Lindrusso's Easy Chicken Santa Fe

[Linda in MO]

I made this tonight and we thought it was really good and so easy, too. My notes are at the bottom.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Easy Chicken Santa Fe

Recipe By :lindrusso from CL board
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chicken , CrockPot


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 can black beans -- (15 ounce) rinsed and drained
2 cans whole kernel corn -- (15.25 ounce) drained (I used frozen)
1 cup bottled thick and chunky salsa
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves (5 to 6)
1 (8 ounce) brick cream cheese (you can use less-fat variety)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a 3.5 or 4-quart electric slow cooker, mix together beans, corn, and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken breasts, then pour remaining salsa over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on high heat setting 2.5-3 hours or until chicken is tender and white throughout. Do not overcook or chicken will be tough. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add back to slow cooker.

3. Add cream cheese (cut into cubes to melt faster) and turn cooker to high heat. Heat until cream cheese melts and blends into sauce. Serve over rice. Top with shredded cheese. Serves 4.

Linda's Notes: I seasoned my chicken breasts with cumin, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican oregano, and a little salt. I added fresh cilantro to the salsa. I used light cream cheese and low-fat cheddar. I also put sliced green onions and chopped fresh cilantro out on the table for everyone. Fresh cilantro is a "must" when I serve this type of food.

[lindrusso]

I'm glad you enjoyed this! I got this recipe from a friend of mine who shared it with our MOMS Club - it's become a favorite there as well. Doesn't get much easier and it is open to so many variations!

[This message has been edited by lindrusso (edited 04-02-2001).]

[kwormann]

We also have made this and LOVED it!

Kim

[Linda in MO]

lindrusso, I do have a quick question. You say to cook it on high, but then say to turn it to high after adding the cream cheese. Huh?! I just cooked it on high and then turned to low and kept the lid off while the cream cheese melted. Thanks for posting the recipe! I will definitely make it again.

[Kristi]

I've made this a few times too--my husband especially loves it and gets excited when he knows it's on the menu! We BOTH thank you for sharing...

[S]

Any ideas if and how this could be made with out a slow cooker?

[Kristi]

This dish could certainly be adapted and cooked in a pot or something with the chicken perhaps being sauteed in a pan, but the thing that makes it so wonderful is the tenderness of the chicken from being cooked in the slow cooker. I know I'm not much help...maybe someone can comment and give you a better suggestion.

[PJB]

This sounds wonderful. Does anyone know the nutritional breakdown on this? Can't wait to try it.

Thanks!

[lindrusso]

Linda - I checked two other entries of this recipe, and they all say the same thing. You just keep the crockpot at high - so the instruction to turn it to high after adding the cream cheese is just an unncessary direction, I imagine.

S - If I were going to make this without the crockpot, I would first cook the chicken breasts in a skillet with a little oil - usually about 6 minutes on each side. Then remove the chicken and cut into cubes (cooking first, before cubing, should keep the chicken from drying out). Then I would add the salsa to the pan, along with the corn and beans and heat through. Once this mixture is heated through, add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Then add the chicken and heat through again. Still pretty easy and only uses one pan!

[RUSTYSMOM]

Lindarusso - you ahve done it again. This recipe was fantastic and so easy. Everyone at dinner loved it and asked for the recipe!! Thank you.

[ama47369]

This was one of the few recipes my husband has rated a 10! We loved this!

I made it in the oven instead of the crock pot...Also, I didn't have black beans so I used pinto beans. It was great-we will definately make again.

[lsdesign]

I finally broke down and made this last week. It just never seemed quite enticing for me as a recipe. It was great! My chicken breasts were in there longer than 3 hours and they were as tender as could be.

[lanie]

For anyone wanting to cut down the fat - I have been making this recipe for years - called by another name - but there is no cream cheese in it - and to be honest you absolutely do not miss it - I do put the cheddar - just for anyone who wants to cut down on fat - it turns out just as well. I also use a whole bottle of salsa (chunky).

