Monday, May 23, 2011

Easiest Dinner Ever.

Get ready for one of the easiest meals ever.
Of course it involves the crock pot!
Here is what you need:
- Bag of frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins (2.5-3lb bag)
- 8 oz block of cream cheese (don't use Fat Free! 1/3 less fat or regular is fine)
- Can of Black Beans, drained & rinsed. (or Pinto Beans if you prefer)
- Can of Corn, drained.
- Can of Rotel

Directions:
Put frozen chicken in the crock pot.
Put Cream cheese on top of the chicken.
Dump in the Black Beans (make sure they are drained & rinsed!!!)
Dump in the drained corn.
Dump in the Rotel,
Cover & cook in your Crock Pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Every 2 hours, I stir the ingredients.
You can shred the chicken when it is done, or just leave it as tenderloins.
This is what it looks like after 6 hours:
I turn the crock pot off & let it sit for about 30-45 minutes.
It is a little soupy, but letting it sit causes it to not be as soupy.
I serve this over rice. The rice soaks up some of the soupy-ness.
It makes a lot, it feeds 6-8 adults. You could have it for dinner a couple nights & for lunch.
I actually like it better on the 2nd day, when it isn't as soupy.
So, you could make this the day before & then keep it in your fridge overnight.
When we have it on a leftover day, sometimes I combine the rice & the cream cheese chicken mixture and use it for burritos. Add a tortilla, some lettuce, cheese & salsa.
Easy. Good. Healthy.
And, you could use pinto beans instead of black beans.
Make a tostada or a rice bowl.
So many options!
Whatever floats your boat!

I don't even have a name for it.
I call it "Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken"
But, it is like Cream Cheese Chicken Goodness.
Call it whatever you want. It is yummy & so easy to make!
Enjoy!

***Edited to Add***
Some of you have said there isn't much of a kick, so if you want to add more flavors, you can add a packet of taco seasoning, or a packet of dry ranch dressing mix, or use Hot Rotel (or Hot Salsa).

118 comments:

Megan said...

Yummyness! Could you believe I can't find black beans here??!! Not that I have a crock pot either, but I will put this on my list for when I am back!

Teale said...

Yum! I am all about the crock pot.
If you haven't already, you should submit this over at www.kellyskornerblog.com. She is having a contest where people submit recipes with six ingredients or less and you could win a $600 American Express gift card. :)

april@gingerbread girl said...

oh this sounds soooo yummy!!! I will try this....and thank you for the camera setting suggestions....my pictures look much better already!
xoxo

katygirl said...

oh my! love!

hannah singer said...

thanks! this looks amazing-love those ingredients!
xo

Kara said...

I love easy crockpot recipes. Definitely going to try this. Thanks!

kinze said...

yummo ... i must try this! i believe anything made in a crock pot is pure bliss!

Amy said...

mmm mmm! looks yummy. thanks for sharing that.

Heather @ Life Made Lovely said...

this is going on my meal list for this week. yummmmmmmmm!

Jessica Johnson said...

yum! this looks delicious. and fat free cream cheese should be banned from the earth. seriously.

twolittletots said...

yummy goodness! i can't wait to try this! we will be having soon!
thanks for sharing!

Megan said...

Thanks for posting! I love finding new recipes, especially ones that are EASY.

The Future Mrs. Knifton said...

PERFECT for when I have to work late. Your recipes are the BEST, Mel.

Thanks :)

Lane said...

So glad you posted this! My goal is to try and not use my oven this summer. This sounds super, easy and yummy!

Kelli said...

Thanks for sharing this with the school year coming to an end things are so busy. Having a quick and easy dinner ideas helps out so much!!

Kelli @ loveoursimplelife.blogspot.com

Newlywed and Decorating said...

That definitely looks yummy! I don't know why I don't use my crock pot more!!

Kim | It's All Reitz said...

Made in the crock pot AND it has cream cheese?? I'm in! Thanks for the recipe. :)

Sammy said...

What a fantastic easy meal! Thanks for the idea, I am going to try it

Handbags*N*Pigtails said...

I LOVE recipes with 5 or fewer ingredients. I'll be trying this for sure! Thanks for sharing:)
xo,
Sarah

Jami said...

Thank you, thank you! I am always looking for new crock pot meals. This looks great!

Laura@Faith Hope Love said...

Oh my goodness! I am making this TODAY! I just so happened to find every ingredient in my fridge/kitchen! WOO HOO, thanks for sharing ;)

Liz @My Full Cup said...

Thanks for posting this recipe. These are ingredients that I almost always have on hand. I can't wait to try it out, it looks yummy!

