Easy Chicken Chili
Juicy nuggets of ground chicken in a slightly fiery sauce of tomatoes, green chilies, warming spices, and tender white beans. This easy, one-pot meal is low-carb, low-fat, high-protein, gluten-free, paleo, and keto, which basically checks all the boxes.
This chili can be made just the way you like it, every time you make it. For example, I made this batch mildly spicy by using can of “hot” diced tomatoes with green chilies. I could have easily used the mild version, or a regular can of diced tomatoes. For folks that like heat, you can serve hot sauce on the side.
Can you make this chili with beef or turkey? Definitely, and it would be equally fabulous. The ingredients in this chili work just as well with ground beef and ground turkey.
About the tomatoes: As I mentioned above, I used canned tomatoes with green chilies. You can use any tomato product you prefer, including diced, petite diced, fire-roasted, and tomatoes with seasonings. You can also use tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
Can you use different beans? Absolutely! I used white beans here, but you can use pinto, kidney, black, navy, and/or pink. You can also use chili beans, the legumes sold in a seasoned sauce.
Easy Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 14- to 15- ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, or regular diced tomatoes of choice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15- ounce can white beans, or beans of choice, rinsed and drained (if you’re using chili beans in seasoned sauce, don’t rinse/drain them)
For Serving
- Shredded cheese, such as Mexican cheese blend, cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, or cotija and/or queso fresco
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Chopped green onions
Equipment
Instructions
- Brown the chicken in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until the herbs and spices are fragrant.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to heat through.
- Ladle the chili into bowls and top with the cheese, cilantro, and green onions.