This soup is lots of things: creamy, spicy, full of veggies, full of protein, very filling, queso-y cheesy, better as leftovers, and perfect for chip dipping’.
And even though I adore a good queso dip made with – gasp – processed cheese from time to time, let me be clear: all that’s going on here to get that lovely, creamy queso texture is a smidge of cream cheese and some Pepper Jack cheese. That’s all. No need to get your feathers all ruffled, okay?
QUESO CROCKPOT CHICKEN CHILI WITH ROASTED CORN AND JALAPEÑO
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Recipe modified from: pinchofyum
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cups salsa, divided
- 1½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 bell peppers, minced
- 1 14 ounce can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (without ribs and seeds)
- 1 14 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces light cream cheese
- 6 ounces Pepper Jack cheese
- cilantro for topping
- blue corn tortilla chips for yummy dipping'
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts, 1½ cups salsa, water, cumin, chili powder and salt in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. When the chicken is done, shred the meat directly in the crockpot using two forks.
- Pat the minced peppers dry with a paper towel. Place the bell peppers in a large nonstick skillet over high heat without oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes WITHOUT stirring. This creates the browned, roasted look out on the outside of the peppers. Stir once and repeat until the peppers are nice and browned. Set aside. Repeat this process with the corn and jalapeño together.
- After the chicken has been shredded, add the roasted peppers, roasted corn and jalapeño, black beans, remaining salsa, and cream cheese to the crockpot. Stir and replace cover, allowing the cream cheese to melt. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding another ½ cup of water if needed. Let the soup simmer for another 15-30 minutes until everything is smooth and melted. Just before serving, stir in the Pepper Jack cheese.
Notes
I add some salsa at the begininng and some towards the end so that some of the fresh salsa texture is preserved in the finished product. Just a personal preference thing.
Nutrition Information
Fat: 15.6g Saturated fat: 8.1g Sugar: 6g Sodium: 850mg Protein: 23.9g Cholesterol: 89mg
Photo Credit: pinchofyum