The Frat Pack + Me said...

That looks awesome! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Yummy

Heather :: AFD Jewelry :: said...

This is one of our staple dinners - we call it salsa chicken!!

Cali said...

Made this today- it was yummy! Thanks!

Becky said...

OMG I made this and the GIRLS loved it, they thought it was the best stuff ever. I love you recipes Mel, thanx so much!!

<3 Bec

meg duerksen said...

OH MY GOODNESS!! this looks awesome.
i want to eat it right now.
i am putting this in my crock pot NOW.

Anonymous said...

For creamy consistency put cream cheese in before serving.

Brittany said...

I made this the other night and instead of using cream cheese I used the new Philly Cooking Cream Santa Fe and I used homemade salsa instead of the tomatoes and rotel (it's what I had on hand) and it turned out amazing! One of my new favorite recipes!!! Thanks!!!

Tricia said...

This sounds wonderful and easy - 2 of my favorite things! I have a similar recipe where I add a jar of salsa instead of the cream cheese. I'm gonna give this one a try. Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Tricia

Kama said...

Sounds great! Will have to try it soon. Saw this recipe on Pinterest!!

Anonymous said...

I saw this on Pinterest. I repinned it, and it was repinned like crazy. Thanks for such a cool recipe .

Monica said...

I also found this on pinterest and was so happy to track it back here. I've been reading your blog for a while now. I made this for dinner two nights ago (and made burritos with the leftovers last night). It was a big hit with the whole family! Thanks!

Cindy Swanson said...

I am DEFINITELY making this! I love crock pot recipes, and this one looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!

Hope you'll stop by and say hi...

Cindy @ Notes in the Key of Life

Carly said...

Yum! Seems like a really easy way to make a meal that doesn't *taste* easy. I've never gotten into crock pots but I think I need to because it seems awesome!

P.S. I'd love for you to stop by my blog and add your recipe to my link up here. I'm trying to get a lot of sharing going on over there and this looks deee-llishh-oussss!

-Carly
www.createliveblog.com

Sarah B. said...

Brilliant! I love multiple-use meals like this ;) Stopping by from Casey's!

Laura said...

mmm that sounds so yummy!! i've made this with just chicken, cream cheese, can of soup, and ranch/italian dressing packet then i throw in peas at the end...but i am liking your spiced up version better! yum!!

The Miller's said...

This looks delish!! AND the fact that it's a crock pot recipe... those are my all time fav!! Gonna make it next week for sure!! Just bookmarked it. Thanks for sharing!

♥Jazmin

Keli said...

I decided to try this recipe out tonight on my family... It is sooo easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing it. It will definitely be on my list of meals to make again!! :)

Knitting in Pink said...

I'm planning to make this today but don't have any experience cooking chicken in the crockpot. I only have boneless thighs, will it work as well? Thanks!

Heather Nelsen said...

I am making this tonight!! I found you through A Day in the Life blog... she posted this recipe and I am now going to feature it on our blog too! Thanks for sharing. :) I'm your newest follower... stop by anytime! http://notesfromthenelsens.blogspot.com/

Kelly H said...

Even though it's over 100 degrees here, I'm making this for dinner tomorrow night. We are moving soon and I'm try to use up what's in the cupboards and freezer so we don't have as much to pack. :)
And I have all of this!
Plus it prevents us from eating out for a few days.

Thanks!!

Joanna said...

Great easy recipe! I made a version of this today using some of the ingredients from the Cooking with Trader Joe's Tamale Bake recipe. Instead of Rotel I used a jar of salsa, and added a package of soy chorizo, an onion and a couple of yellow squash sauteed, and can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)to the recipe.

arieschk said...

Found this recipe through Pintrest!! Tried it today but had to improvise. I used a tender roast cut into bite sized pieces, chilli beans instead of black, and frozen corn instead of canned. It was really good!! I think next time I'll add a little sour cream after I make a bowl but I didn't have any today.

Elizabeth Ann (Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box said...

Made this last night and it was AWESOME! :-)

Carrie @ My Favorite Finds said...

I saw this on Pinterest, and just linked to it from Menu Plan Monday...I already had it "pinned". I'm going to write this down and make it soon. I think this would be awesome! Thanks for sharing!

By the way, ADORABLE dress on the little girl in the second picture on your header. Did someone make it?

AJ said...

Hi! I pinned it from pinterest, am making it right now and can't wait for dinner tonight! Thank you so much for the recipe :).

Abramyan Avenue said...

