This easy ground chicken chili recipe is a cozy one-pot dinner with beans, tomatoes and smoky spices. It’s the healthy dinner my family asks for on repeat!
After a decade of writing recipes, I’ve created almost a dozen vegan and vegetarian chili recipes. But now that I eat the Mediterranean diet (and wrote a cookbook about it), I decided it was time for a chicken chili. Enter, my new easy ground chicken chili recipe!
This chili is so hearty and delicious, with the tomato-y cozy vibe of a classic red chili but a little lighter than the classic ground beef version. My son will eat 2 bowls in one sitting, which is a huge win! I also love that this chicken chili is a great way to eat lots of beans, so it delivers 23 grams protein and 13 fiber per serving.
Why You’ll Love This Ground Chicken Chili
- It’s pretty fast. The ground chicken cooks quickly, so you can get this done in under an hour (versus much longer for beef chilis).
- It’s lighter than beef chili. Ground chicken, beans, and Greek yogurt make this a Mediterranean diet friendly meal.
- It uses one pot and pantry staples. It’s so easy to whip up, and leftover save well for meal prep.
Video: Watch me make this chili!
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the important ingredients (or refer to my instructional video for more):
- Ground chicken: Look for a 93/7 blend if you can find it. You can also swap in ground turkey (though I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of turkey, which is why I love using ground chicken!).
- Onion, green pepper and garlic: These aromatic vegetables build the base and add texture.
- Fire roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce: Canned fire roasted tomatoes have a smoky flavor that tastes sweet right out of the can. The tomato sauce lends body.
- Kidney beans, black beans and corn: I like using two kinds of beans; you can also use pinto beans here.
- Spices: My secret chili spices are chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and a pinch of cinnamon.
- Adobo sauce: The secret ingredient! This is the smoky sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo and it adds major flavor depth. Don’t leave it out!
Red Vs. White Chicken Chili
When many people think of a chicken chili recipe, they think of white chicken chili with shredded chicken and white beans and green chiles.
This recipe is the other kind: it’s a red chili recipe built on tomatoes and chili powder, with ground chicken standing in for ground beef. If you love classic chili flavor but want it to be a healthy chili recipe, this is your recipe.
How To Make Ground Chicken Chili
Here’s the basic method (or jump to the recipe for exact quantities):
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion and green pepper for 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Cook the ground chicken. Add the chicken, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes, until no longer pink.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, beans, corn, water, spices, adobo sauce and salt.
- Simmer 30 minutes (or more if you have time). Technically you can simmer for 15 or so minutes, if you’re in a rush. But I’ve found the flavor is more developed at 30 minutes. It’s even better at 45 minutes, if you have time for that!
- Taste and serve. Add more adobo sauce if you’d like, then ladle into bowls and pile on the toppings.
Easy Variations To Try
- Vegetarian: I love making this into a healthy vegetarian chili too! I like adding 1 diced sweet potato in with the onion and green pepper, then adding a third can of black beans or pinto beans. You can also use a 12-ounce package of veggie crumbles in place of the chicken.
- Ground turkey: Swap it for the ground chicken. Again, I’m not a big ground turkey person so I prefer the chicken, but if you love it it’s a great swap!
- Extra smoky: Add 1 minced chipotle pepper in adobo for some extra heat.
- Sweet and smoky: Stir in 1 cup diced sweet potato or butternut squash with the onions.
Favorite Toppings And Sides
To me, there are certain toppings that are required for chili! For this one, I love it with a little whole milk Greek yogurt stirred in, and a hint of shredded cheese. To me, this keeps it as a healthy chili recipe that still has body and flavor. Here’s what I recommend:
- Greek yogurt, whole milk (you can also use sour cream or Mexican crema)
- Shredded cheese: Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese
- Sliced green onions and chopped cilantro
- Pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños (to me, pickled onions complete the look with the pop of bright pink)
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Tortilla chips or crispy tortilla strips
For sides, I love a wedge of skillet cornbread or cornbread muffins. You can also spoon this chili over a baked potato, baked sweet potato, or cilantro lime rice. For more ideas, see my list of sides to serve with chili.
Storage, Freezing And Make-Ahead Tips
This chicken chili stores refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if you need to loosen the texture. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months; the texture holds up well after thawing.
Dietary Notes
This ground chicken chili recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free (with dairy-free toppings noted above). It’s also Mediterranean diet friendly.
Easy Ground Chicken Chili
Pin RecipeThis easy ground chicken chili is a cozy one-pot dinner with beans, tomatoes and smoky spices. It’s the red chicken chili recipe my family asks for on repeat!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Mediterranean Diet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can corn, drained
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon each cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- For topping: shredded cheese, Greek yogurt (or cashew cream), sliced green onions or pickled red onions, or Mexican hot sauce (I like Cholula)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the ground chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink.
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and their juices, kidney beans, black beans, corn, water, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, adobo sauce and kosher salt. Stir until well combined.
- Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (or up to 45 minutes if you have time). If it becomes very thick, stir in ¼ cup more water (since brands of diced tomatoes vary quite a bit in moisture).
- Taste and add additional adobo sauce if desired. Serve warm, garnished with your favorite chili toppings. I think the Greek yogurt (or cashew cream) and a tiny bit of cheese are required here, but do what you love! Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Black bean chili (vegetarian and vegan): Add 1 small diced potato with the onion and green pepper and sauté them 6 to 8 minutes total, adding the garlic in the last minutes. Add 1 additional can of black beans if desired (or plant-based crumbles in place of the chicken).
- Ground turkey: Substitute ground turkey for a similar result.
- Smoky and spicy: Add 1 minced chipotle pepper in adobo plus another tablespoon of the adobo sauce.
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/f6QJPZc
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