Easy Crack Chicken Chili Recipe (Keto + Slow Cooker Option)
Creamy, cheesy, and full of warm spices, this Crack Chicken Chili is SO comforting! Loaded with green beans and baby corn, this version is perfect for a low-carb diet, skipping the traditional beans and corn, but amplifying the flavor. It’s the perfect comfort food to keep you cozy and satisfied. Keto + gluten-free.
This post was originally published on January 17th, 2022.
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- It’s just like the casserole…but extra everything. This creamy crack chicken chili recipe is extra warming, extra cozy, extra spicy, and even has extra veggies!
- It’s keto-friendly! Just 4.8g net carbs per serving! You can easily fit 1 or two bowls of this into your keto day.
- You can use up leftovers: Instead of fresh chicken breasts, leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey is excellent in this recipe. If you have any leftover veggies in the fridge like broccoli, zucchini, and bell peppers, you can throw those in as well!
- The extra veggies! So many keto recipes are just cheese and bacon and meat…and not much else (maybe eggs). I’m definitely guilty of creating (and loving) recipes like this too. This recipe, however, includes onion, green beans, and keto-friendly baby corn, which stays a little crunchy. So satisfying!
🗝️ Key Ingredients & Substitutions for Crack Chicken Chili
Chicken: Shredded cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. Store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken is great, or you can make your own shredded chicken breast in an instant pot or slow cooker. I made my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken which is super simple and you can even use frozen chicken breasts. My raw chicken weighed 1kg (2.2lbs) and cooked it weighed 670g (1lb 7oz). Diced chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted, or you could also use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Chicken broth: The broth and cream cheese melt together to create a delicious creamy stock. If you don’t have chicken broth on hand try vegetable stock instead.
Cheese: I added both cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese to this creamy chili recipe. Cream cheese is how this white chicken chili gets so creamy, and cheddar adds saltiness and a little sharpness to the chili. Pepper jack cheese would also be a great option, making it even spicier.
Green Beans: I opted for green beans instead of black beans to keep this crack chicken chili recipe low carb. According to this chart on healthline, green beans come in at 2g net carbs per 1/2 cup (about 60g). They add color, and nutrition and blend in well with the other flavors. Chili has to have beans! Feel free to substitute black beans instead.
Baby Corn: Funnily enough, baby corn is keto-friendly! According to carbmanager, it has 2.7g net carbs per 100g and is great for snacking on or throwing into soups, stir-fries, and casseroles while eating a low-carb diet. If you’re not bothered about the carbs, regular sweetcorn or canned corn will be fine too!
Bacon: I pan-fry the bacon until crispy and add it to the creamy crack chicken chili. You can also add it as a garnish at the end.
Herbs and spices: Most “Crack Chicken” calls for ranch in some form, so this time I added the homemade ranch seasoning from my ranch recipe – dill, parsley, chives, and onion powder, along with some classic chili spices: cumin and chili powder.
🥣 How to make Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
1. Begin by pan-frying the bacon in a medium frying pan over low heat until crispy. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot add the olive oil and sauté the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and diced jalapeno peppers, and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 2 minutes,
4. Next, add in the chicken broth, cream cheese, green beans, baby corn, dill, chives, parsley, and onion powder. Stir until the cream cheese melts, cover with a lid, and let the chili cook on a low simmer for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken broth mixture to make sure it doesn’t boil over.
5. Remove the lid and stir cheddar cheese, shredded chicken breasts, and bacon into the mixture. Keep stirring until the shredded cheese melts.
6. Stir in lime and season with salt if desired.
Serve crack chicken chili with avocado, fresh cilantro, more crumbled cooked bacon, shredded cheese, or sour cream as a garnish if desired.
🫙 Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave until piping hot. Make sure you stir it occasionally so that it heats more evenly.
🪄 Recipe Notes & Tips
Cubed cream cheese: Cubing the cream cheese makes it melt a little quicker into the chicken broth. There is no need to use softened cream cheese as it will melt fairly fast anyway.
Shredded cheese: Store-bought shredded cheese is so handy and quick to use, however, it can have extra things like anti-caking agents dusted over the cheese to stop them from sticking together, so I always shred my own cheese at home.
Turn up the heat of your crack chicken chili by adding extra green chilies, cayenne pepper, or a little chipotle chili powder for heat and smokiness. You can always add this after serving if some people prefer it more mild.
If you want it to be a little lighter, try reduced-fat cream cheese or vegan cream cheese. I usually stick to the Philadelphia brand cream cheese which is just perfect for this dish.
Diced Tomatoes or mild rotel diced tomatoes taste great in this recipe too! I add a can if I’m trying to bulk it up a little more.
