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This Crockpot Chicken Chili is everything a busy weeknight needs. It is flavorful, budget-friendly, and made almost entirely from pantry staples. With tender shredded chicken, hearty beans, and bold Tex-Mex seasoning, it's the kind of set-it-and-forget-it dinner that keeps everyone full and happy.
Looking for more easy crockpot dinner ideas made with chicken? Don't miss Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken, Crockpot Chicken and Rice, and Crockpot Salsa Chicken.
Kristen's Keys for Crockpot Chicken Chili
While this recipe is the definition of easy, these quick pointers makes this the kind of chili that tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
- Sauté your aromatics. This mellows the bite and enhances the natural sweetness of the onions and bell peppers, giving the chili amazing depth.
- Use two types of tomatoes. Fire-roasted tomatoes add smokiness, and Rotel adds a little kick. If chunky tomatoes cause mutiny with the kids (my son!), blend them first for a smoother texture.
- Beer helps to build flavor. A pale beer adds depth without overwhelming the chili. Swap for extra chicken stock if needed.
- Finish with fresh lime. It wakes up the chili at the end, balancing all those rich, cozy flavors. This is especially important when we have relied on canned ingredients.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken Chili
Even though this is a true dump-and-go dinner, these simple steps help you get the most flavor out of basic ingredients.
Step One: Sauté the Onions and Peppers
Heat a bit of oil in a skillet and cook diced onion and green pepper until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
👉🏻Time Saving Swap: Replace the onion, bell pepper, and 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes with 2 cups of salsa, which includes peppers and onions already.
Step Two: Dump and Mix
Add the sautéed veggies, beans, tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, garlic, broth, and beer (if using) to the slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Nestle the chicken into the liquid.
Step Three: Slow Cook
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
Step Four: Shred Chicken
Remove the chicken, shred with two forks (or chop if you prefer bigger pieces), then return it to the crockpot.
Step Five: Finish with Lime
Stir in fresh lime juice right before serving to brighten everything up. It's the tiny step that makes the biggest difference.
Serving Suggestions
While delicious straight from the crockpot, chicken chili, just like taco soup and chicken tortilla soup, is only improved with toppings! Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, avocado, cilantro, or crushed tortilla chips for a dinner that tastes like taco night with barely any effort involved.
To stretch it even further (because feeding kids feels like feeding an active football team some nights), serve it over rice to easily doubles the yield without doubling your work. Try it over:
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free: Omit the beer and ensure your chicken stock is gluten-free.
- Frozen Chicken? It is not safe to place frozen chicken into the slow cooker. Use my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Chili instead.
- Bean-Free: Omit the beans and add in up to an additional 1 pound of chicken.
- Vegetarian Option: Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock, omit the chicken, and double the beans.
More Family-Favorite Chili Recipes
Love chili? We do too! After enjoying this chicken chili, try out one of our favorite chili recipes or browse the following below.
Crockpot Chicken Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, or canola oil
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup pale lager beer, or additional chicken stock
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 medium lime, juiced
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil has heated, add the minced onion and diced peppers and and sauté until the onion begins to soften. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to the base of the slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup pale lager beer (or additional stock), 1 cup low sodium chicken stock, 2 cups frozen corn kernels, 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed) to the base of a slow cooker and mix to combine. Nestle the chicken into the liquid.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- After slow cooking the chili, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Shred the chicken with 2 forks or dice it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the crockpot, along with the juice of a lime and stir to combine.
- Serve with shredded cheese, cilantro, and chips.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken chili is so good! The whole family loved it - even the littles!
I love hearing that Rebecca!
My family can't get enough of this chicken chili recipe. It was flavorful and easy to make. I'll definitely make this again.
Thanks for sharing! I love hearing your family enjoys the chili so much!
This was absolutely delicious! I made it for a quick dinner during the week and everyone was ready to dive in from the moment we smelled it when we walked in the door. Haha!
I love hearing this! So happy your family enjoyed this easy chicken chili!
I love an easy, hearty crockpot meal and this chicken chilli is perfection!
This was such a hit! Thank you for this awesome recipe.