[ebobbitt]

I made this over the weekend and have been bringing leftovers for lunch. It's my kind of recipe: quick, easy and tasty. Thanks lindrusso.
Elizabeth

[DmOrtega]

I bet this would be very good on a baked sweet potato or regular potato. I'll give it a try.

[Linda in MO]

I think you could either eliminate the cream cheese or the cheddar cheese, but I wouldn't eliminate both. I found myself eating the leftovers without the cheddar cheese. I do think fresh cilantro is a "must" though (if you like it that is). I was thinking it would be good wrapped in a warm flour tortilla or pita bread. Oh, and this made more than 4 servings at our house and we're pretty big eaters, too.

[S]

Lindrusso, Thank you so much for the tips on how to do this without the crock pot. It is on my list to try this week! Sounds great.

[Mbart]

I cannot wait to try this recipe...always looking for good crockpot recipes. It must be the long time between prep and eating, but they make you feel like someone else prepared the meal! Thanks!

[ChristineB]

Has anyone calculated the nutritional value for Lindrusso's Easy Chicken Santa Fe? I am looking forward to trying this for the first time tomorrow--it sounds delicious! I don't have the program that calculates the nutritional info and would appreciate your assistance. Thank You!

[ebobbitt]

I looked at your profile and saw one of your interests was Weight Watchers. I am on WW so I did compute the points but I was too lazy to type it into my MasterCook and didn't have time at the moment anyway. This recipe makes a lot of food so instead of 4 servings I made 6. The grand total of all the points came to 49. So, if you divide that by 6 you'll get 8.1666666 points. I just count it as 8 and go on. Hope this helps.
Elizabeth

[SusanL]

Loved it, loved it but changed it a bit. Used only one can of corn and no cheddar cheese, to be honest, I forgot to get the cheese out of the fridge. But, it was still delicious!! Definitely needs the cilantro!!

[ebobbitt]

I calculated this based upon the points of each ingredient. This is what I came up with: 1 can black beans = 6 points
2 cans w.k. corn = 8 points
salsa = 0 points
1 lb chick breast = 11 points
8 oz red-ft cr chs= 16 points
1 cup shred red-
fat ched cheese 8 points
Total 49 points
If you divide the 49 by 6 servings you get approximately 8 points per serving. I was too lazy to figure the fat, fiber and calories of each item. Sorry.

[BosunsWife]

Is there a site that anyone knows of to type a recipe into that will give calorie counts and other nutritional info? I'm doing a weight loss group with a nutritionist and am counting calories as well as picking from the various food groups. I'd like to give this recipe a try using the light items and wondered what the actual calorie count would be.

[ellielk]

What I think is that they expect you to turn off the crockpot when you're taking out the chicken to cut it up. Soooo, they think they have to tell you to turn it 'on' high when you put it back on the heat.
Originally posted by lindrusso:
Linda - I checked two other entries of this recipe, and they all say the same thing. You just keep the crockpot at high - so the instruction to turn it to high after adding the cream cheese is just an unncessary direction, I imagine.

S - If I were going to make this without the crockpot, I would first cook the chicken breasts in a skillet with a little oil - usually about 6 minutes on each side. Then remove the chicken and cut into cubes (cooking first, before cubing, should keep the chicken from drying out). Then I would add the salsa to the pan, along with the corn and beans and heat through. Once this mixture is heated through, add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Then add the chicken and heat through again. Still pretty easy and only uses one pan!

[PJB]

Does anyone have any nutritional info on this? It sounds wonderful but I am on WW and would love to see how this one breaks down. Thanks!