OH! MY! GOODNESS!!!! LOVE THIS.... I can't wait to try this. Now I know what we will be having this weekend!! Thank you so much for sharing!
-april

KellyHoupt said...

I really want to try this but wouldn't be able to stir every 2 hours. Do you think it is still "do-able" with out the stirring?

Tiffany from HOLIDAY said...

where were you (or this post) when i was looking unsuccessfully for the right crock pot recipe?! i'll be making this pronto. thank you! and adding your precious blog to my reader.

Diann R. said...

I'm just wondering, how do you think plain greek yogurt would do as a replacement for the cream cheese? I've used it to replace sour cream, just not sure if it really needs to be more solid like the cream cheese in order to make a good replacement.

mel @ the larson lingo said...

I think you would be okay if you didn't stir it every 2 hours! I have done that before.
And, I wouldnt use greek yogurt. It would be way to watery. The cream cheese helps bind it all together :)

Anonymous said...

Just curious, but what's wrong with using fat-free cream cheese? Is it just the taste or is something different about the texture?

mehgan said...

holy cow. i love anything with cream cheese! i have made something similar to this, just salsa, corn, black beans, and chicken. but cream cheese? oh yes, i'm doing that this week.

Kimberlee said...

I love a girl who makes anything with cream cheese and calls it healthy. ;)
I will be making this soon!!!!!

Cute as a Button by beth said...

Delicious! I saw this in a friend's crockpot when I was at her house she pointed me to the recipe which she had found on Pinterest. This was easy to make and a tummy warmer on a rainy day! Thanks!

CC said...

Someone blessed us with a wonderful chicken enchilada dinner, and these have to be the ingredients to what she used in them! YUMMY! Her recipe had to have had rice in it, as well as less corn & Rotel, but I cannot wait to try your recipe! What do you think about adding the rice directly to the recipe towards the end? Would that make for lots less soupiness? Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Tricia said...

Great recipe! Made this tonight and it will definitely be a family favorite. Hope you don't mind, I did a little blog post about it and linked back to your blog. Thanks for sharing!

Blessings,
Tricia

Elizabeth said...

Made this last night and served it over cilantro rice! So good. I did what you said Mel and shredded the chicken and turned the crock pot off. The sauce thickened fine. Added the leftover rice to the leftover chicken and we are totes having burritos tonight! Thanks for a great recipe!

Melissa said...

Guess what's in my crock pot right this second! I'll go ahead and say "thanks" for the recipe. I know it's going to be awesome! :)

Lori said...

Dinner tonight was yummo! Thanks. I made rice to serve my family of four, I took the chicken out and shredded it, then added it back to the crock pot with the rice and told them it was chicken taco soup...my kids LOVED it! Thanks for the so easy idea!

Anonymous said...

Outstanding! My picky daughter and her picky boyfriend are eating it now and love it! Her comment was "Write this recipe down, Mom, it's pretty good!" and boyfriend agreed. Thank you so much for this easy breezy recipe!!!

Kaitlyn said...

Just made this today!! It was SOOOOO good! I added cream of chicken soup because I already had it, and I used HOT rotel because my boyfriend and I like an extra kick! We ate it in flour fajita tortillas with rice :)

Anonymous said...

I tried this yesterday, followed these directions and left for work...I came home to all ingredients burned to a crisp and a smely house. I can't understand how just the cream cheese makes enough juice to keep this from burning... I will try again once I scrape the crock pot clean and cook while I am home to monitor. It sounds delicious though! I was So disapointed last night, we were looking forward all day to dinner. :(

Elizabeth said...

My sister made this and said it was great as a taco filler. We are making it right now for the first time. I am planning on doing it over pasta. I will let you know how that turns out!

AmberA579 said...

This was FANTASTIC. Every person in my house ate it up, even a picky 5 yr old and 13 yr old girl!!! AWESOME to find something everyone loved!! TY!!!

Cindy @ Creating at Home said...

Thanks for the supper idea! I just put it in the crockpot, except we don't have Ro-Tel here, so I used salsa.

Samantha said...

This looks amazing! Have you ever made it with fresh chicken instead of frozen? Would you need to adjust the cook time?

Suzanne said...

Looks awesome! I almost always add a dollop of sour cream to my bowl of tortilla soup -- I think the cream cheese would have the same effect. I think I might use thawed chicken cut into bite-sized pieces and serve this as soup... add a few crumbled tortilla chips and it would be soooo good!

Camille said...

This looks so good and sounds so easy! I am adding this to my list of slow cooker recipes to try! :) Thanks for linking up to the CSI Project!
Camille
www.SixSistersStuff.com

Su said...

coming over from CSI. . .can't wait to try this out!!

