This Slow Cooker Chicken Chili is basically hands-free and is as easy as adding ingredients to a pot and waiting for the slow cooker to do its thing. It’s set-it-and-forget-it comfort food at its best!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Kelly’s Recipe Tips
- Storage Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe
Slow cooker season is in full swing, and what better way to warm up than with a big ol’ bowl of chicken chili! This crowd-friendly favorite is perfect for chili winter nights (see what I did there?) and is the ultimate football-watching food.And because it’s made in a slow cooker, you can whip it up in minutes then let it cook low and slow for hours until you’re ready to dig in.
I’ve opted for ground chicken, but turkey works just as well. And if you’re feeling like a bit more flavor or fat, go big with ground beef.So pick your protein of choice and then cook it on the stovetop before adding it to your slow cooker with a slew of flavor-packed ingredients. Check out this lineup:
We’re talkin’ onions, pepper, chili beans, kidney beans, tomato paste, tons of spices and a single secret ingredient that makes the whole dish sing: cocoa powder!
Yes, indeed. Cocoa powder is my secret ingredient for truly crave-worthy chili. It lends a touch of sweetness while the subtle hint of chocolate brings together a melting pot (literally) of flavors. And of course, no bowl of chicken chili is complete without all the fixins’, including a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced scallions. A tasty touchdown indeed!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and hands-off. After browning the ground chicken and chopping some vegetables, the slow cooker does all of the work.
- Crowd-pleasing. Set out a bunch of toppings and folks can customize their bowls!
- Freezer-friendly. You can store the slow cooker chicken chili in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken: You can’t have chicken chili without ground chicken.
- Onion, green bell pepper and garlic: These are not only flavorful, but add veggie goodness.
- Tomato sauce and paste: These make the chili nicely tangy.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Cocoa powder adds richness to the chili and actually complements the tomatoes.
- Cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano and chili powder: Spices add a whole lot of flavor to the chili.
- Salt: A bit of salt is essential and also adds flavor.
- Chicken broth: Chicken broth makes sure the chili has plenty of moisture.
- Assorted toppings: Allowing diners to add their favorite toppings (like shredded cheddar and sour cream) is part of the fun of this recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Use a different kind of meat. Instead of chicken, you could swap in ground turkey or beef.
- Switch up the beans. While I like a mixture of kidney and pinto beans, you could use all pinto or kidney beans—or swap in black beans!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Brown the ground chicken. Cook the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, stirring them together before adding the chicken broth.
- Cook. Cover the slow cooker and cook either on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Serve. Serve the bowls of chili with your favorite toppings!
Pro Tip: If your slow cooker has a browning or sauté function, you can use that instead of a skillet to brown the chicken.
Kelly’s Recipe Tips
- Cook It On the Stovetop Instead: You can follow the directions but add all of the ingredients to a large heavy-bottomed pot and cook it until the ingredients are warmed. One note: The longer it cooks, the more tender the veggies and the more flavorful the chili will be.
- Make Sure to Rinse and Drain the Beans: Rinsing and draining beans (a fine-mesh strainer or colander is ideal for this!) removes sodium and excess water that could make your chili too liquidy. When you rinse beans, they’ll look bubbly or sudsy at first. You can stop rinsing when the bubbles go away!
- Easier Veggie Prep: Removing the seeds from a bell pepper can be a little annoying. To do so easily, slice off the top about a 1/2-inch down the pepper and pull out the core of seeds. Then, slice the bell pepper in half. You can then easily brush off the small amount of seeds that might’ve stuck around.
Storage Tips
You can store the chili in an airtight container (or in freezer bags) in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat it, allow the chili to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickens chili?
If you think your chili is too liquidy, you can add in more vegetables or mash some of the beans until the chili thickens (a potato masher makes this easy!).
Is it okay to put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Plenty of slow cooker recipes have you add raw chicken right to the slow cooker. For ground chicken chili, I recommend browning the chicken before slow-cooking it, since it will add more flavor and improve the chicken’s texture.
Can you overcook chili in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can overcook chili in the slow cooker! Cooking the chili on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours should be totally fine, though. If you overcook the chili, the meat will become dry.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Teriyaki
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
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Main Course
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
Slow cooker season is in full swing, and what better way to warm up than with a big ol' bowl of chicken chili! This crowd-friendly favorite is perfect for chili winter nights (see what I did there?) and is the ultimate football-watching food. And because it's made in a slow cooker, you can whip it up in minutes then let it cook low and slow for hours until you're ready to dig in.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.77 from 13 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Servings 6 servings
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 1 green bell pepper, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Assorted toppings, such as sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced scallions
Instructions
Cook the ground chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Transfer the ground chicken into the slow cooker.
To the chicken, add the onion, pepper, garlic, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, unsweetened cocoa powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, oregano, and chili powder. Stir everything together, and then add the chicken broth to the slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and cook the chili on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours.
Serve the chili with assorted toppings.
Kelly’s Notes
- You can follow the directions but add all of the ingredients to a large heavy-bottomed pot and cook it until the ingredients are warmed. One note: The longer it cooks, the more tender the veggies and the more flavorful the chili will be.
- Rinsing and draining beans (a fine-mesh strainer or colander is ideal for this!) removes sodium and excess water that could make your chili too liquidy. When you rinse beans, they’ll look bubbly or sudsy at first. You can stop rinsing when the bubbles go away!
- Removing the seeds from a bell pepper can be a little annoying. To do so easily, slice off the top about a 1/2-inch down the pepper and pull out the core of seeds. Then, slice the bell pepper in half. You can then easily brush off the small amount of seeds that might’ve stuck around.
- ★Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Calories: 265kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 130mg, Sodium: 357mg, Potassium: 1062mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Vitamin C: 20.7mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 2.6mg
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