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Although the sun has been peeking out a little more lately, the temperatures outside make it very clear that it is still very much winter around here! As much as I would like to start grilling outside every night, I think I still have a couple of months of making warm meals…indoors. I recently discovered a very easy Chicken Chili recipe that is absolutely delicious. The best part about this recipe is that sometimes I serve it as is…a warm bowl of chili, but I’ve also found several ways to tweak the recipe and make it seem like a brand new meal! I love being able to use the same basic meal several times while my family thinks that I’m actually being very original and creative – it’s a great way to change up the menu and also a way to use up leftovers in a unique way instead of having the exact same thing twice in a row. I also have been loving slow cooker meals this winter – my kids are involved in a lot of activities and we often don’t get home until dinnertime so I don’t have a lot of time for dinner prep! It has been wonderful to get home from our activities and have dinner pretty much ready to go.
From the original Chicken Chili recipe, I created a Chicken Chili Pasta Bake and also a delicious Chicken Chili salad. Add a few garnishes and your meal is complete!
ORIGINAL CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE
- 2 cans (10 oz each) RO*TEL® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- 1 can (15 oz each) Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 can (15.25 oz each) whole kernel corn
- 1 pkg (1.0 oz each) Ranch dip mix
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pkg (30 oz each) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese
- Fresh cilantro, optional
- Fresh avocado, optional
Spray inside of 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place beans, corn, tomatoes, ranch, chili powder and cumin in slow cooker; stir to combine. Add chicken and cover with tomato mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 6 hours, until chicken shreds easily with a fork.
Pull chicken into shreds with 2 forks. Stir cream cheese into soup until melted and combined. Sprinkle each serving with chopped cilantro and avocado, if desired.
To turn this into a CHICKEN CHILI PASTA BAKE, you will need to add the following ingredients to your completed Chicken Chili:
- 6 oz uncooked rotini (1/2 box)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend)
Boil the pasta according to package directions and then mix with 1/2 of the Chicken Chili. Pour half of the mixture into a greased 9X9 pan and then sprinkle half of the cheese on top. Add the rest of the pasta and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with avocados, sour cream and/or guacamole. (If you want to make a larger amount, just use all of the Chicken Chili and use 12 oz of pasta and bake in a 9X13 pan instead.)
To turn this into a CHICKEN CHILI SALAD, you will need to add the following ingredients to your completed Chicken Chili:
- lettuce, torn into small pieces
- shredded cheese
- green onions, diced
- avocados and/or guacamole
- tortilla strips
Drain the excess liquid from the Chicken Chili and then scoop it onto some lettuce. Add any of the garnishes that you desire and enjoy as a delicious salad- this is a perfect salad for the winter since the chicken is still warm and it is filling enough to be served as a simple main course!
I employed a couple of little kitchen “hacks” while preparing this meal. First of all, did you know that you can freeze avocados? We love avocados in our house so they get usually get devoured very quickly, but sometimes I’ll find a great sale on them or will have ripe avocados that I am not ready to use for a couple of days so then I freeze them! You just have to slice the avocados in half (leaving the skin on), remove the pit and then brush the avocado flesh with a little bit of lemon or lime juice. Place the avocado halves in a freezer bag and place in the freezer. Thaw the avocados in the fridge overnight the day before you plan to use them. You can slice them up and eat them after freezing, but I think the freezing does change the consistency a little bit, so I usually prefer to turn them into guacamole after being frozen. I just add a little garlic salt and onion powder to taste and I think it’s perfect that way!
Another little “hack” that I use is freezing my onions too – I do this with regular onions and green onions. I buy a bunch when they are on sale and then spend some time chopping them all up and placing them in freezer bags in the freezer. That way I always have some on hand for recipes and I don’t have to smell like onions more than once every month or two!
I found all of my ingredients at Walmart – just a little heads up though that the Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans are by the taco shells and enchilada sauce, not by all of the other black beans!
Make sure to check here for even more mid-winter meal ideas – there are some amazing ones in this collection!
CHICKEN CHILI PASTA BAKE
Ingredients
- 2 cans 10 oz each RO*TEL® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- 1 can 15 oz each Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 can 15.25 oz each whole kernel corn
- 1 pkg 1.0 oz each Ranch dip mix
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pkg 30 oz each boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pkg 8 oz each cream cheese
- Fresh cilantro optional
- Fresh avocado optional
- 6 oz uncooked rotini
- 2 cups shredded cheese Mexican blend
Instructions
- Spray inside of 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place beans, corn, tomatoes, ranch, chili powder and cumin in slow cooker; stir to combine. Add chicken and cover with tomato mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 6 hours, until chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Pull chicken into shreds with 2 forks. Stir cream cheese into soup until melted and combined.
- Boil the pasta according to package directions and then mix with 1/2 of the Chicken Chili. Pour half of the mixture into a greased 9X9 pan and then sprinkle half of the cheese on top. Add the rest of the pasta and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with avocados, sour cream and/or guacamole.
(If you want to make a larger amount, just use all of the Chicken Chili, double the amount of pasta and cheese and then bake in a 9X13 pan instead.)
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Amber Edwards says
I can totally see my kids loving htat pasta bake! That looks delicious. The husband tries to stay away from pasta for stomach reasons, but he would love that salad!! Perfect way to please everyone in the house and only have to cook once! #client
Jessica says
Thank you!
Alyssa S says
This is delicious. I’ve made it twice, the first time I froze half and we had it for 2 separate meals too. I made it as the pasta version both times. It’s even better than it looks. My fiancé and his daughter both ate this up, and I absolutely love it. We’re definitely having this again in the future.
Nellie says
I’m so glad you liked it! I always love it when I can find something my whole family will eat!