[browneye]

I finally got around to making this last week. I put it all in the Crock pot before we left to golf. I turned it on the low setting, since we would be out for 5 hours or so. When we came home, we were so hungry!!!!! I stirred in the cheeses- btw, I used reduced fat cheddar and reduced fat cream cheese. I only used 1/2 the brick of cream cheese. I then turned the crock pot to high as the rice cooked in the rice cooker! Dinner was ready in 20 minutes :D
This was soooo tasty, and a wonderful easy crock pot recipe. The whole family loved it and it was cooked perfectly on low for about 5-6 hours.
Thanks, Lindrusso for the recipe. We will enjoy this one again and again.
:D

[Jewel]

I made this for the first time last night too! :) I naturally made some modifications, but only because I had to... I must have bought the only chickens on steroids in the entire store. Those chicken breasts were SO huge, and I went ahead and used five of them! When I cut them into bite sized pieces I had probably 5 or 6 cups of chicken. I tossed the chicken cubes with some ground chipotle, a bit of cumin and some Penzeys Southwest Seasoning, then put it back in the crockpot. It was nearly all chicken! :eek: It had plenty of corn, but it obviously needed more beans, so I added another can of black beans. I also kicked it up with another 1/4 cup of salsa, a bit more ground chipotle, and some Chipotle Tobasco sauce.

I cooked this on 'low' for two hours, then kicked it up to high for the last hour and a half. The chicken was more tender than I ever thought it could be! I'd never cooked chicken in the crockpot before without it turning out tough and stringy, but I'd always cooked it for 8 hours before too! :rolleyes: I used fat free cream cheese and 2% sharp cheddar cheese, and we LOVED it! :D DH originally was a bit skeptical about the cream cheese addition, but then while eating dinner he kept going on about how yummy it was! Thanks for the recipe Linda! This one will go into our Crockpot Rotation! ;)

[lindrusso]

Glad you both enjoyed it! We just had this the other night as well.

I usually cut down on the chicken, add more salsa and add an extra can of beans (and use the less-fat cream cheese). Without enough salsa, it can be quite bland and blah.

Chipotles sound great Jewel! Alas, adding the chipotles would not make this a kid-friendly meal, so one of these times I'll have to remove their portion first and then add a bit of chipotle for us!

[Luika]

If someone has time, could they please post the mastercook information for the Santa Fe Chicken recipe as written. Much appreciated!!

[lindrusso]

Hi,

I put this into Mastercook as written above and came out with the following:

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 698 Calories; 33g Fat (41.4% calories from fat); 58g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 177mg Cholesterol; 732mg Sodium.

However, I find that we get much more than 4 servings (how could you not with 5-6 chicken breast halves)! I also cut the fat by using 2 cans of beans, less chicken (3-4 breast halves), and 1/3-less-fat cream cheese and upping the salsa. Making these modifications makes it a low-fat, high-fiber meal!

Enjoy! :)

[Luika]

Thank you so much for the Mastercook interpretation. I'm trying to keep tabs on fat / calories etc. and this is very helpful.

I also plan on using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and more beans, but your analysis gives me a good idea of the nutritional values. THANKS!

[RUSTYSMOM]

I made this the other night and used two cans of beans, 1/2 bar 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 1 bag frozen corn and three chicken breasts.

It is so awesome!! Thanks Lindarusso!!!

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by Luika
Thank you so much for the Mastercook interpretation. I'm trying to keep tabs on fat / calories etc. and this is very helpful.

I also plan on using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and more beans, but your analysis gives me a good idea of the nutritional values. THANKS!

If you want to cut even more calories/fat, you could omit the cheddar cheese. The cheese is good with this, but not necessary, imho. I served it with cheese the first night, but not with the leftovers and didn't miss it.

[JackieO]

I don't know how I missed this recipe earlier, but caught it on a different thread earlier this week. We had it last night and it got three thumbs up! DS even said he thought it would be a good thing to serve the next time I am scheduled to feed the church youth group. Thanks!

