Finally, add in the grated cheddar.
More crockpot recipes to try include crockpot potato soup, easy crockpot chicken fajitas and easy taco soup recipe.
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Crack Chicken Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
- 1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 ounce package ranch seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can white corn , rinsed and drained
- 1 (10-ounce) can rotel (tomatoes and green chile)
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened and cubed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup bacon crumbles
Optional toppings: tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, cilantro
Instructions
- Add ingredients to slow cooker. In the bottom of a crockpot, add 2 pounds chicken and 15 ounces broth. If you'd like it to be a thinner soup add an extra 1/2-1 cup water. Then sprinkle the package of ranch seasoning, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon salt over top. Add 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can corn and 10 ounces rotel over top.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred. Return to the crockpot and mix in 8 ounces of cream cheese. I like to place it on top and let it sit for about 10 minutes before stirring.
- Add bacon and cheese Mix in 1/2 cup cheese and 1/4 cup bacon. Then sprinkle the remaining over top. Cook on low an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Season to taste or add more water or seasonings if desired.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
In our house we love any type of bread with our chili! Sometimes we’ll go with sweet cornbread while other times we’ll go with Texas roadhouse rolls.
Absolutely. I have a ton of leftover rotisserie chicken recipes and this can certainly be added to the list. In this case I would choose to use the stovetop method, but if not, add the chicken towards the end of the slow cook time.
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can. I do recommend freezing it without the cheeses. This is easier said than done if you know you’ll be freezing it ahead of time. If you are freezing it once it is all combined, just be aware that the cheese may separate once frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
You can use the stovetop or the crockpot. The microwave is great for single bowls.
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Ok, I love this as chili!! It has so much flavor, it’s hearty, & my family will eat it! Adding this to our rotation!
So glad you loved it!
I love this soup!! I used a rotisserie chicken this time when I made it and it helped save a little bit of time. I love all the flavor and how easy it is to throw in the slow cooker!
Great time saving tip! Glad you made it work for you!
This chili is next level delicious. My whole family loved it. Cannot wait to make it again!
So glad you loved it!
Yum! This is addicting!
Agreed! Thanks for the review.
Turned out great! – recipe tester
So glad you enjoyed it!