This slow cooker sweet chili chicken is juicy, fall-apart-tender, and bursts with flavor from the sweet chili sauce and cream cheese. Perfect with rice and a green vegetable for a complete and filling meal.
Cream cheese is a magic ingredient to add flavor and creaminess to many slow cooker recipes. You can also find cream cheese in Slow Cooker Crack Chicken, Fiesta Chicken, and Artichoke Mushroom Chicken.
What is sweet chili sauce?
Sweet chili sauce is a popular condiment in Thai, Malaysian, Afghan, and Western cuisine. Its original name in Thailand is nam chim kai. It’s known for its eclectic flavor combination of red chili peppers, rice wine vinegar, and a sweetening ingredient such as sugar or honey. Some recipes also include garlic and fish sauce.
Overall, you can expect the flavor to be mild but with a hint of spice and a sweet and sour taste. Though some authentic brands can be spicier, that’s why we prefer the Panda Express brand.
This sweet chili chicken recipe was inspired by a local shop’s pizza in my town. That pizza has a cream cheese sauce, tender chicken, and is drizzled with sweet chili sauce and green onions.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the best to use with this recipe. They shred up well and soak up the flavorful sauce.
- Ranch Dressing Mix – Often used to make a salad dressing, when added to this chicken recipe, it creates a creamy, herbaceous flavor.
- Sweet Chili Sauce – a must-have in order to get the actual “sweet chili” taste. I use the Panda Express brand; however, your local grocery store may carry others (Mae Poy, Thai Kitchen, Frank’s Red Hot, etc.). Panda Express and Frank’s Red Hot Brand are less spicy.
- Cream Cheese – when it comes to easy melting, the Philadelphia brand melts best.
- Green Onion – these should be sliced and put to the side for serving.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot.
Step Two – Sprinkle the entire pack of ranch dressing mix on top.
Step Three – Pour the sweet chili sauce over the chicken and dressing mix layer.
Step Four – Place the block of cream cheese on top and choose your desired cooking time. Cook on LOW for 4.5 hours or on high for 3.5 hours.
Step Five – When the cooking time is done, it will look like the cream cheese has separated, it will be fine! Shred the chicken with two forks, then take a spoon or spatula and stir vigorously and the cream cheese will dissipate into the sweet chili sauce.
Step Six – Serve and enjoy!
How to serve:
- When it comes to adding garnishes, consider chopped green onion, cilantro, and/or sesame seeds.
- This sweet chili chicken recipe pairs perfectly with cauliflower rice, steamed white rice (and a side of green beans), or with a mix of veggies (bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, and broccoli).
- Don’t forget about noodles, which is a classic pair with chicken like this.
Variations
- Added Vegetables – One of the most popular variations includes adding onion, red bell pepper, shredded carrots, and pineapple chunks.
- Chicken Thighs – A meat variation idea is to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Though, if you use chicken thighs, shred them on a plate, then stir your sauce virgoursly. Chicken thighs can over shred into tiny bits if over stirred.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! To make a quick freezer meal, add all ingredients into a freezer-proof Ziploc bag and try to remove as much air as possible. Freeze it flat for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook it, allow it to defrost, add it to your crockpot and cook according to the directions.
Since this recipe calls for chili sauce and cream cheese, it should thicken. However, if you’d like an even thicker liquid, mix together a cornstarch and water mixture and add it to the slow cooker about 30 minutes before the meal is done cooking.
Transfer any leftovers into an airtight container and allow it to cool to room temperature before putting them in the fridge. It will keep for up to three days there or up to three months in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer safe bags and/or containers if choosing the latter. Reheating is as easy as adding it to a pot on the stove and cook on medium heat until warm. From the freezer, allow the meal to defrost before reheating.
Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and YouTube.
Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 oz. packet ranch dressing mix
- 20.75 oz. sweet chili sauce (about 2.5 cups, I use Panda Express Brand)
- 8 oz. cream cheese Philidelphia brand melts best
- sliced green onions for serving
Instructions:
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the ranch dressing mix.
- Pour over the sweet chili sauce.
- Place the block of cream cheese on top of the chicken.
- Cook on LOW for 4.5 hours or HIGH for 3.5 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir the cooked cream cheese into the sauce and chicken. Serve with rice topped with green onions with a green veggie if desired.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Added Vegetables – One of the most popular variations includes adding onion, red bell pepper, shredded carrots, and pineapple chunks.
- Chicken Thighs – A meat variation idea is to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Though, if you use chicken thighs, shred them on a plate, then stir your sauce virgoursly. Chicken thighs can over shred into tiny bits if over stirred.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
We love this recipe, and will be adding it into our regular rotation of meals. I used the Panda Express Sweet Chili Sauce, and it was great! As well as being surprisingly pretty clean with the ingredients. I had never tried it before, so I was expecting it to start out with having high fructose corn syrup, but refreshingly, it does not contain any. We had plenty of leftovers, since it was two adults, and a small child eating. We made pulled chicken sandwiches out of the leftover topped with pepper jack cheese, and they were outstanding! Thank you!
I doubled the recipe. Worse mistake ever. It turned into soup. Even after all the meat was shredded. It smelled good.
Can you use a low fat cream cheese to cut back on calories?
Yes, low fat will work fine.
At the risk of sounding stupid, lol, is sweet chili sauce spicy? I have zero tolerance for hot/spicy foods but this sounds so good, I’d love to try it!
It can be a little spicy! You could try sweet and sour sauce instead.
A little spicy!! It’s super spicy. Way too spicy to enjoy. Probably a half cup of the sweet chilli sauce would be better. And I love spicy food.