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Cozy up to a bowl of the easiest chicken chili recipe EVER! My Mexican chicken chili is flavorful and comprises three kinds of beans: corn, tomatoes with chiles, chicken, and onion. Make yourself a bowl of the most delicious chicken chili in 30 minutes!
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Chicken Chili
Chili is one of my favorite foods. What could be better than a simple chili recipe, put together in just over 30 minutes? Flavorful, easy chicken chili is one of my all-time favorite ways to make chili. But this Mexican chili soup… it’s something else!
This is not your basic chili recipe! This is a stove-top spicy chili recipe, but it is not overpowering. Adding corn gives it a nice, sweet crunch, and once you melt the cheese on top, it’s all over!
This recipe is so easy and just amazing.
Maryjo
Best Chicken Chili Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion, finely chopped
- Navy beans
- Black beans
- Northern beans or Pinto Beans
- Whole kernel corn
- Tomato sauce
- diced tomatoes with green chiles
- taco seasoning
- pan seared chicken breasts, one whole rotisserie chicken, or shredded chicken
How to Make Chicken Chili
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped white onion to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften and become translucent.
- Stir in a packet of taco seasoning or my delicious taco seasoning blend.
- Add navy beans, half black beans, and northern beans to a blender and puree.
- Stir pureed beans into the pot.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and whole-kernel corn to the pot.
- Add shredded chicken to the pot. You can use leftover chicken such as rotisserie chicken or the meat of 3 cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I love making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot. It is super easy.
- Mix in the remaining half can of navy and black beans, then stir to combine.
- Let your white bean chicken chili simmer over medium heat until fully heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the juice of 1 lime and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.
This is the easiest chicken chili recipe you will ever make. It’s similar to a Chicken Tortilla Soup but a thick, hearty chili. I love serving it with my Quesabirria Tacos recipe!
Recipe for Chicken Chili Tips
- One of the BEST parts about this easy chili recipe is that you can use leftover chicken to make it.
- I like to use shredded rotisserie chicken or instant pot shredded chicken to make mine.
- Want a little more spice? Add some chili powder or cayenne pepper to it.
- This is the easiest way to make shredded chicken. Make the chicken in the Instant Pot and shred it using a hand mixer. You can follow my step-by-step instructions on how to make shredded chicken.
Easy Chicken Chili Recipe Toppings
- Corn Tortilla Strips OR Frito Chips
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Green Onions
- Diced Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
Chicken Chili Recipe FAQs
Chili lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can freeze chili soup in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To reheat, just thaw on the countertop and heat in the microwave or the stovetop.
The secret to perfect chili is creating depth of flavor with your ingredients; pay attention to the seasonings used, kinds of beans, and tomatoes with green chiles to kick this Mexican chili up a notch from your average classic chili recipe.
Red Chicken Chili can be made with either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. They both work great. So use your favorite.
Best Beans for Chili
- Navy beans: Also known as haricot beans, Boston beans, or pea beans. These are small white beans that are perfect chili beans.
- Black beans: Black beans are a common bean, also known as black turtle beans. They are dense and with a meaty texture, so they’re great for making chili with beans.
- Northern beans: Northern beans, also known as Great Northern Beans, are large white beans. They are larger than navy beans and smaller than cannellini beans. They resemble lima beans, with a nutty flavor and an excellent texture for chili beans!
How to Thicken Chili
This is a thick chili recipe already, but if you find your chili is not thick enough, you can add a thickening agent like flour, cornstarch, or even corn masa flour.
Take a bit of liquid from your chili, about a cup if possible, and mix in one tablespoon or so of your thickening agent. Add another tablespoon if one does not do the job. If you mix outside the pot of chili, it’s less likely to clump up and easier to mix in and thicken your Mexican chili!
Storing Chili Chicken Recipe
- Cooling Down: Let the chicken chili cool to room temperature.
- Containers: Store it in airtight containers or resealable bags.
- Refrigeration: Keep it in the refrigerator if you plan to eat it within 4 days.
- Freezing: For longer storage, freeze it. Use freezer-safe containers or bags.
- Thawing: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or using the microwave.
- Reheating: Warm it on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
How to Reheat Homemade Chicken Chili
- Microwave Method:
- Transfer a portion of chicken chili into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe lid or microwave-safe plastic wrap, leaving a small vent.
- Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until heated through.
- Check the temperature and continue heating in 1-minute intervals if needed.
- Stovetop Method:
- Pour chicken chili into a saucepan or pot.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
- Once heated, it’s ready to serve.
Chili Recipes
This chili is one of my favorite football foods – get more Super Bowl Food Ideas!
Recipe
Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 white onion finely chopped
- 1 can navy beans 15.5 oz., drained & rinsed
- 1 can black beans 15.5 oz., drained & rinsed
- 1 can northern beans 15.5 oz., drained & rinsed
- 1 can whole kernel corn 15.5 oz., drained
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles 14.5 oz., undrained, such as Rotel
- 1 packet taco seasoning 1.25 oz.
- 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded; or, 1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded – amounts to about 4.5 cups total
Optional Chili Toppings
- corn tortilla strips OR frito chips
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
See my Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped white onion to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften and become translucent.1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 white onion
- Stir in 1 (1.25 oz.) packet of taco seasoning.1 packet taco seasoning
- Add half of a 15.5 oz can of navy beans, half a 15.5 oz can of black beans, and one whole 15.5 oz. can of northern beans to a blender and puree.1 can navy beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can northern beans
- Stir pureed beans to the pot.
- Add an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, two 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and a 15.5 oz. can of drained whole kernel corn to the pot.1 can tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1 can whole kernel corn
- Add about 4.5 cups of shredded chicken to the pot. You can use leftover chicken such as rotisserie chicken or the meat of 3 cooked chicken breasts.3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Mix in the remaining half can of navy beans and half can of black beans, then stir to combine.
- Let your white bean chicken chili simmer over medium heat until fully heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add juice of 1 lime and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.corn tortilla strips OR frito chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream
Video
Notes
- If you find the chili is not thick enough to your liking, take about a cup of liquid from the chili. Mix it with 1 to 2 Tbsp. of a thickening agent such as flour, corn masa flour, or cornstarch. Add the mixture back to the chili and slowly mix it in to thicken the chili.
Meghan says
I am going to make this tonight. The ingredients do not say to drain/rinse navy beans. I’m assuming I should?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi, Meghan! Please enjoy, and thank you for pointing this out! I would recommend draining and rinsing the navy beans as well.
Tony says
Do I actually need to purée the beans or could I just add them as is?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Tony! You could just add them as is if you’d prefer them to be whole. It’s really just a matter of which texture you’d prefer. Enjoy!
Sarah S says
Overall a very tasty healthful dish! But I had to make some adjustments. I added about a cup of chicken stock as it needed more liquid. And I only added about 2 cups of chicken as 4 cups would have been too much. I also kept the beans whole to make a a chunkier chili. I’ll will make this again!
Isabel Laessig says
Glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!