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Slow Cooked Chicken Chili

  • Author: Dana Gerard
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 hours 30 mins
  • Total Time: 5 hours 50 mins
  • Yield: 4+ servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Southwestern
Slow cooked chicken chili with garnishes: cilantro. sliced cherry tomatoes and pepper jack cheddar cheese.

Use your slow cooker to make this easy, lighter tasting chili featuring boneless chicken instead of meat. It’s a one pot meal packed with smoky southwestern flavor your whole family will love.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken (skinless, boneless thigh meat) (640 gm)
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1/2 medium onion)
  • 1 tablespoon crushed garlic or roasted garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • pinch of sugar or sugar substitute
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce (Classico Tomato and Basil)
  • 1 teaspoon blended chili in adobo sauce (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 14 oz drained chopped tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes
  • 11 oz light beer ( for gluten free, just substitute with chicken broth)
  • 8 oz chicken broth (low sodium ok)
  • 2 tablespoons masa flour
  • 1/4 cup or more cool water
  • Optional garnishes:
  • fresh cilantro
  • fresh sliced cherry tomatoes
  • grated white cheddar cheese
  • limes, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Up to a day in advance: rinse and dry chicken pieces and place in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate.
  2. In a small mixing bowl combine next eleven ingredients: chopped onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, smoked paprika, sugar, salt, tomato paste, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and chiles in adobo sauce. Cover and refrigerate.
  3. To make chili: plug in slow cooker and add onion/tomato mixture. Pour in beer and broth and stir to combine. Add whole chicken thighs and press down into liquid, spreading pieces evenly throughout pot. Cover and cook on low 5 – 6 hours. (Start checking for doneness after 5 hours.)
  4. When chicken is very tender, remove meat and slice thickly.
  5. To thicken chili, combine 2 tablespoons masa flour with 1/4 cup or more cool water and stir well to remove any clumps. Pour masa mixture into chili liquid and stir well. Return sliced chicken pieces to chili liquid and stir again. Cover pot and turn to lowest setting, such as BUFFET or SIMMER an additional 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
  6. Serve with garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, sliced cherry tomatoes, grated white cheddar cheese and thin slices of lime.
  7. See blog post for photos and additional tips and tricks.