Crockpot Green Chicken Chili
This green chicken chili is the perfect cozy and hearty meal for you and your family this winter. It is bursting with flavor, loaded with nutrient-dense and fiber-rich vegetables, and comes together easily in just one dish… your crockpot!
Everyone’s favorite season is finally here. No, I’m not talking about the Christmas season, silly, I’m talking about crockpot season!! The crockpot is my favorite kitchen tool because I’m all about convenience and minimal cleanup. While others have the crockpot limited to cool season months, I personally use mine year round to prep simple proteins and easy dinners. However, now that the cooler temperatures are here, I’m getting a bit cozier with my recipes starting with my favorite crockpot green chicken chili!
My favorite thing about the crockpot is it does all the work for you while you play with the kids, walk the dogs, and clean your kitchen. Then, voila, your dinner is ready! While some may think that cozy meals means heavy cream and heavy calorie loads, you can make tons of cozy meals that are packed with vegetables, lower in calorie, and equally as comforting.
This green chicken chili comes together very easily, has minimal mess, and is a cozy yet nutritious way to meal prep for yourself or feed an entire family or crowd.
What is Green Chicken Chili?
I’m a sucker for a good pot of chili but sometimes you just want to lighten it up, you know? Enter in this green chicken chili! To be honest, this recipe is a hybrid between chili and soup… I’m going to continue to call this chili even though green chicken chili soup would probably better capture the dish. Not only does this dish swap the traditional ground beef for chicken, but it also features delicious flavors like chopped tomatillos, hominy, green chilis, and is topped off with cumin, chili powder, and fresh cilantro! I also added in some chopped zucchini to up the vegetables and really round out the nutrition.
What to Serve With Green Chicken Chili?
This crockpot green chicken chili is already loaded with vegetables and high fiber beans. You can certainly serve more veggies on the side, but I typically pair it with a carbohydrate like:
Corn tortilla chips and guacamole
Corn bread with honey butter (this is my personal favorite)
Roasted corn on the cob
Elote corn side dish
Black bean quinoa
Recipe Modifications:
The best part about crockpot recipes is that many of them can also be a fridge clean-out recipe. While I recommend keeping the core ingredients the same, you can modify this recipe by:
Adding more vegetables: the more fillings, the better the chili (in my humble opinion). Other vegetables that would go great into this chili include corn, bell peppers, poblano peppers, asparagus, and tomatoes.
Make it spicy: add a kick by tossing the seeds of your jalapeno into this chili or adding some cayenne pepper.
Change your protein: this chili would also be delicious with shredded pork instead of chicken!
Ingredients:
As written, this recipe is both gluten free and dairy free. You may stick to that, or change it up with the toppings that you choose. This recipe comes together with easy, wholesome ingredients like:
Cooked chicken: I cooked and shredded two chicken breasts in the slow cooker but you could also use canned chicken, rotisserie chicken, or any other cooked chicken you have on hand.
White onion: Many people simply add onions for the flavor, but onions are also very nutrient dense and rich in antioxidants!
Low sodium chicken broth: Trust the green chicken chili process and let me remind you that I considered naming this recipe Green Chicken Chili Soup.. partly because it has chicken broth in it.
Zucchini: To be honest, the zucchini in this recipe serves no flavor or texture purpose and is simply there to add some extra vegetables. Add it if you want, omit it if you want.
Tomatillos: Tomatillos are a vibrant green color, firm in texture, tart in flavor and commonly used as the base of green salsas. You will find them near the tomatoes at a grocery store. Remove the tomatillos from their outer husk and rinse them off before chopping!
Rotel: Rotel is canned tomatoes and green chiles and you will often find me incorporating it into burritos and spicy stews or soups!
Cannelli Beans: I find these beans to work the best in soups and stews but you can certainly use white beans or pinto beans as well.
Diced Green Chilis: I chose mild for this recipe but you can up the heat level by choosing hot! Remember that this recipe also includes Rotel, which contains green chilis in it as well.
Hominy: Sign me up for literally any dish that has hominy in it. Hominy is corn that has been dried and then treated with an alkali solution to soften the outer layer of the corn kernel and creates a soft, luscious bite of hominy! I absolutely love the texture that hominy adds to this recipe.
Jalapeño: Fresh jalapeño is always a great addition to chili. To keep the spice mild, I removed the seeds and then finely diced my jalapeño.
Minced Garlic: Needs no explanation.
Cilantro: I love to use fresh herbs and spices as a low sodium way to add flavor to dishes so toss some fresh cilantro into this soup!
Seasonings: add some additional flavor with seasonings including chili powder, garlic salt, and cumin.
Toppings: These are up to you and can include avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, or crushed tortilla chips.
Recipe FAQs:
Can I freeze this chili?
Absolutely, this meal is perfect for the freezer whether you prep it for the freezer or freeze your leftovers. Personally, I recommend freezing soup or chili in single serve containers (glass or Ziploc bags) so that you can warm some up as needed. Simply follow the recipe as is and then allow the chili to cool to room temperature or refrigerate. Then place the chili in a freezer safe dish/bag, seal well and place in a freezer Ziploc bag to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 6 months for best flavor.
How do I cook this after it has been frozen?
If you freeze this recipe, I personally recommend setting your soup in the refrigerator the night before to let it thaw in the fridge. Then warm it on the stovetop or in a microwave safe dish. If cooking from frozen, I recommend thawing it over low heat in a large cast iron pan or on the low setting in your crockpot
Do I have to cook this in the crockpot?
No! I think using the crockpot is much easier for this recipe but you can prep this exact recipe in a large soup pot on the stove as well.
Crockpot Green Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts and place in your crockpot. Season mildly with garlic salt and chili powder (just a sprinkle) and add about ½ inch of your chicken broth. Add your chopped onion, zucchini, and tomatillos.
- Place on high and let cook for 2-3 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and shreds easily. Gently shred your chicken breasts into small pieces. (if you have precooked chicken, start here.)
- Add the rest of your chicken broth, beans, rotel, green chilis, hominy, chopped jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and seasonings to the crockpot with your cooked chicken and vegetables. Stir well. Switch your crockpot to low and cook for another 2 to 3 hours to allow the flavors to combine.
- Serve in a bowl and top with your favorite toppings like avocado and shredded cheese. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!