Last Updated on July 9, 2022 by Chef Mireille
Best Chicken Chili with Chipotle
This Chicken Chili is a delicious way to utilize leftover chicken or turkey, with smoky spices and chipotle.
Chili means different things to different people. For Americans, chili is a hearty stew of beans and meat. However, there are many variations. Chicken, beef, pork – the meat options are endless. You can also make vegetarian versions with only beans like my Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili recipe.
If you’d like to make this version Vegetarian, you can use mushrooms or soya chunks to substitute the meat.
What cuisine does chili come from?
Chili come from Tex-Mex cuisine – the Mexican influenced cuisine of Texas. However, chili is extremely popular throughout the southwestern United States.
The original and most popular Chili con Carne recipe was made with pinto beans and ground beef. However, chili in America has evolved into countless variations that exist today.
Recipe FAQ
What is chili powder?
Depending on what country you come from, you might think this is the same as red chili powder. However, it is not.
American chili powder is a spice blend that includes several smoky spices like paprika, cumin, coriander and allspice.
What kind of chicken should I use?
Chicken or turkey can be used in this Chicken Chili recipe. You can use any kind of leftover poultry – grilled chicken, roast chicken, rotisserie chicken or Thanksgiving turkey.
What kind of beans should I use?
Any kind of hearty beans can be used like black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans or Roman beans.
How should I serve chili?
Chili is such a versatile stew and is traditionally served in a variety of ways.
- It is often garnished with grated cheese. The grated cheese melts into it, making it even more delicious!
- It can be served over baked potatoes – again garnished with grated cheese on top.
- Chili Hot Dogs are common carnival food here in the US. Chili is used as a condiment on hot dogs.
- Chicken Chili can be served on its own with crusty bread or cornbread.
What if I can’t tolerate spicy food?
Easy as pie – eliminate the chipotles. If you’d like, you can add some chopped bell peppers. Add a little smoked paprika to still get that smoky flavor.
What kind of chicken did I use?
After I made some homemade Chicken Broth, I had a bunch of leftover chicken and that is how the Best Chicken Chili recipe was born!
What do you like to do with leftover chicken – Chicken Tacos, Chicken Soup. If you make your own Chicken Broth, you will always have chicken around to easily get dinner on the table quickly. Just freeze the chicken until it is ready to use.
This version of the Best Chicken Chili is so quick and easy to get dinner on the table quickly utilizing canned tomatoes, canned beans and leftover chicken.
Who knew dinner could be this delicious this quickly?
Chipotle Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 5 chopped chipotles from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 cups chopped chicken
- 15.5 oz. can Roman beans
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
- Grated cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil.
- Add onion, garlic and bell pepper.
- Saute until vegetables are softened.
- Add chipotles, tomatoes and 2 cups water.
- Add chili powder and bring to a boil.
- Add chicken and beans and simmer for a few minutes, until heated through.
- Add salt and cilantro. Stir to combine.
- To serve, garnish with cheese.
Nutrition
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Yum! Such a great use of leftovers and I love how quickly the chili comes together. Sounds perfect with those spices and the grated cheese on top.
yes – the grated cheese definitely makes the dish!
This is the ultimate super-quick flavor packed chicken dish! Such a great weeknight recipe.
yes virtually no time – it is so quick and easy!
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make this! My family is going to love this!
I’m sure they will. IT is so good, yet so quick and easy to put together.
This is my kind of comfort food! 🙂 It looks amazing.
It totally is and it also can be easily frozen when you have even less than 15 minutes 🙂
Total comfort food! It’s a rainy day here and I sure could go for a bowl of this fabulous chili!
it’s raining here in NYC also and this definitely fits the bill!
I love chicken chili and this recipe looks easy and delicious! Layers of goodness. 🙂
yes it’s just about the easiest chili recipe possible
The weather is cool here, and this is a wonderfully warming dish – we enjoyed it very much and love the flavours!
then it’s the perfect dish for you right now
We are all about chicken chili in our house, and I make the same one over and over. I am so excited to try your recipe. It looks terrific!
yes a little variety is the spice of life right 🙂
I love chipotle so much and this chili really tasted amazing. I love the added cheese on top too. My family ate the whole pot!
yes the cheese garnish is definitely the kicker that puts it over the top!
I love the sound of this chilli chicken with the chipotle and garlic. I can see it being the perfect comfort food on a cold day to warm the belly. Can’t wait to try out your recipe. Thanks!
I am sure you are going to love it when you do!