A New Grandson and Dinner is “Delivered” – Chicken Fajita Chili

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that my daughter-in-law Amanda (a fellow blogger) and son Ryan have been expecting their first baby, my first grandchild. This grandma-to-be has been just a little excited – that’s an understatement if there ever was one! I hate to think how much I have already spent on this little bundle of joy. I just simply can’t resist all those cute little outfits. Well, the big day arrived and Clark Craig Wahlund entered this world on October 9. Isn’t he just adorable?

Due to a recent move my son and his family live just about a mile from me so I can stop over and visit whenever I need a little grandbaby fix. Being a new parent is exhausting to say the least and I thought I could help by "delivering" (I just love the play on the word deliver) my own little bundle to the family – a home cooked meal. I wanted something that was easy to reheat and would last a few meals as well. Chicken Fajita Chili was just the ticket.

This recipe is made in the slow cooker, freezes well and gets better each time it’s reheated. It goes together quickly because it starts with a purchased rotisserie chickens. Chicken Fajita Chili is not a traditional chili but reminds me a little more of a soup with a mellow blend of Mexican spices. Yum! It is the perfect meal for a cool autumn day and to welcome a new little baby boy.

I love that this recipe is pretty much a "dump and go" recipe. Just "dump" all the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn it on and go. It cooks for 8 to 10 hours and makes your kitchen smell delicious.

Start by prepping all the ingredients. If you are making this for your family I suggest you do all the prep the night before. Then you truly can just "dump and go" in the morning. First cut the rotisserie chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Next chop the onion and green pepper. Then get your canned tomatoes, black beans, corn, vegetable tomato juice, chicken broth and fajita seasoning packet ready to go.

Commence the dumping!

First to go in the slow cooker is the chicken, then just dumb all the rest of the chili ingredients – the order really doesn’t matter – on top of the chicken (onion, green peppers, black beans, tomatoes, corn, vegetable tomato juice and chicken broth).

I saved the fajita season for last.

Stir everything to mix it up.

And let it cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or cook on high for 4 to 6 hours – works great if you decide mid-day to make this tasty recipe). I like to use the low setting on my slow cooker so I can start things cooking when I leave for work and it is ready and waiting for me when I get home. All I have to do is ladle into bowls…

…and top with cheese and tortilla chips (and a little cilantro for a garnish). Feel free to garnish with other goodies like sour cream or chopped green onions too.

Now, I planned to bring this over to the new parents so I let the soup cool and packed it in freezable plastic food containers; one for their dinner and one to freeze for later. Don’t forget to label with the name of the recipe and the date.

Here’s a picture of the happy family.

I’d enjoy hearing what you think of Chicken Fajita Chili so please come back and rate & review the recipe after you have given it a try.

Come back in a few days when Alex will share a creamy pasta recipe.

Becky Wahlund is the Director of the Test Kitchens for Land O'Lakes and writes for our Recipe Buzz® Blog.