[newcook]

I made this tonight, it was absolutely delicious. The only thing I would do differently is mix the cream cheese in before adding the cut up pieces of chicken because mine ended up completely shredded by the time I had mixed it in. Also I didn't really have any sauce to speak of, though the dish was not dry. Did you all get a sauce when you made it?

Daniele

[RunnerKim]

I made the Santa Fe chicken yesterday and it was really yummy. Great for a chilly fall evening. Had to adjust things to fit into our small 2qt crockpot. I think it cooked too long as well (messed up the lamp timer) but it was still good. Worked great as leftovers for lunch too.

Kim

[mobear]

Does anyone know if this freezes and defrosts well? I imagine it does as it has enough liquid/moisture in it.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by mobear
Does anyone know if this freezes and defrosts well? I imagine it does as it has enough liquid/moisture in it.

I have frozen this successfully before. :)

[Vicanddi]

I'm making this today...yes, for the first time...finally!!:rolleyes: I'm wondering...has anyone cooked this on low for the majority of the time, and then upped it to high for the cream cheese addition? I'm going to be out for a while, and having it on high for 3 hours just doesn't work time wise...so I was thinking of having it on low a couple hours, and then turning it to high for the cream cheese, when the chicken is done. Will this make it less tender? Appreciate any insight; thanks! :)

Dianne

[Curleytop]

Found this in my MC:

* Exported from MasterCook *

EASY CHICKEN SANTA FE

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Beans Casseroles
Poultry Vegetables

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Can 15 Oz. Black Beans -- rinsed and drained
2 Cans 15.25 Oz. Whole Kernel Corn -- rinsed and drained
1 Cup Bottled thick and chunky salsa
5 5/6 Breast Halves -- Skinless/boneless
8 Ounces Brick Cream Cheese -- Less fat
1 Cup Cheddar cheese -- Shredded

1. In a 3.5 or 4-quart electric slow cooker, mix together beans, corn, and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken breasts, then pour remaining salsa over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on high heat setting 2.5-3 hours or until chicken is tender and white throughout. Do not overcook or chicken will be tough. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add back to slow cooker.

3. Add cream cheese (cut into cubes to melt faster) and turn cooker to high heat. Heat until cream cheese melts and blends into sauce. Serve over rice. Top with shredded cheese. Serves 4.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 280 Calories; 10g Fat (32.0% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 178mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Fat.

NOTES : Try to cut recipe in half. THIS IS A CROCKPOT RECIPE
WITHOUT A CROCKPOT:
Cook chicken in a skillet with a little oi. 5 - 6 minutes on each side. Them remove the chicken and cut into cubes. Then into the now empty skillet, Add the salsa, the corn and beans and heat through. Once it is heated through, add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Add the chicken and heat through again.

AND HERE IS ANOTHER ONE I HAD IN MC. HAVE NOT MADE EITHER ONE!

* Exported from MasterCook *

SANTA FE CHICKEN & RICE

Recipe By :Success Rice ( I changed it to regular rice)!
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:15
Categories : Low Fat Mexican
Poultry Rice

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 Cup Rice (raw) -- Cooked
2 Halves Chicken Breast cut in strips -- Raw
8 Ounces Mild Salsa
1 8 Ounce can Mexicorn -- Drained
1 15 Ounce can Black Beans -- Rinsed
1/2 Cup Jalapeno Montery Jack (nonfat) T.J. -- Shredded

While rice is cooking, spray skillet with cooking spray and heat. Add the seasoned chicken strips; cook on medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in salsa, mexicorn, and black beans. Sprinkle with shredded jalapeno cheese. Heat until cheese is melted.

Yield:
"2 Servings"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1450 Calories; 6g Fat (3.7% calories from fat); 92g Protein; 265g Carbohydrate; 65g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 21mg Sodium. Exchanges: 17 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat.