Julie G said...

I first saw this in a Readers Digest years ago, I've adapted and used it many times. I have seen it in a million places since then but always with the frozen chicken. Please, for the love of not getting sick, please don't put frozen chicken in the crock pot. The chicken sits at unsafe temps for too long. I will slice thawed chicken and grill, or, if I really want to keep it fuss free, use precooked, canned chicken.
Also, our mods for this recipe include adding lime juice and chopped cilantro at the end, just before serving. Then we serve it over rice or in a tortilla, like a burrito.

Bello Family said...

Has anyone made this with fresh chicken breast instead of frozen?

mel @ the larson lingo said...

I have not made this with fresh chicken before, but you definitely could! You would just need to reduce your cooking time.

Rebecca said...

Found this on Pinterest and I'm making it for dinner today with the planned leftovers in burritos for tomorrow. We have quadruplets so this is the perfect type of recipe for us! I can throw it together during their morning nap and not have to worry about cooking dinner for two days. Thank you so much!
www.theishumquads.com

Lauren said...

This was really good over rice. I can see making this for years to come as a quick and easy dinner for the crock pot. Thank you.

Becky said...

This looks like such an great easy recipe. I featured it on my recipe blog ziggyfoods.blogspot.com.

The Budget Diet said...

That's my kind of crock pot recipe...dump it & forget it!

Angela said...

We make this too. I call it "Fiesta Chicken" :0)

Anonymous said...

I do the cooking at home. I found this on Pinterest. I made it with Leg Quarters, skinned, just to try the recipe. I put 3 cans of drained black beans, 1 can of drained corn, and one 15oz salsa. I let it cook on high for 4hours. Then, I checked to see if the meat was tender. I added an 8oz Cream Cheese and let it cook for 30 more minutes. I served it over rice. I had shredded cheese and cut limes on the side. It was awesome. There were no left-overs.

momto2greatgirls said...

Threw this in the crockpot this morning and came home to a wonderful smell! This was a hit - put it in taco shells, topped w/ sour cream - very yummy!!

Sassy said...

Annonymous, Did you JUST put cream cheese in it? You're suppose to put black beans and salsa in too. It never should of burned to a crisp. You must of missed something. I have made this several times and have never had an issue.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried to cook on high for half the time?

halfadozenroses said...

I made this tonight for dinner. I actually cooked it on high (because I got a late start.) After about an hour,I ended up putting the chicken on a bake sheet in the oven for about 30 min just to make sure it was going to be cooked through. Then I put it back in with the rest of the ingredients & let it cook a couple more hours. It was perfect (even the kids ate it). Hopefully there's enough left to do the burrito's tomorrow night!

Patti said...

This was delicious! It is very forgiving! I had whole frozen breasts, they worked fine and I just broke them apart with a fork at the end. I used frozen corn and frozen black beans (left over from earlier)... no problem. Didn't have Rotel so used stewed tomatoes and some salsa... perfect. Was gone for six hours so didn't stir, still dandy (I did have to whisk to get the cream cheese smooth in the sauce but it was easy). This one is going into the regular rotation! Thank you!

PolkCountyEMA said...

PLEASE please please do NOT use frozen chicken or any frozen meats in a crock pot. The extra time it takes the pot to thaw your chicken before it can start cooking it allows bacteria to grow and you can get sick.

Anonymous said...

I've added drained corn, 1teaspoon of chili powder, an chopped onion or onion powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and a packet of ranch dressing mix. It adds a kick with some flavor. So addicting! Love this recipe.

Anonymous said...

I waited two days to make sure no one got sick! I dumped a 3-lb bag o' breasts from Walmart in the pot, forgot about the Rotel, so used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. When I came to six hours later to stir....the cream cheese was not kind to the mix...it was a lil chunky. I took about a cup of the broth, added about 8 ounces MORE cream cheese...whipped it with a flurry and added...FABULOUS! I also had about a cup of leftover sauteed shrooms in the fridge that I added. My family sez it's a keeper!!! I served over brown calrose rice.

Anonymous said...

I made this last night and added 2 tbsp of chili powder and my family really liked it!! I stirred the mixture as indicated and I used thawed chicken, and it cooked in about 4 1/2 hrs and I let it sit for thirty minutes on warm and shredded the chicken :) thank you for posting the recipe, I have another crockpot recipe we love :)

Anonymous said...

