Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

This soup has become one of my favorites. I was intrigued when I first saw that it was a chicken chili that also had cream cheese in it. The combination just sounds creamy and delicious. This soup did not disappoint. It is perfect to eat on cold days. 

I love that the soup is hearty and has a wonderful flavor with the seasonings. This is great the second day for leftovers as well. 

I found the recipe over 3 years ago. The original recipe can be found here. I noticed it didn't call for any liquids, so I adapted it to make it go further and make it more like a soup.

I've made it plenty of times in the crock pot, and I've also made it on the stove. Whatever you have the time for, it works well both ways.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed
1 Can White Beans (any kind), rinsed
1 Can Ro*Tel Tomatoes
1 Can Corn, undrained
1 Package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 8oz Package Cream Cheese
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Carton Chicken Broth

Directions:
Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the crock pot. Top with corn, rotel tomatoes, and seasonings. Top with Cream Cheese. Pour in the Chicken Broth and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook less if using raw chicken instead of frozen. Shred the chicken once it is cooked, and add back into the soup. Stir to combine the cream cheese and chicken. Serve with Chips, Cheese, and Sour Cream.

Tips: I use frozen, non gmo corn, in my recipe. I clean out one of the bean cans and then add the corn in there and fill it with water, then add it to the recipe.
I don't like big tomato chunks, so before I add anything to the pot, I put in the cream cheese and rotel tomatoes, and use a potato masher to smash the 2 ingredients smaller.
When doing this on the stove, bring the ingredients to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is ready to be shredded.
My children don't like the beans, so sometimes we will blend the soup so it is smooth. If the kids think the soup is spicy, the sour cream will help with that.

Enjoy!

Chicken Carnita Tacos and Taco Salad

Chicken Carnita Tacos

Or Taco Salad

I got this recipe from my cousin, Amber, a couple of years ago. I have never liked peppers before, but I thought we'd give it a try after she raved about this meal. We all loved it so much, that it is been apart of our rotation ever since. Over the past several months, and many times of making this, I haven't gotten a picture of this as a taco. We are more of a flour taco, sort of people, but this meal is perfect with warm corn tortillas. Add a little cheese to the corn tortilla as you warm them on the griddle, and now they are down right addicting. 

I love doubling or tripling the recipe and then freezing the leftovers. It makes an easy and fast dinner when you are short on time, and is soo good. We bounce back and forth between the melted cheese corn tortillas and taco salad. The original recipe calls for flank steak. We made that quite a few times, but My husband had the idea of using Chicken, and now that is all we make. It is a lot cheaper and still tastes amazing. I've only changed a few things to the original recipe. 

Chicken Carnita Tacos

2 Pounds Chicken Breast (I use 2 large, or 3 medium, You can add more)

1 Yellow Onion, Chopped

1 Red Pepper, Seeds removed and Chopped

1 Orange Pepper, Seeds removed and Chopped

1 Yellow Pepper, Seeds removed and Chopped

1 Jalapeno Pepper, Seeds removed, and Chopped

Spice Rub

2 teaspoons Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Place the Chicken in the bottom of a Crock Pot. Mix the spices together in a bowl and sprinkle on top of the chicken. Take the stems off all the peppers and remove the seeds. Chop all the veggies* and pour on top of the seasoned chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Shred chicken before serving. Serve with warm corn tortillas and desired toppings. 

We like to melt cheese on the corn tortillas and serve with sour cream. You can also add salsa, avocado, cilantro, and squeezed limes. 

*I dice mine small. I have since started using my Immersion Blender (aff link) with the processor attachment. It makes the job go so much faster than chopping with a knife. 

 I love how colorful this meal is! This is what it looks like as it is going in.

 This is what it looks like after it is cooked and the chicken is shredded. Use a slotted spoon to serve. I like to dip my tacos in the juice. 

For the taco salad, we use Chips, Sour Cream, Refried Beans, Lettuce, Tomato, and Shredded Cheese. The kids and I like to put a dip on ours. 

We just mix a scoopful of refried beans, a scoopful of salsa, scoopful of sour cream, and a handful of cheese. It is everything you can top on the taco salad, but it has a different taste when it is mixed together. 

