Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
Healthy slow cooker chicken chili is easy to prep and makes a delicious dinner that's sure to satisfy!
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional; can sub ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, undrained
- 1-2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, see notes
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 oz.) can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Optional toppings:
- Shredded cheese, diced avocado or guacamole, plain nonfat Greek yogurt or sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro or green onions, hot sauce or sriracha, pickled jalapeños, crushed tortilla chips or oyster crackers, etc.
Instructions
- Add chopped pepper and onion to the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add chopped jalapeño if using.
- Combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and cayenne in a small bowl and mix well.
- Season the chicken breasts with half of the seasoning mixture the place on top of the peppers and onions in the slow cooker.
- Add tomatoes, chilies and 1 cup of the broth to the slow cooker, then sprinkle with remaining seasoning.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- When the cook time is up, transfer the chicken breasts from the slow cooker to a cutting board and add the beans to the slow cooker. If the chili is too thick, add extra broth to get it to the right consistency.
- Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces (or alternatively, you can shred it). Return chicken to slow cooker and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
I add a jalapeño and some cayenne for a little kick, but you can reduce or omit those if you want to tone down the level of spiciness.
I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you could substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
I like to slice the chicken once it’s cooked so there are chunks throughout the chili, but you can also shred it.
I use black beans and pinto beans here, but you could substitute light or dark kidney beans or use all of one type of bean.
I prefer to add the beans at the end of the cooking time to just get them warmed through, so they don’t get too soft. (This is especially important if you’re using home cooked beans.) But I’ve also added canned beans in the beginning and while they softened, they weren’t too mushy.
A couple of people have said this came out soupy for them so I've revised the recipe to start with just 1 cup of broth. All slow cookers are different but hopefully that change will help prevent it from being too soupy. You can always stir in extra broth at the end if needed.
You can add 1 cup of corn (or a small can, well-drained) if you love corn in your chili.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 586mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g
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