I made this last night and added 2 tbsp of chili powder and my family really liked it!! I stirred the mixture as indicated and I used thawed chicken, and it cooked in about 4 1/2 hrs and I let it sit for thirty minutes on warm and shredded the chicken :) thank you for posting the recipe, I have another crockpot recipe we love :)

Jesus Freaks said...

This is our new family favorite! Thanks for posting!

Jesus Freaks said...

This is our new family favorite! Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

I made this tonight! I added 2 cups of MInute Rice to the liquid the last hour of cooking and an extra cup of water. I also threw in a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Absolutely delish!! Thanks much!

Anonymous said...

I made this tonight! I added 2 cups of MInute Rice to the liquid the last hour of cooking and an extra cup of water. I also threw in a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Absolutely delish!! Thanks much!

Alyson said...

I'm making this tonight but I don't have any cream cheese and would rather not stop by the store. Do you think it would be ok to use sour cream instead of cream cheese??
Thanks!!

brandi said...

I am making this tonight and can not wait to try it. All these items are always in my house, and it is so easy! Thanks for posting this recepe!

S Garcia said...

Does the cheese look a bit curdled while cooking? My cheese is not expired, but the dish looks weird. I'm about half ways done cooking it.

kimz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kimz said...

This looks delicious and I'm excited to try it. But I was curious what size crock pot you use? I have a super small one (2 - 2.5 quarts) and will need to modify this recipe.

Laurie Price said...

This is wonderful! My 14 year old loves it! Thank you for sharing.

Michelllie said...

I made this today and am just now pulling it out! So Good and not too soupy but I did drain the diced tomatoes/chilies. I also added some mexican oregano & chili powder. It's got the perfect amount of kick to it! Thanks for sharing!!

Anonymous said...

This was do unbelievably good.. And easy!! Thank you for sharing!!!

The Jenkins Jabber said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alycia said...

Yummy! This is one of our favorite recipes! Thanks for posting it! We have tried it with hominy instead of corn, which was good too. This week we are going to have it on lettuce leaves like a taco... it should be great!
Thanks again!

lifewithyou1222 said...

Adding this to my menu plan for next week! Thanks for sharing! :)
-Bonnie

Pam Fields said...

Made this dish over the weekend. Blogged about it this morning. Thanks for the great recipe.

Autumn2012 said...

Just dumped all into the crockpot about to start it up! Thank you for dinner tonight!

breaking3 said...

This sounds really yummy! I make something similar to it. 6 chicken breasts, 2 cans of Rotel and a packet of Taco seasoning. I also found that when I used frozen chicken breasts it ends up soupy, but when I use fresh breasts, it's not hardly soupy at all! Haven't figured out why or what the difference is? I will definitely be trying your recipe this week! Thanks for sharing it. :)

JC said...

I'm going to make this today... But wondered if it will make enough for 4 adults?

Andrea Yezzi Cardinale said...

Sounds like lots of people are finding this soupy, so I'm sharing the way that I make it:
- In the crock pot, mix 1/2 cup of salsa with the beans and corn, top with the chicken and put the other 1/2 cup of salsa on top of the chicken.
- I do not use frozen chicken breasts
- I use the fresh mild salsa from Trader Joe's (bottled is too runny)
- I wait until the recipe is done(2.5 - 3 hours on high) to stir in the cream cheese (4 oz, cubed).
Hope you like it!

Katie B. said...

You make me feel like I can cook for my husband and not kill him!

lindsay said...

found your blog via pinterest...LOVE this recipe. made it last night :)

Unknown said...

Smelled awesome but tasted super plain and blah...I wasn't super excited about it

Rina said...

Going to the store to get the ingredients rights now!

is beautiful said...

Hi there!
Just wanted to let you know -- Tried this recipe & loved it!! YUMMO!

I loved it so much, in fact, that I am linking to this post in my blog's "Project: Learn to cook" section. (http://onedaysdreams.blogspot.com/p/project-learn-to-cook.html) I hope you don't mind! It's just too great not to share. :) Keep up the lovely blogging!

Stacey said...

Found you on pinterest....Making this right now! looks yummy thanks for sharing! I also have used frozen chicken in my crockpot forever, and will continue to. No one has ever gotten sick from it in my house. If any bacteria survives those super hot temps it would be a miracle. I am sad that I only have 1/3 less fat cream cheese today. but I know it is going to be fabulous.

Sher Bear said...

We tried this last night and it was pretty Bland. I was excited to try it and it looked like it was going to be yummy but in all honesty...it needs something else! We did add black pepper, chili and onion powder but if I ever made it again, I'd maybe use brown rice instead of white for more flavor and add cilantro on the top. Will not be adding it to our meal plan. It's just too plain.

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