 

Enjoy! Now I am craving it!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

It's beautiful in Idaho right now. The summers are beautiful and the weather is much more tolerable than our time in Vegas. We are having a lot of fun swimming and checking a few things off our Summer Bucket List every week. Today we are sharing a family favorite meal that is perfect for serving during the summer. 

I am a recovering picky eater. I have spent my life avoiding most foods. The list might overwhelm you, but within the past 2 years I have actually started branching out and trying new things. This meal is one of those things. My neighbor brought over a small cup of this salad, a while back, and begged me to try it. I tentatively tried a bite because I don't like salad or the dressing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it. I liked it enough that I ate the whole cup. Ever since then, we have been making this meal for dinner. My kids inherited my picky eating, but they like this meal as well. It's the only cabbage recipe we have so far. 

Chinese Chicken Salad

We double this and serve it in warm Corn Tortillas

For the Salad

1 Package of Crushed Ramen Noodles (save the Chicken flavored seasonings for later)

2 Tablespoons of Slivered Almonds

1/2 Cup Chopped Mushrooms (Or 2 Medium) (I usually leave these out)

1/2 Head of Cabbage, Chopped (Or 1/2 Bag)

2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 Cup Cooked Chicken Chunks

Brown Sesame seeds in a dry frying pan. Once browned, put them in a large bowl and set aside. In a frying pan, add 3 Tablespoons Peanut Oil and the Crushed Ramen Noodles and brown over medium/low heat, stirring frequently. Empty the browned noodles into the bowl with the sesame seeds. Add the chopped cabbage, cooked chicken, almonds, and mushrooms (optional). Set aside and make the sauce.

Sauce

3 Tablespoons Japanese Rice Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup peanut oil

2 Tablespoons Sugar

Package of Flavoring from the Ramen Noodles (Chicken Flavor)

Stir in a bowl and toss over the salad. Serve in a wrap or warm corn tortilla. 

Copycat Red Robin Teriyaki Chicken Burger

Red Robin Copycat Teriyaki Chicken Burger

Kevin and I love it whenever we can make it to Red Robin for a date night. We both order the same thing every time. We just have no desire for anything else. The burger I always order is the Teriyaki Chicken Burger, hold the lettuce and tomato. I crave this burger so I was excited when I found the recipe for the Teriyaki sauce. It has been so long ago that I can't remember where I found it, but there are several sites that have the same thing. 

Teriyaki Sauce

7 oz of water 

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp Onion powder

1/4 tsp Garlic powder

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

7 oz is 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Water. I use a baby bottle or a liquid measuring cup that shows ounces. Add all ingredients into a sauce pan and stir well. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Set aside. 

Teriyaki Chicken Burger

Chicken Breast

Slices of Swiss Cheese

Teriyaki Sauce

Bun

Mayo (optional)

Pineapple Slices

Lettuce and Tomato (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat a frying pan to medium heat. When it is hot, add a little olive oil to coat and cook the chicken on both sides until almost cooked through. In the last few minutes of cooking, add a few spoonfuls of Teriyaki Sauce on top of the chicken. I've cooked it raw with the sauce before and it overpowered the chicken. At the same time you add the sauce, throw in 2 slices of pineapple for each burger you plan to make. Cook them for a few minutes on each side in the teriyaki sauce. Once the chicken is finished cooking, it is time to assemble. 

I use a cookie sheet and line it with foil. Put on the bottom bun and add a spoonful of teriyaki sauce. Then add the chicken and an extra spoonful of sauce. Add the 2 slices of pineapple, slightly offset, and then top with 2 slices of swiss cheese. In the picture I separated the cheese and had one on the chicken and one on top of the pineapple. Depending on the level of sauce you like, you can add a little more on top. If desired, spread mayo on the top of the bun and put on top. Cook in the oven till the cheese is melted. The bun will be nice and toasted. 

These pictures don't show enough sauce for my liking but you can play around with it and decide what you like. This tastes just like the burgers at Red Robin and really satisfy my craving. 

I use this teriyaki sauce recipe for stir fry as well. You can substitute chicken with a burger as well. Enjoy!