This flavorful, mildly spiced, and creamy gradual cooker hen chili is a favourite dinner recipe to make repeatedly. It freezes properly, is tremendous customizable, and leftovers hold for days! There’s no pre-cooking or sophisticated prep required, so it’s a real “set it and neglect it” crockpot meal.
I initially printed this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photographs and extra useful success ideas.
I do know I’m not alone after I sing the praises of the gradual cooker. I particularly love and respect a tasty gradual cooker dinner recipe, the place you’ll be able to toss all the things within the pot early within the day, push a button, and dinner is prepared if you find yourself! That’s how I make creamy hen & corn soup, gradual cooker turkey meatballs, and honey teriyaki hen, too.
Gradual Cooker Hen Chili: Recipe on Repeat
I can’t even let you know what number of occasions we’ve made this simple gradual cooker hen chili up to now 9 years. Each time a member of the family, neighbor, or buddy has a child, I take them a batch. (Who doesn’t discover consolation in home-cooked chili? Particularly new dad and mom!) Each time we’ve pals over to observe a soccer recreation, I make this chili. And each time I need to prep freezer meals, I make one other batch. It’s on the highest of my listing of 30+ again to highschool recipes and 30 fall dinner recipes.
This simple gradual cooker hen chili makes a giant batch that reheats properly, making it a handy and sensible possibility for busy schedules.
Right here’s Why You’ll Love It Too:
- Straightforward: No pre-cooking required, this can be a “set it & neglect it” one-pot gradual cooker meal
- Flavorful: full of conventional chili flavors and slightly spice
- Satisfying: heat, cozy, and comforting
- Adaptable: swap out the hen, beans, and veggies to fit your style
- Make-ahead & freezer pleasant: so handy!
Elements in Gradual Cooker Hen Chili
All the things goes into the gradual cooker directly. No pre-cooking!
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Use 2 standard-size cans (or 1 massive 28-ounce can) of diced or petite-diced tomatoes. Drain out the liquid first.
- Tomato Sauce: Use plain tomato sauce as the bottom of this chili. I often choose up two 8-ounce cans of Hunts tomato sauce, or one 15-ounce can. You should utilize do-it-yourself tomato sauce, too.
- Hen: You want about 2 massive boneless skinless hen breasts. To make it vegetarian, skip the hen and add one other can of beans and/or chopped candy potato.
- Hen Broth: Use 1 cup hen broth. I often use the reduced-sodium variety. When you have do-it-yourself hen inventory or broth, that works too!
- Onion & Bell Pepper: Let’s add slightly freshness to the one-pot dinner with flavorful onion and diced bell pepper. I like the colour distinction inexperienced pepper offers, however you should use pink, yellow, or orange bell pepper right here as an alternative.
- Black Beans & Corn: I really like including these as a result of the duo brings a southwestern vibe to the entire dish. You should utilize canned or frozen corn. If you happen to don’t have black beans, swap in kidney or pinto beans. Use what you get pleasure from and/or have within the pantry.
- Jalapeño: 1 jalapeño provides the right quantity of spice. Be happy to skip it if desired.
- Garlic, Salt, Dried Oregano, Chili Powder, & Cumin: Every ingredient provides key taste. I don’t advocate reducing any of them from the recipe. In reality, I often add slightly extra of every after I style the completed chili.
- Cream Cheese: Belief me. See beneath!
This recipe cooks on low warmth within the gradual cooker for 7 hours. If you happen to’re in search of a gradual cooker and want a advice, I’ve this one and this one, and each are incredible.
If you happen to don’t have a gradual cooker, you’ll be able to prepare dinner this chili on the range. See detailed recipe Observe beneath.
Apart from chopping some components and utilizing a can opener, the one hands-on “work” is shredding the hen.
Take away the cooked hen breasts, shred them with two forks (it’s simple as a result of they’re so tender!), then stir the shredded hen again into the crockpot and prepare dinner for 15 extra minutes earlier than serving.
Greatest Ingredient of All
You can also make common hen chili or you may make the BEST CHICKEN CHILI. Which do you like?
Stir in slightly cream cheese whenever you add the shredded hen. The cream cheese melts and creates a thick and creamy base for all these flavors and textures. It barely cuts the warmth, too. I’m not kidding—everybody I’ve made this chili for has requested me what my secret is—it’s the cream cheese!!
I often add 4 ounces of cream cheese, however you should use the entire 8-ounce brick in the event you prefer it additional creamy. You should utilize full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese. Whichever you utilize, simply just be sure you don’t use cream cheese unfold. Choose up an 8-ounce brick of cream cheese, like the sort you utilize to make cheesecake.
After you combine within the cream cheese, the chili can be creamy and lighter in shade. Style it. At this level you’ll be able to add extra salt, chili powder, or further spices if desired.
Is This Hen Chili Spicy?