NOTES : This is almost the same as the Sante Fe Chicken from CL board.(lindrusso), except hers was made in the crockpot. She added non-fat cream cheese into the sauce. NO MENTION OF RICE! This is very similar to the Southwestern Chicken Pie recipe which we liked. (no rice)

[Cookin4Love]

First off, let me say that I've made this and we love it. But...I'm just wondering if my family were the only ones bothered by the appearance. They could only eat it as long as they didn't look at it. Without going into detail, did anyone else run into this?

[Vicanddi]

I made this last night and DH liked it. I also thought the appearance wasn't attractive, but it looked okay once covered with cheese. :D I guess it's just the combo of salsa and cream cheese.

[Beth]

I posted something similar the first time I made it. Second time, I didn't add the beans until later, made sure they were well drained and may have altered the cream cheese/picante sauce ratio. It was beter pink than grey.

[Vicanddi]

I rinsed my beans well. I don't think the color was from the beans, but from the salsa/cream cheese mixture, since it was rather red before adding the cream cheese. Maybe I will use less cream cheese next time. How did you change the ratios, Beth?

[Beth]

Yes, the pink color is a bit much for the guys -- even if it doesn't tinge grey with the beans (mine were rinsed the first tmie, but I think some broke down in the cooking).

I did use less cream cheese, but I don't remember exactly how much. I think I started with half and may have added a little more. I am thinking I might make it with more salsa next time and use the mild -- trying to make it closer to the red sauces the kids are more used to without giving up all the flavor -- maybe adding a T of tomato paste would help. I love the flavor combinations. We also added corn.

[ssusan]

We are having this for dinner tonight. It is ready early and I have to stop tasting it. Yum!!! Thanks for sharing it.

-Susan

[Robyn1007]

Susan,

It is so funny that you posted about this tonight. I was sitting here thinking of what I would make for dinner tomorrow that would become leftovers for the week and said to myself that I should try that Santa Fe Chicken. I came online to look for the recipe and it was the top thread! Can't wait to give it a try!

Robyn

[ssusan]

It was wonderful and easy! Enjoy.

-Susan

[leightx]

I'm probably the last person on earth to make this dish, but we FINALLY had the famous Chicken Santa Fe for dinner tonight. YUM!! I don't know why I waited this long! I took all of 3 minutes to throw in the CP, and tasted great when it came out. My changes below:

- I used frozen chicken breasts - they were done in about 3.5 hours on low (I think my CP runs really high, and it's a new one!)

- I used about 6 oz. less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) and that was plenty. I normally hate FF cream cheese, but I can see how it would work ok in this dish. I'd try it the next time.

- I added more salsa (probably 1.5 cups), and the dish came out similar in consistency to a chili or stew, which we enjoyed. I didn't serve it over rice since we're not huge rice fans - we just spooned it into bowls and ate it that way.

- I accidently mixed the cheddar into everything, but next time I'd probably leave it out all together. I didn't think it brought that much to the party.

Delicious - thanks so much Alysha!

[brownie12]

What brand of salsa are y'all using? I have found that Arriba is the closest thing to homemade, and it is chunky, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's thick. I mean, it doesn't have a consistency of tomato sauce around the veggies. It's mostly finely chopped up veggies-very much like what you'd get at a good mexican restaurant.

[Heidi]

I am eating my leftovers for lunch, so it is funny to find this thread pop up again! I made this for DH and he loved it (have made it before, just not for him). I think when I did it before we had it over rice, but I didn't have time to make rice this time so we've been eating it in flour tortillas, which I like just as well. Only thing I'll do differently next time is freeze half of it. It's just DH and I, and though I reduced the recipe a bit--only 3 chix breasts, 1 can corn--I have been eating leftovers for DAYS now! I am due with my first baby in March and am keeping an eye out for recipes to stock my freezer with--this may be one of those!

ETA: This is also yummy when scooped up with tortilla chips!

[Curleytop]

I, too, would like to try it, but there are just us 2 old folks, and I don't like a lot of leftovers.
Has anyone reduced the recipe to 2 or 3 servings???

