Cream Cheese Chicken Chili Recipe

I will always remember making this meal. My friend Jill posted about it on Facebook and I wanted to try it. I got all the stuff to double the recipe knowing we would be roofing our house and would have help and company staying over. I needed something for the slow cooker to keep me from dropping $70 on Jimmy John's! We ended up having this the day after my Poppy's funeral, on a Saturday, and it was the PERFECT comfort food for that time.

Easy to assemble then walk away from for the day, it was just what was needed: me not having to think about cooking ... and being able to eat something yummy knowing I was serving something everyone would love. I have modified the recipe I found. There are lots of versions out there, so feel free to modify it even more! Keep in mind I have a massive slow cooker and 7 people to feed plus leftovers, so you might want to HALVE this recipe!

You will need:
4 chicken breasts
1 pound black or white beans (I like to soak my own and use them but you can also use 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained, or white beans if you prefer)
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes (recipes I have seen would call for 2, but most of my kids don't like spicy)
2 packages Ranch dressing dry mix
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 bricks 1/3 less fat cream cheese

Basically you toss everything in together. Stir the best you can but if your slow cooker is full like mine, don't worry about it. Set the heat for low and cook for about 5 hours. Check it after a couple of hours and stir it up. You'll need to poke on the chicken to get it into bite-sized pieces, but it should be falling apart after a while in the slow cooker or at least toward the end.

Garnish with avocado, cheese and cilantro and serve with tortilla chips!

Here's what my bowl looked like after I tossed in garnishes. I also served it over rice to get more mileage out of it. If you are watching your weight, fat-free cream cheese would be a great option, but I like to go moderate in most things and used low-fat.

I'm slowly working on this cookbook, which is the brain child of my friend Eva, who I have known since our oldest boys were nurslings. She's my Eva's godmother and a great friend and I want her to have a cookbook she can go to for all the busy sports nights she has! I also think it would be neat to have all my family's favorite recipes in one book and will be taking this one to print as well as Kindle. Coming soon!

In the meantime, please check this out!