This crockpot chicken chili recipe might be the easiest chili you’ve ever made! Cook the chicken breast whole in the slow cooker and in 6-8 hours, shred it and mix it all together.
I’ve been making chili since college because it’s something my midwestern mom made for my family often growing up and if you know how to open a can and measure spices, it’s the easiest thing to make for the masses. Some of my favorites from FFF are: beef chili recipe, white bean chicken chili, and vegetarian chili.
One of the most famous chili recipes on Fit Foodie Finds is this crockpot chicken chili. It’s a mild-tasting red chili made with chicken breast, a few types of beans, diced tomatoes, and a variety of chili spices. Best part? It’s all done in the slow cooker so it’s super hands-off!
What You Need for Crockpot Chicken Chili
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salsa (any kind will work! we recommend using your favorite kind!)
- Black beans
- Great northern beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Green chiles
- Minced garlic
- Spices
- Apple cider vinegar (if you like the heat, swap for hot sauce!)
- Chicken broth (any kind of broth or water will do!)
Become a Pro at Cooking Chicken!
We’ll teach you everything you need to know on how to cook chicken perfectly every time + we’ll share our top chicken recipes when you subscribe to our emails today!
Ingredient Swaps
Chicken: Feel free to swap boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can even add rotisserie chicken at the end, too.
Beans: there are 2 cans of beans in this recipe, use whatever kind you want! Cannellini beans or garbanzo beans would be delicious substitutions!
Green Chiles: hoping for something a little spicier? Swap in canned jalapeños instead.
homemade chili seasoning
We love keeping our homemade chili seasoning on hand at all times because it’s the perfect blend for chilis just like this. So, feel free to swap all of the spices in this recipe for 3-4 tablespoons of homemade chili seasoning.
How do you make chicken chili thicker?
To make chicken chili thicker, remove about 1/4 cup of the liquid from your slow cooker. Then, dissolve about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the liquid by whisking.
Pour the cornstarch slurry back into the slow cooker and mix to combine. Then, let it cook on high for 10-15 more minutes to activate the cornstarch.
Check it out!
6 Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Looking for more crockpot chicken recipes? Look no further! Check out 6 similar recipes below. And for an added bonus, check out our Crockpot Freezer Meals post where we teach you how to turn all of these slow cooker recipes into freezer meals.
Storage
Transfer chili into a glass container and seal tightly. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze chicken chili?
Let your crockpot chicken chili cool completely before transferring into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or Tupperware. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, let thaw on the counter and then transfer into a large pot, back into your slow cooker or microwave to heat up.
Serving Ideas
Never skip the toppings! We love jazzing up our chili with any of the following:
- Tortilla chips
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Diced bell peppers
- Lime wedges
Easy Chicken Chili (Crock Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts we used 2 large breasts
- 12 oz. salsa any kind
- 15 oz. canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. canned white northern beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 4 oz. canned diced green chiles
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Place all ingredients minus the chicken breasts into your slow cooker. Mix until combined. Then, place chicken breasts on top and cover.
- Turn crockpot to high and cook for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, stirring periodically.
- Then, remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred using two forks. Place shredded chicken back in the crockpot and mix until combined.
- Serve with all of your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, Greek yogurt, and avocado.
Tips & Notes
- Spices- option to use 3-4 tablespoons homemade chili seasoning.
- Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- This is an excellent freezer meal! Let cool completely and then transfer into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag and place into the freezer. Will stay for up to 3 months.
- If you like a little bit more heat, feel free to swap hot sauce for the apple cider vinegar.
Loved it. I added sweet peppers and they were a great addition. Perfect for the rainy days 😊
This recipe was amazing. I’ll confess to slight mods due to on-hand ingredients. Used two can of black beans, one can mild Rotel tomatoes, and 16 ounces mild Herdez salsa. Other than that, everything else according to recipe. Yummy! (Oops, I forgot, I threw in a handful of quinoa as it was cooking – my hubby never knew!). Also topped with dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt.
It would taste great to put red and yellow bell peppers if you wanted. Something I might try in the future.
Delicious and very easy to make! I didn’t have Chilli peppers, so I substituted a green pepper and I added an onion!