[sab1976]

I had to bring this old thread back up again because I made this yesterday and just had some leftovers for lunch. So good! The chicken is very tender and delicious. I didn't serve it with rice, just ate it as is.

I will definitely make this one again!

[PoppyJ]

I am finally planning to make this later in the week, but I have a question. The recipe here states 5-6 chicken breast, but the one in the CLBB Cookbook it says 3-4 chicken breast. Which one is right? I have two HUGE chicken breast defrosting right now (about 1.5 lbs worth). Is that enough or should I defrost another one?

[lindrusso]

I am finally planning to make this later in the week, but I have a question. The recipe here states 5-6 chicken breast, but the one in the CLBB Cookbook it says 3-4 chicken breast. Which one is right? I have two HUGE chicken breast defrosting right now (about 1.5 lbs worth). Is that enough or should I defrost another one?

The original recipe called for 5-6, but I cut it down to 3, 4 at the very most because I liked having more sauce and beans and less chicken.

I think 1.5 pounds would be fine - if it looks light on "stuff", just add more beans and corn.

[Beth Y]

I was just thinking about this recipe the other day. We use it for parties. We do a big batch in the crock pot, set out tortillas and other add-ons and let people make burritos, soft tacos, etc. with (or without) it. It is always a big hit.

[PoppyJ]

Thanks Lindrusso. I am very excited to finally try this. It has been on my to try list for a long time now.

[NMG]

Can I substitute anything for the cream cheese or maybe only use a small portion of it - I really don't like cream cheese at all, but will use a little when cooking it in dishes..........

[patissac]

I'm glad to see this once agian, because I had it in to try pile and it disappeared recently! I will try this tonite, but I have a DUMB QUESTION :rolleyes: Can I use Chicken Tenders instead? I just don't want to go out and buy chicken since I've got everything at home. I'm assuming the tenders would cook faster since its just chicken breast cut into long strips?

[Lillith]

No such thing as a dumb question! You can certainly use tenders. As far as making this dish w/o crockpot, I make Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters purposely to have cooked chicken to use in other dishes. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients till hot and add cubes of the already cooked chicken till all is heated through.

[lindrusso]

Can I substitute anything for the cream cheese or maybe only use a small portion of it - I really don't like cream cheese at all, but will use a little when cooking it in dishes..........

Hmmm....I'm having a hard time thinking of something with the same consistency and similar taste. Maybe sour cream? It won't be as thick, but it's at least in the same flavor family.

I don't like cream cheese on its own, but I love cheesecake and I love just about any hot dish with cream cheese - go figure. :)

[ADM]

During a major, for us, snowstorm, I made this in my slow cooker today. My house smelled wonderful! I was a bit dubious, but the flavors all finally came together so very well! The taste was wonderful! Instead of rice, the next time I might choose to it serve it over crumbled tortilla chips, and maybe without the shredded cheddar cheese, (only for fewer calories and less sodium content).

My only question - The cream cheese seemed to become just the tiniest bit curdled. What did I do wrong? Or, is that just normal?

[patissac]

I just finished eating this for lunch today and its very good! I do admit that it could have been accompanied by some rice or tortilla chips as noted from everyone( I ate it plain) but I now know what to do with the rest at home!
I do agree on the cheese not being necessary as it might get lost in the cream cheese.
I had my cream cheese out on the counter while this was cooking so it was room temp when I added it to the mix.

[NMG]

Hmmm....I'm having a hard time thinking of something with the same consistency and similar taste. Maybe sour cream? It won't be as thick, but it's at least in the same flavor family.

I don't like cream cheese on its own, but I love cheesecake and I love just about any hot dish with cream cheese - go figure. :)

I'm awful - I don't even like cheesecake!!! I will cook with cream cheese occasionally and I love artichoke dip with cream cheese, but definately not plain! I think I'll use half of what you call for and see how the texture is and then add some sour cream if it needs it.........thanks!