Slow Cooker Nacho Bar

Crock Pot recipes are perfect for the holidays! This Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Nacho Bar is easy to make and can be served at a holiday party.

It’s Friday which means that it is time for the next Holiday Progressive Dinner and a fabulous giveaway! This week’s sponsor is Crock-Pot and one lucky winner will get a Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System. For the recipes this week, we all made something in our Crock-Pot. I have the upcoming holidays on my mind and everything that comes with them. We only celebrate Thanksgiving once but it feels like the celebrate Christmas for a month. There are Christmas parties with both of our immediate families and our extended families. We have cookie exchanges, ladies’ Christmases and kid’s Christmas parties with their friends. For each of the parties, we have delicious food! The only time we have a traditional Christmas dinner is the two with our immediate families. The rest of the parties have non-traditional dinners, appetizers and snacks. So, today’s recipe for a Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Nacho Bar is for  all of those celebrations. It would also work great for a holiday open house or a New Year’s Eve Party.

Before we get to the recipe, I want to show you the new Crock-Pot Hook Ups Connectable Entertaining System that I received. First I want to say that I love the color! My system is metallic blue and looks really nice. I have three  Crock-Pot Hook Up units: a 3 quart oval, a 2 quart circle and two 1 quart ovals. The cord is designed to pull out for use with standard outlets and stores inside the base when connecting multiple units together.

Connecting two units is as easy as pressing them together. Up to 6 units can be connected and powered from one outlet and one cord. Each unit in the Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System has its own settings dial with high and low cooking setting and a warm setting as well. I love that even when connected, each unit can have its own temperature setting. In the photo above, the 3 quart oval unit on the right has chicken in it and it is being cooked on high. The unit on the left has chili in it and it is being heated on low. This system is going to be perfect for all of the holiday parties and after the holiday season I will use the individual units for my family dinners.

Now for the recipes, in the 3 quart, oval Crock-Pot Hook Up unit, I made Slow Cooker Taco Chicken. Place fresh (thawed) chicken breasts in the bottom of the Crock-Pot. Top with a can of spicy diced tomatoes flavored with lime juice and cilantro. Sprinkle with a packet of taco seasoning and a packet of powdered ranch.

Cook on high for a total of 6 hours. (If you use frozen chicken, it will take 6-8 hours to cook.) After 4 hours, shred the chicken so that it can soak up the spices and continue cooking it.

In the 2 quart, oval Crock-Pot unit, go ahead and put your favorite chili. I don’t really have a chili recipe and I wanted to make something easy so I poured 2 cans of chili with no beans, 2 cans of chili beans in mild sauce and one can of tomato soup into the Crock-Pot. I gave it a stir and put it on low to heat up.

Two hours before serving, cut 24 oz of Velveeta cheese into cubes (3/4 of the large, 32 oz loaf). Place in one of the 1 quart Crock-Pot units and add heavy cream.  Turn on low and heat for 2 hours, or until melted, stirring occasionally. Another way to make this cheese sauce would be to microwave the cheese and cream for 1 minute intervals, stirring in between and then pour the melted cheese into the Crock-Pot to keep warm. The third option is to buy store bought cheese sauce and heat it in the Crock-Pot.

Two hours before serving, pour store bought queso blanco dip into the other 1 quart Crock-Pot unit and turn on low. I planned to make my own queso blanco dip but couldn’t find the Velveeta Queso Blanco cheese that I wanted to use. Feel free to use your own recipe instead of buying store bought dip.

Serving is a breeze! Place the Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System on the serving table. Add some plates, a large bowl of chips and nacho toppings to the table. Then, cover your plate with tortilla chips.

Add the shredded slow cooker taco chicken.

Top with some chili.

Drizzle on some cheese sauce.

Top it all with black olives, cilantro, salsa, avocado, shredded cheese, green onions and sour cream.

The food will be kept warm in the Crock-Pot units and party guests can serve themselves whenever they get hungry!

Print

Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Nacho Bar

Course: Appetizer

Author: The Gunny Sack

Ingredients

Taco Chicken

• 2 1/2 lbs thawed chicken breasts
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro drained
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet powdered ranch mix

Chili

• 2 16 oz cans chili bean with mild sauce
• 2 15 oz cans chili, no beans
• 10 3/4 oz can tomato soup

Cheese Sauce

• 24 oz Velveeta cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Taco Chicken

1. Place fresh (thawed) chicken breasts in the bottom of the Crock-Pot.
2. Top with a can of spicy diced tomatoes flavored with lime juice and cilantro.
3. Sprinkle with a packet of taco seasoning and a packet of powdered ranch.
4. Cook on high for a total of 6 hours.
5. After 4 hours, shred the chicken so that it can soak up the spices and continue cooking it.

Chili

1. Pour all of the cans into the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 6 hours.

Cheese Sauce

1. Two hours before serving, cut 24 oz of Velveeta cheese into cubes (3/4 of the large, 32 oz loaf).
2. Place in one of the 1 quart Crock-Pot units and add heavy cream.
3. Turn on low and heat for 2 hours, or until melted, stirring occasionally.

Holiday Progressive Dinner Week 5 Recipe Links

Potluck Dishes to Get You through the Holiday Rush

Crock Pot Meatballs and Loaded Baked Potato Casserole at Busy-at-Home

Famous Dirt Dip at Adventures in All Things Food

Easy Apple & Cranberry Compote at Flour on My Face

Potluck Corn and Black Bean & Cilantro Salsa Dip for a Crowd at Daily Dish Recipes

Nacho Bar at The Gunny Sack