I’ve made this recipe twice. I always have the ingredients on hand, because it is such a classic, cozy meal for these frigid minnesota winters.
Very easy and delicious recipe.
Will definitely make again.
Love this, gotta try it! I’m also struggling for a healthier me, I’ve even start running with SportMe marathon training app and I can say I’m on the right track now. Nutrition is an important part of my losing weight plan, and your blog posts are a true inspiration!
I made this today and it was amazing. I accidentally put a 7 oz can of green chili’s in and was worried it would mess it up but I thought it was super yummy! I thought it tasted great without toppings. I will try with toppings tomorrow. Thanks!
Luckily green chiles aren’t that spicy! Glad you loved it!
I made this tonight for my parents, they loved it! Will definitely make again 😀
So glad you loved this! We’d love it if you could give us a star rating when you get a chance!
Are you supposed to drain the beans before adding to the crockpot?
Yes!
Tried this recipe and it was okay. Not sure what I would do to it to make it pop. Possibly more heat with spices or put over corn chips?
Do you cook the chicken first or put in crockpot thawed but raw?
Thawed and raw!
This was amazing! We are finishing up a kitchen renovation and I needed one last crock-pot meal to get us through. This recipe was so quick and I honestly couldn’t believe how good it was. Sometimes, I think crock-pot meals are difficult to get the seasonings right. I think this was like baby bear’s porridge: just right! Can’t wait for the leftovers tonight!
YAY!!! So glad you guys loved it!
Servings 1/6 is inept for ppl who care about having correct portion sizes
Weigh it all in on a food scale in grams & then divide by 6 – then you will have the weight for 1 serving in grams. There are also many nutritional/calorie counters online that are not only free, but will also calculate the calories for you by typing in any changes that you make in the recipe. My favorite is myfitnesspal.com
Would you happen to know if this recipe will double well?
I don’t see why not! You just need to make sure your crock pot is large enough!
Good recipe but you could be more in depth on nutritional value such as is it in percent, grams, miligrams and add sodium to the list.
Loved this recipe! All the flavors were on point, so good and easy!
Any suggestions on ways to thicken up the chili? We prefer beanless and im afraid the chili will turn out soupy..
You can replace with veggies if you want! Honestly, the chili will thicken in the fridge, so on day 2 it will be perfect!
This looks delicious. I cant wait to try it this week.
Is this made with boneless breast chicken or bone in chicken breast?
This is seriously the best chili I’ve ever had! Homemade or in a restaurant, I highly recommend it!
YAY!! So glad you loved it!
did you update the recipe? where can I find the old one with the milk??? I loved it and made it lots of times!!
The old recipie was a family favorite. I went ahead and tried this new version and it was not bad, but not a hit. Is there somewhere I can find the old way? Please 🙏???
Hi guys! We, unfortunately, do not have the old recipe. We made updates and forgot to save the old one. So sorry!
UPDATE: We no longer have access to the old recipe.
Here’s the old recipe:
CrockPot Chicken Chili
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours 15 mins
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, thawed
1 cup salsa, mild
1 cup water
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can white northern beans
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons canned/fresh jalapeños, diced (or more if you like it spicy!)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1⁄2 tablespoon cumin powder
1⁄2 tablespoon garlic powder
1⁄2 tablespoon onion powder
1⁄2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1⁄2 tablespoon lemon or ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1⁄4 cup flour, any kind
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients up to the black pepper into a crock pot. Make sure that the chicken breasts are the first to go in, laying flat on the surface. Place everything else on top.
2. Turn crockpot on high and cook for 3 hours, stirring periodically. Then, remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred using two forks (the chicken should be fully cooked by now). Place chicken back in crockpot.
3. Next, in a small bowl, mix 1 cup milk with 1⁄4 cup of flour. This will act as a thickening agent. Once most of the flour is dissolved, pour mixture into chili and stir.
4. Let simmer on high for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Serve warm with corn tortilla chips, Greek yogurt, sour cream, salsa, or avocado!
Recipe by Fit Foodie Finds at http://fitfoodiefinds.com/2013/09/crockpotchickenchili/
Thank you soooo much! I love the old recipe and was disappointed that it changed.