How was your long weekend? Mine was extremely busy with painting our house’s trim, entertaining and kids. But it was great and the weather helped.:) Amongst all the cooking I got done during the weekend, was this fragrant, creamy and cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Chili Con Queso – a hybrid of chicken chili and famous Tex Mex cheesy dip known as Chile Con Queso.
Just to make sure we are on the same page, this recipe is not a dip. But rather an easy and clean main course meal that is perfect for back to school/work hectic days.
It is truly set-n-forget type of meal with no pre-cooking required. It took me 10 minutes to throw everything together in the crock pot, including frozen chicken breasts, and 3.5 hours later I had a delicious meal for me and my hot looking painters.:)
I love making hybrid meals especially when it comes to Tex Mex and Southern cuisine. Playing around with spices, fresh herbs, tomatoes and coconut milk is so much fun. And this chili was no exception. Long & sweet pieces of chicken combined with soft beans, swimming in spicy, cheesy and creamy sauce. The best of 2 worlds – chili and chile con queso!
I brought the chili to a poolside party this past weekend and everyone loved it! Even my crazy about authentic mexican food friend. She liked the soupy texture of it on top of rice because she just likes sauces. And someone else commented the chicken in chili tasted extremely delicious!
So, you could serve chili on its own for a low carb version or on top of brown rice to make a complete meal. Or with a bun to soak up the juices. Lots of options. Serve warm or hot garnished with freshly chopped cilantro and/or green onions, diced jalapenos, shredded Colby jack cheese and Greek yoghurt. Crushed tortilla chips would work great too. We have mild/medium tolerance level when it comes to food. Adjust the amount of jalapeno (serrano) peppers to your taste. Tip: include the seeds if you like things spicy in your life.:)
I used organic Colby Jack Cheese slices from Costco. Feel free to use shredded Colby Jack, Tex Mex or Marble Cheese. Adjust the salt to your taste and based on the ingredients you have. If you are using canned veggies with salt, then add only 1/8 tsp salt. I tried to keep the salt content for this dish as low as possible, it still came out to 476 mg and didn’t taste like that. You can’t avoid salt completely because the food will taste bland. And salt is good for you in moderation, just keep it under 2000 mg a day.
Canned food contains salt as a preservative. Lately, I was able to find no added salt canned beans like Eden Organic and low sodium organic diced/crushed tomatoes like San Remo. Eden Organic cans are also made with BPA free lining. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain, behaviour and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. So, I try, although no more fetuses are expected to show up in this house.:)
Creamy and cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Chili Con Queso – a hybrid of chicken chili and famous Tex Mex cheesy dip known as Chile Con Queso. Easy and clean main course meal that is perfect for back to school/work hectic days. It is truly set-n-forget type of meal with no pre-cooking required.
Ingredients
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 cup medium salsa
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp or to taste jalapeño (serrano) pepper with seeds, finely diced*
- 2 cans (14 oz each) kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 14 oz can white kidney/Great Northern/Cannelloni beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 large chicken breasts = 1.5 lbs, boneless & skinless (frozen are OK)
- 1 cup skim milk
- 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 5 slices or 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- In 6 quart crock pot, add first 12 ingredients through white kidney beans and mix to combine. Lay chicken breasts in the middle of the crock pot making sure the mixture covers the meat completely. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove chicken from the crock pot, shred using 2 forks and return it to the pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk milk with flour for 30 seconds. Stir into the crock pot and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn off the crock pot, lay cheese slices/shredded cheese on top, cover and let stand for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Mix just before serving. Serve warm/hot garnished with freshly chopped cilantro and/or green onions, diced jalapenos, shredded Colby jack cheese and Greek yoghurt. Serve chili on its own for a low carb version or on top of brown rice.
Notes
Adjust the amount of jalapeno (serrano) peppers to your taste. Tip: include the seeds if you like things spicy in your life.:) Adjust the salt to your taste and based on the ingredients you have.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 10 cups
Amount Per Serving = 1 cup:
Calories: 306.6
Total Fat: 6.0 g
Cholesterol: 57.0 mg
Sodium: 476.6 mg
Total Carbs: 30.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 11.1 g
Protein: 30.9 g
WW Points+: 7