An EASY recipe for fiesta ranch chicken that the whole family LOVES! There's tender chicken, cream cheese, salsa, black beans, green chiles, and more which creates a little fiesta in your mouth! Serve it as-is, over rice, or in tacos. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners or make it for your next game day party!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time6 hourshrs
Total Time5 minutesmins
Course: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: slow cooker fiesta chicken
Servings: 10
Calories: 488kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonsmoked paprikaregular paprika may be substituted
1teaspoonchili powderuse 2 to 3 teaspoons for a spicier dish
1teaspoononion powder
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoonsalt
1 to 2tablespoonsolive oil
2poundsboneless skinless chicken breasts*
1cupreduced sodium chicken brothor water
8ouncesbrick-style full-fat cream cheesecubed and softened to room temp**
one 1.1 ounce packet dry fiesta ranch seasoning mixor your favorite flavor of ranch seasoning mix
12ouncesred salsa***
15ouncescanned corndrained well (frozen or freshly shaved corn may also be used)
15ouncescanned black beansdrained and rinsed (I use reduced sodium beans)
7ouncescanned diced green chilesdo not drain
10corn tortillasor flour tortillas, if serving as tacos
Garnishes (Optional)
Queso frescoor Mexican shredded cheese blend
Mexican cremaor sour cream thinned with milk
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Instructions
In a bowl combine the cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and stir to combine the spice rub mixture.
Evenly drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil and then pat on the spice rub evenly all over both sides of each chicken breast.
Place the chicken breasts in a large 7 to 8-quart slow cooker, add the broth, cover, and slow cook on HIGH heat for about 3 hours, or until chicken is done (165F internal temp).
Place the chicken on a cutting board and shred it using two forks. Alternatively, you can shred chicken by placing it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the the paddle attachment, and mixing on low speed until shredded.
Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
Add the cream cheese, fiesta ranch seasoning mix (or another flavor of dry ranch seasoning mix), salsa, corn, beans, green chiles (do not drain), stir to combine, cover with the lid, and slow cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours, or until bubbly; OR slow cook on HIGH for 1 hour or until bubbly.
Serve immediately, as desired - either plain and as-is, over rice, in a lettuce leave like a lettuce wrap, or in tortillas. Tip - Soften tortillas by wrapping them in a kitchen towel and microwave them for about 30 seconds or just until warmed. Additionally, you can blister or brown them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. It only takes about 30 seconds per side, at most.
Garnish with your favorite cheese, Mexican crema, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice; all optional and as desired. Fiesta chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently and on low heat.
Notes
*You need two pounds of chicken for this recipe and if you are buying the very large boneless skinless chicken breasts from your butcher that are about 1 pound each, you may want to consider pounding them a bit thinner or even slicing them in half. Thinner chicken cooks faster and for me, that’s always better.If you’re buying the two pounds of chicken as 4 or 5 breasts, then no need to concern yourself with pounding or halving.**Don’t use reduced fat cream cheese or any type of “lite” cream cheese. It is made with more water, rather than fat, and your fiesta chicken mixture could be soupy if you use a lite cream cheese product rather than full fat.***If you want thicker and chunkier fiesta chicken, use a thicker and chunkier salsa - perhaps one with bean and corn in it, too. I am not a fan of thinner Mexican restaurant-style salsa for this recipe and prefer salsa with a chunkier texture. But it's up to you. You can use red or green salsa although visually, and for me the taste, red salsa is preferred.