🍽️ What to serve with this Cream Cheese Crack Chicken Chili Recipe
We always load our crack chicken chili up with some extra bacon, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream, avocado, or green chilies. We choose 2-3 usually, not all of the garnishes!
Tortilla chips add a delicious crunch and a little more corn flavor! Keep it low-carb by using pork rinds instead.
A slice of freshly baked homemade bread or biscuits also always go really well with any kind of chili and this crack chicken chili recipe is no exception!
For a side dish, I love a good salad! Try Pickled Beet Salad for a contrasting tangy flavor.
❓ Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Sure! You can add the ingredients (including frozen chicken breasts) straight into the crock pot to make slow cooker cream cheese crack chicken chili. Here’s how I do it:
- Sauté the onions first before adding them to the cooker.
- Keep the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon out of the slow cooker.
- Cook everything else low and slow for 7 hours, or high for 5, until the chicken is able to be shredded.
- An hour before the food is ready, cook the bacon and add it along with the cream cheese, and cheddar cheese to the slow cooker and allow it to finish cooking.
- Shred the chicken, add it back to the crockpot, and stir well before serving.
🌽 Is baby corn keto-friendly?
Yes! At just 2.7g net carbs per 100g, it is perfect for the keto diet. Surprising, as regular sweetcorn is far too high in carbs to be included in a keto diet!
🫘 What beans can I eat on a keto diet?
Most beans are off the plate when it comes to keto, but there are a couple that can fit the bill!
- Green Beans: 2g net carbs per 1/2 cup
- Black Soybeans: 2g net carbs per 1/2 cup
🤔 What is crack chicken made of?
When looking at a recipe that is called “Crack Chicken” it will usually have a mixture of chicken, bacon, ranch (or ranch dressing mix), cheese, and cream cheese in it. There are also often some green chiles to make it a little spicy!
🤷♀️ How many calories are in cream cheese crack chicken chili?
There are 502 calories per serving of this keto chicken chili recipe.
😋 More keto chicken recipes you will love
- Keto Crack Chicken Casserole
- Keto Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff
- Slow Roasted BBQ Chicken
- Keto Orange Chicken
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📖 Recipe
Crack Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices smoked bacon
- 670 g /1lb 7 oz shredded chicken or cooked diced chicken (see note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 105 g red onion diced, 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 jalapeños diced, or 2 tbsp diced green chilis
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder mild, hot, or medium (I used mild)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 360 g cream cheese 12.5oz
- 300 g fresh green beans diced
- 200 g baby corn diced
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 115 g cheddar cheese grated, 4oz/1 cup
- 1 tsp salt optional
- 1/4-1/2 lime juiced
- avocado cilantro, more crispy bacon, optional garnish
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Begin by pan-frying the bacon until crispy. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot add the olive oil and sauté the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and diced jalapenos, and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 2 minutes,
- Next, add in the chicken stock, cream cheese, green beans, baby corn, dill, chives, parsley, and onion powder. Stir until the cream cheese melts, cover with a lid, and allow to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't boil over.
- Remove the lid and add in the chicken, cheese and bacon. Stir until the cheese melts.
- Stir in lime and season with salt if desired.
- Serve with avocado, cilantro and more crispy bacon as a garnish if desired.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Sauté the onions first before adding them to the cooker.
- Keep the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon out of the slow cooker.
- Cook everything else low and slow for 7 hours, or high for 5, until the chicken is able to be shredded.
- An hour before the food is ready, cook the bacon and add it along with the cream cheese, and cheddar cheese to the slow cooker and allow it to finish cooking.
- Shred the chicken, add it back to the crockpot, and stir well before serving.
Notes
- Chicken: Shredded cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. Store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken is great, or you can make your own shredded chicken breast in an instant pot or slow cooker. I made my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken which is super simple and you can even use frozen chicken breasts. My raw chicken weighed 1kg (2.2lbs) and cooked it weighed 670g (1lb 7oz). Diced chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted, or you could also use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- Cubed cream cheese: Cubing the cream cheese makes it melt a little quicker into the chicken broth. There is no need to use softened cream cheese as it will melt fairly fast anyway.
- Shredded cheese: Store-bought shredded cheese is so handy and quick to use, however, it can have extra things like anti-caking agents dusted over the cheese to stop them from sticking together, so I always shred my own cheese at home.
- Turn up the heat of your crack chicken chili by adding extra green chilies, cayenne pepper, or a little chipotle chili powder for heat and smokiness. You can always add this after serving if some people prefer it milder.
- If you want it to be a little lighter, try reduced-fat cream cheese or vegan cream cheese. I usually stick to the Philadelphia brand cream cheese which is just perfect for this dish.
Bethany made this for us at the weekend and it is absolutely delicious! Highly recommend it ?❤️