No. The recipe written beneath makes a mildly spicy chili that has simply sufficient warmth to deliver taste with out burning your tastebuds. (The cream cheese helps minimize the spice, too!)
However the warmth stage right here is de facto as much as you! Add extra jalapeño in the event you like your chili with a kick, or omit it solely for a really delicate chili. The kind of chili powder you utilize makes a distinction, too. Have you ever heard of the Scoville scale? It’s a measurement of how scorching/spicy completely different chili peppers are, rated in SHU (Scoville warmth models). It’s a wide array! Verify the label of your chili powder for a warmth ranking. A number of the commonest ones you’ll discover within the spice aisle of the grocery retailer are ancho chili powder (delicate), chipotle chili powder (medium), and cayenne pepper (scorching). I usually make this gradual cooker hen chili with a light chili powder.
You possibly can modify the spices in my pumpkin chili, candy potato turkey chili, and cornbread chili casserole, too.
Adapt & Make It Your Personal
This gradual cooker dinner recipe is infinitely adaptable. This can be a handy base recipe the place you’ll be able to add/cut back just about something to be able to match your loved ones’s preferences. Omit the corn, or add additional if you want. If you happen to don’t have black beans, swap in kidney or pinto beans. I’ve even turned it into gradual cooker vegetarian chili by swapping the hen for extra beans and cubed candy potato.
For serving, toppings similar to shredded cheese, recent cilantro, avocado, and/or bitter cream pair fantastically with this hen chili. I additionally love scooping it up with tortilla chips.
Nonetheless you make it, my #1 suggestion is to serve this one-pot meal with cornbread or cornbread muffins. You gained’t remorse it!
My Favourite Gradual Cooker Hen Chili Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 8 hours
Whole Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: serves 10
Class: Chili
Technique: Gradual Cooker
Delicacies: American
Description
This flavorful, mildly spiced, and creamy gradual cooker hen chili is a favourite dinner recipe to make repeatedly. It freezes properly, is tremendous customizable, and leftovers hold for days! There’s no pre-cooking or sophisticated prep required, so it’s a real “set it and neglect it” crockpot meal. See recipe Notes in the event you’d prefer to make it on the range.
Directions
- Add all of the components besides the cream cheese to a 6-quart or bigger gradual cooker. Stir all the things collectively till mixed. Cowl and prepare dinner on low for 7 hours or on excessive for 3 hours.
- Take away the hen from the gradual cooker and switch it to a big plate or reducing board. Utilizing 2 forks, shred the tender hen. You would additionally simply minimize it into bite-size items. Return the hen to the gradual cooker and add the cream cheese. Stir all the things collectively till the cream cheese has melted. Style, then add extra salt or seasonings if desired.
- Cowl the gradual cooker and prepare dinner for 10–15 extra minutes.
- Serve heat topped with recent cilantro, shredded cheese, and/or bitter cream. And serve alongside cornbread or cornbread muffins. Cowl and retailer leftovers within the fridge for as much as 1 week. Reheat within the microwave or on the range.
Notes
- Freezing Directions: Freeze in a freezer-safe container or a couple of smaller containers for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge or place the container/bag within the sink full of heat water. As soon as thawed, prepare dinner in a big pot on medium warmth for half-hour, or reheat within the microwave till warmed all through.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlink): 6-quart or Bigger Gradual Cooker (like this one or this one)
- Substitutions: The spices like cumin, chili powder, and oregano/Italian seasoning mix are essential to the style. Nonetheless, the next adaptions work properly if wanted. Home made tomato sauce works splendidly as an alternative of canned. You should utilize floor turkey or floor beef as an alternative of hen. Brown on the range first (medium-high warmth for 8 minutes), then add to the gradual cooker with the remainder of the components. It’s also possible to use vegetable or beef broth as an alternative of hen broth. You possibly can add extra peppers, onions, or beans if you need (typically I do!). You should utilize kidney beans or white beans as an alternative of black beans. Add extra garlic or jalapeño if desired. And, lastly, for vegetarian chili, you’ll be able to add 1 extra can of beans and swap the hen for 3 cups raw diced and peeled candy potato.
- No Gradual Cooker? No Drawback! Chop the uncooked hen into bite-sized items. Warmth 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a really massive pot or Dutch oven on the range over medium warmth. Add the diced onion, chopped bell pepper, jalapeño, salt, dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Stir and prepare dinner till the peppers have softened and the hen is cooked. Add the remainder of the components, aside from the cream cheese, to the pot. Cowl and prepare dinner for half-hour on medium warmth, stirring sometimes. After about half-hour, stir within the cream cheese till melted and prepare dinner, uncovered, for an extra 5 minutes. Serve.
- Cream Cheese: I discover that it’s useful to barely heat the cream cheese earlier than including to the recent chili in step 2. Unwrap it, place on a plate, and easily microwave it for 15–20 seconds earlier than stirring into the chili. This helps it mix a lot simpler into the recent chili.
