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!
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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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
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
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!).
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.
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.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Teriyaki
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
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!
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Hi! I made it and it was delicious. Browning the ground chicken first helps it to be more beef-like. I increased the chili powder and added some diced tomatoes. I appreciate this healthy, but still delicious recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
What does the cocoa do for this?
Would there be a big taste difference without it?
You can skip it! It just creates a more complex flavor profile.
I loved the recipe and made it as the recipe called for except I had to increase the amount of chili powder. The cocoa powder really changed the flavor of the chili but it was delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Vicki!
Good recipe, but is 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder a misprint? I had to add a lot more (about 6 Tablespoons) to give this recipe the proper chili flavor. The chili powder that I use does not contain any salt. I also added a little bit of balsamic vinegar.
Hi Robin – No it’s not a misprint! Feel free to add more as you like :)
Absolutely delicious with ground chicken! I leave out the peppers, tomato paste and coriander, but everything else is exactly as the recipe says. I’m not a spicy nor chili person and I love this recipe!
Love, love, love reading this! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lori!
Delicious! My husband not a fan or turkey chilli but this recipe hit all the right notes. Perfect balance between healthy and tasty!!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tanya!
Made it and loved it I did add some diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes and chick peas.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Stephen!
I only have half the chicken (1 pound). What would you suggest I add to make up for the other pound of chicken? Chickpeas? Lentils?
I’d load up on any other beans! I love kidney beans in chili :)
Fantastic! Hubby didn’t even know it was chicken instead of ground beef until I told him. I did leave out the green peppers for him, but this was the best chili I ever made and it was so easy. Thank you for this. It will be a star at Superbowl!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Karen!
Wondering if I can use dark chocolate cocoa powder as this is all I have. Please advise. Looking forward to trying this tonight!
Absolutely! That will taste great.
Excellent! I modified it by adding Onion powder, Garlic powder, Thyme, Basil and Parsley. I’m not allowed to have beans.
Regardless of anything I did, however, the Cacao is the kicker! You’re right about it bringing all the flavors together, and it gives off a hanging aftertaste that isn’t bad at all.
This is being stapled to the fridge.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mitch!
Can you make this on top of the stove? I plan to double the recipe, and I’m not sure if all the ingredients will fit in my 6qt crockpot
Hi Donna – Sure! 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. :)