Looking for a lighter take on classic chili that’s still hearty and satisfying? This Chicken Chili with Ground Chicken is packed with lean protein, veggies, and bold spices, making it an easy, nutritious meal perfect for both busy weeknights and cozy weekends.
When weeknights are busy but you’re craving something warm and satisfying, this Chicken Chili with Ground Chicken is the perfect solution. It’s packed with lean protein, hearty vegetables, and bold spices, making it both nourishing and full of flavor.
With simple pantry seasonings like chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and cumin, this chili comes together quickly but tastes like it’s been simmering all day. Plus, using ground chicken instead of beef keeps it lighter without sacrificing that rich, comforting texture. It’s a one-pot meal that’s easy to prep, easy to clean up, and guaranteed to bring everyone to the table.
While this chili is a weeknight lifesaver, it’s also perfect for a cozy weekend meal when you want something hearty but not too heavy. Whether you serve it with cornbread, over rice, or with your favorite toppings, this is the kind of comfort food that fuels you without weighing you down. Make a big batch, and you’ve got leftovers that taste even better the next day—ideal for meal prepping a stress-free week!
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Jump to:
- So Much to Love About this Chili
- Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
- Simple Equipment
- Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
- Talking Tip!
- Cooking Steps for Ground Chicken Chili Recipe
- Variations on Chicken Chili
- Chicken Chili Recipe FAQs
- Want More Ground Chicken Recipes?
- Chicken Chili with Ground Chicken Recipe
- Comments
So Much to Love About this Chili
- Hands-Off Cooking – Toss everything in the slow cooker and let it do the work—perfect for hectic days.
- Minimal Cleanup – One pot means fewer dishes to wash after dinner.
- Nutritious & Balanced – Packed with lean protein, fiber-rich veggies, and bold spices for a wholesome, satisfying meal.
- Kid-Friendly & Customizable – Mild enough for little taste buds, but easy to spice up for adults.
- Perfect for Meal Prep & Freezer-Friendly – Make a big batch and enjoy easy leftovers or freeze portions for busy nights.
- Cozy & Comforting – A warm, flavorful chili that feels like a hug in a bowl, whether it’s a chilly weeknight or a relaxed weekend.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
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- Ground Chicken – I used 99% lean white meat ground chicken. You can use any ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork that you want. Instructions will be the same for all.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The oil is for browning the chicken in a pan before adding it to the slow cooker, so any vegetable oil or coconut oil will work.
- Onion – I used yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, shallots, or even scallions. If you don’t have fresh onion, you can also use a tablespoon of onion flakes or onion powder.
- Carrots – ou can use whole carrots with the skin on or peeled. I peeled for this recipe. You can substitute with diced baby carrots, parsnips, or even radishes.
- Celery – I like to use the stalk and the leaves. You can leave the celery out if you desire. You can also substitute with green pepper.
- Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! If you don’t have fresh, you can use garlic powder or flakes.
- Seasonings – I used a mix of warm, smoky, and peppery spices, but you can use your favorites. I used Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Paprika, and Cayenne Pepper.
- Tomato Paste – Tomato paste provides a deep tomato flavor to the chili.
- Diced Tomatoes – I like the chunks of tomato that you get with diced. However, you can substitute in pureed, crushed, diced, or whole tomatoes that you crush with your hands. Tomato sauce will work too. Whole peeled tomatoes in sauce or crushed tomatoes are fine too.
- Chicken broth or chicken stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock. If you don’t have broth or stock in liquid form, you can also use water mixed with a chicken bouillon cube or chicken base.
See recipe card for quantities.
Simple Equipment
For this recipe, you need a large skillet/frying pan for browning the ground chicken. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.
To finish preparing the chili, you will need a slow cooker. However, you could also make it in the oven in a dutch oven or soup pot with a lid.
Oh, and mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
Peel and dice the carrots and the onions. Dice the celery. Mince the garlic.
Talking Tip!
For soups, stews, and chili, keep a stash of ready-to-use diced carrots, onions, celery, and garlic in the freezer. Just chop them raw, store in an airtight container, and toss them straight into your recipes—no thawing needed!
Cooking Steps for Ground Chicken Chili Recipe
Since ground chicken is milder in flavor than beef, it needs a little extra help to shine in chili. Browning it first before adding it to the slow cooker enhances its taste and adds depth to the dish.
Add the ground chicken to a preheated pan over medium-high heat with oil.
Really let the chicken get browned because that means flavor.
Add the broth and scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Add the ground chicken and the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, then stir to combine.
Set the slow cooker for 6 hours on high, up to 10 on low.
This recipe is incredibly flexible when it comes to slow cooker timing. The chicken will be fully cooked in 4 hours, but the longer it simmers, the more the flavors meld together. If you’re out for 10 hours, don’t worry—this chili will only get better!
You can serve this chili by itself or spoon over pasta or rice.
Garnish with sour cream, scallions, cheese, or even tortilla chips.
Variations on Chicken Chili
Here are some delicious variations on chicken chili with ground chicken to switch up the flavors and textures:
- Chicken & Bean Chili – Adding canned beans to this chili brings more protein, more creaminess, and more meatiness to the chili. For a white chicken chili, you can add white beans, such as cannellini beans. You can also add traditional kidney beans, or even pinto or garbanzo beans.
- Tex Mex Chili – Add green chilies, corn, bell pepper, cilantro, and cream cheese for a creamy texture. Add avocados and shredded cheese on top.
- Low-Carb – Use cauliflower rice, or bell peppers for unique flavors.
- Italian-Style Chicken Chili – Swap out traditional chili seasoning for Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme). Use cannellini beans and diced tomatoes with garlic.
See another popular chili recipe, Chili Mac and Cheese!
Chicken Chili Recipe FAQs
Ground turkey works just as well and has a similar texture and flavor.
This is a dairy free recipe unless you enjoy toppings that include dairy. So if you’re normally a fan of sour cream, you should find a substitute and skip the cheese.
While this is a beanless chili, you could opt to mash some beans or add a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the chili. Simmering uncovered for a few extra minutes also helps reduce excess liquid.
Add extra jalapeños, cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, or a splash of hot sauce to increase the heat level.
Want More Ground Chicken Recipes?
If you want more ground chicken recipes, that offer a nice lean protein-based dinner, then you will love these recipes too!
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Chicken Chili with Ground Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground chicken, White meat
- 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ cup Onion, diced
- ½ cup Carrots, diced
- ½ cup Celery, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes whole peeled tomatoes in sauce or crushed tomatoes are fine too.
- 1 cup Chicken or beef broth or stock vegetable stock is fine too
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Peel and dice the carrots and the onions. Dice the celery. Mince the garlic.
Cooking Steps
- Preheat a large skillet or frying pan to medium-HIGH and then add 2 teaspoons olive oil and the ground chicken. Break up the chicken and spread it around to create a flat layer to fill the skillet. Let it sit there until it gets a brown sear, about 5 minutes. Since white meat chicken will not have as much flavor as dark meat, you really want to bring out the flavor through browning! Stir the meat to brown on all sides. Let it sit for another 3-5 minutes until browned and there are brown bits on the bottom of skillet. Add the broth and scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the chicken and the liquid into the slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Set the slow cooker for 6-10 hours, depending on your schedule.
- You can serve this chili by itself or Spooned over pasta or rice. Garnish with sour cream, scallions, cheese, or even tortilla chips. Enjoy!
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