This Crack Chicken Chili has the irresistible flavors of bacon, cheddar, and ranch in a rich, creamy chicken soup. Make it in the Crock Pot, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop!
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Today, I thought we'd turn my Crack Chicken recipe into a warm, comforting soup! My family absolutely loved this one - it's definitely getting added to the permanent dinner rotation.
💜 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Insanely flavorful. I'm not kidding when I tell you this is one of the most flavorful soups I've ever had in my life. It's absolutely delicious!
- Easy dump-and-go meal. This takes less than 10 minutes to prep.
- Great way to sneak in veggies. This soup has tomatoes, corn, beans, and bell peppers, but doesn't seem like a veggie-heavy meal at all.
🍗 Ingredients
(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient measurements.)
- boneless skinless chicken breasts - You can leave these whole when you add them to the pot to cook - we'll shred the meat towards the end. If you'd like, you can use about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts.
- yellow onion - Any onion is fine, but the yellow variety will add a great sweet element to your chili.
- garlic - Make sure this is finely diced so you don't get a huge garlic chunk bite!
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper - If you don't have red bell pepper, you can always add an additional green bell pepper.
- Rotel - these are canned tomatoes & green chiles that will add a delicious kick to your chicken chili.
- canned corn - I don't drain my corn; that liquid gives a really yummy element to the soup.
- black beans - You don't even have to drain or rinse the beans! By leaving them as-is, you'll thicken your chili a little bit and give it even more flavor.
- spices - We're going to add salt, pepper, and chili powder to this soup. This will give it a great smokiness.
- chicken broth - If you have chicken stock on hand, it's even better in this soup.
- bacon - Make sure your bacon is cooked and crumbled before adding to this soup. You could also use bagged real bacon pieces (about 2.5oz would be perfect).
- ranch seasoning mix - You can either use a pack of mix or about 3 tablespoons from one of the bigger shakers.
- sharp cheddar cheese - I prefer to grate my own from a block...it melts much better!
- cream cheese - We'll add this at the end - it helps if it's at room temperature, but no big deal if it's still cold!
Additions & Substitutions
- Change up the cheese. You could use Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Gouda, or queso cheeses.
- Change up the meat. Chicken thighs work just as well as chicken breasts in this chili. You could also use shredded beef or cooked sausage in place of chicken. Or, leave the chicken out altogether!
- Add some heat. Add ½ a tablespoon of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to make this chili super spicy. Even adding a diced jalapeno at the beginning of cooking would give it a kick!
Looking for more chili recipes? You'll love this turkey & sweet potato chili!
🍲 How to Make Crack Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Method
All all ingredients (except for cream cheese and shredded cheddar) to a Crock Pot. Set the slow cooker to low heat for 8 hours.
About an hour before serving, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the cheeses (reserving half of the cheddar) and stir until blended.
Top soup servings with remaining cheddar cheese.
Stovetop Method
- Add all ingredients (except for cream cheese and cheddar) to a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer (small bubbles forming around the sides of the pot), then reduce the heat to low. Let soup simmer for at least an hour (2-3 hours makes it even better), stirring occasionally.
- About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the cheeses (reserving half of the cheddar) and stir until blended.
Instant Pot Method
- Add all ingredients (except for cream cheese and cheddar) to the Instant Pot.
- Lock on the lid and set your pressure cooker to manual, high pressure, 13 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is over and pressure is released, remove the lid. Shred the chicken with two forks. Add the cheeses (reserving half of the cheddar) and stir well until blended.
🥡 Leftovers & Storage
This chili should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I recommend serving it within 3-4 days. When you're ready to enjoy it again, reheat it in the microwave for about a minute, stirring and re-microwaving if needed.
Can I freeze Crack Chicken Chili?
Yes, this is a perfect freezer meal! Prepare as instructed and freeze the soup in a gallon-sized freezer bag. I also love freezing single servings of soup in Souper Cubes. It should be enjoyed within 6 months of freezing it.
When you're ready to serve, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
🥣 What to Serve with Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Chili
This is a hearty chili all on its own - no side dish is required to make this a full meal! However, if you'd like, it pairs beautifully with...
- Simple side salad with ranch
- Garlic breadsticks
- Cheddar bay biscuits
- Cornbread
Topping Ideas
I have shredded cheddar cheese as a topper in this recipe, but there are really so many different elements you could add that would make this delicious soup even better! A few great toppers...
- Tortilla chips or corn chips
- Sour cream
- Chopped green onions
- Diced jalapeno peppers
- Red pepper flakes
- Diced avocado
- Salsa or pico de Gallo
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped green onions
💡 More Helpful Tips & Tricks
- If the cream cheese looks a little lumpy at first, give it time. It can take up to 30 minutes for the cream cheese to fully mix into the chili.
- It's totally fine to use frozen chicken if using my slow cooker or Instant Pot methods! No adjustment in cook time is needed. If you're cooking on the stovetop, make sure your soup simmers for at least 2 hours before shredding the chicken.
- You can use a Crockpot liner to make cleanup even easier.
I hope you love this slightly addictive chicken chili recipe! If you give it a try, I'd love for you to rate ⭐️ and review 💬 the recipe in the comments below. And before you go, follow along for my latest recipes!
Crock Pot Crack Chicken Chili
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Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 10 oz rotel tomatoes & green chilies
- 15.25 oz canned corn not drained
- 15.25 oz black beans not drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 12 oz bacon cooked & crumbled
- 1 pack ranch dressing mix about 3 tablespoons
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Crock Pot Method
- Add all ingredients except cream cheese and cheddar cheese to a slow cooker.
- Set slow cooker to 8 hours on low.
- About an hour before serving, shred chicken with two forks. Add cream cheese and 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Stir well until blended (this might take a few minutes to completely blend).
Pressure Cooker Method
- Add all ingredients except cream cheese and cheddar cheese to the Instant Pot.
- Set Instant Pot to manual, high pressure, 14 minutes.
- Once cook cycle is over and pressure is released, shred chicken with forks. Add cream cheese and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese; stir until blended.
Stovetop Method
- Add all ingredients except cream cheese and cheddar cheese to a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for at least an hour (preferably 2-3 hours), stirring occasionally. About 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken with forks and add cream cheese & 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Stir until blended.
- Top servings with shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
- If the cream cheese looks a little lumpy at first, give it time. It can take up to 30 minutes for the cream cheese to fully mix into the chili.
- It's totally fine to use frozen chicken if using my slow cooker or Instant Pot methods! No adjustment in cook time is needed. If you're cooking on the stovetop, make sure your soup simmers for at least 2 hours before shredding the chicken.
- You can use a Crockpot liner to make cleanup even easier.
- This chili should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I recommend serving it within 3-4 days. When you're ready to enjoy it again, reheat it in the microwave for about a minute, stirring and re-microwaving if needed.
- This is a perfect freezer meal! Prepare as instructed and freeze the soup in a gallon-sized freezer bag. I also love freezing single servings of soup in Souper Cubes. It should be enjoyed within 6 months of freezing it.
