As healthy as it is easy, this Chicken Chili will become your new go-to meal for busy nights! Pop all the ingredients in the Crockpot, and even kids and non-chili fans will love.

This flexible recipe will have you covered when you forgot to take chicken breasts out to thaw or when you have leftover cooked or store-bought rotisserie chicken. Everything else comes from the pantry and you’re likely to have it on hand. If not, we have listed many substitutions you can easily make. Making this the perfect easy meal you can make anytime!

Easy and Healthy Crockpot Chicken Chili

This is one of our biggest go-to meals at the moment. It’s something this busy mom can count on. All I need to do is pull the jars from the pantry and the chicken right from the freezer.

To be honest, I’ve never really been much of a chili fan. I think it’s mainly the ground beef that I’m not a fan of. Which is probably why I love the amazing chili made with pork sausage and topped with sour cream, cheese, and Fritos that friends bring each year on our annual snowmobile trip. That one is pretty fantastic! However, this lighter version is better for weeknights.

The chicken and black beans make this chili something I actually crave, rather than the typical chili recipes I grew up with.

Also Read: Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

If you’re looking for a slow cooker, we have two sizes that I love. I use this smaller, round size for smaller meals and this larger oval crockpot for larger meals. Our friends have one similar to this that is programmable with an interlocking lid.

Weight Watchers 0 points!

I actually created this recipe after searching for 0 point Weight Watchers recipes. Specifically, Crockpot meals that I can count on when things are busy. Well, a couple recipes for 0 Point Crockpot Chicken Chili came up, like this one. This recipe is no longer 0 point because of the corn and kidney beans, I believe, but it is still amazingly healthy!

Therefore, if you’re on Weight Watchers, this is a recipe you can easily fit within your points or make 0 points based on the plan you follow.

Use what you have

I can tell you, from someone who never makes this Chicken Chili the same way twice, it is always good! I encourage you to make substitutions based on what you have.

Changes we have made to this Chicken Chili recipe

Almost any beans will do. We start with a base of a large can of pinto beans, sometimes two if we want to have a lot leftover. Equal in importance to the pinto beans are the black beans, in my opinion. I love them! The kidney beans are optional, but I really like the firmness of them for some reason.

The corn is up to you. My husband and the kids like the sweet crunch of the corn. However, we’ve made it without plenty of times. Corn is high in fiber, but can cause blood sugar spikes.

Diced tomatoes add juice. I probably never keep the amount of diced tomatoes the same each time I make this recipe either. I’ve used a large can, two small cans, one small can, and no tomatoes. I also drain the tomatoes at time and not at others. Draining and rinsing the tomatoes like the beans brings down the sodium level of the dish, but adding the juice and all makes for a juicier Chicken Chili.

Frozen or pre-cooked chicken. You can make this Chicken Chili with both frozen breasts, straight from the freezer, or pre-cooked chicken from leftovers or a store-bought rotisserie. I love that this is a recipe I can make even when I forget to thaw the chicken! Just throw a couple chicken breasts in and they’ll cook by dinner time. However, this Chicken Chili is also a great way to use up leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just add it in toward the end of your cooking time. Both are delicious and equally easy!

Also Read: Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir Fry

Convenience is key!

The absolute best part of this Chicken Chili is that it is the easiest meal every! Perfect for busy nights or weekends. Just dump all the ingredients in in the morning and you have something great by dinnertime.

This is why I love slow cooker recipes! Any meal where you can dump a lot of ingredients in one pot and let it cook without anymore work from us busy moms, is the way to go!

With just canned items and frozen or pre-cooked chicken breasts, this is also something you can make because you’ll probably have the ingredients in your pantry or freezer. I make sure to re-stock on beans, tomatoes, and corn each time I make this. However, like I said above, this works with all sorts of substitutions, so I can almost always make it work.

Also Read: One-Pot Asiago Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

Chicken Chili: Healthy Crockpot Meal

As I mentioned, many times, this is so easy! I’ll walk you through it quickly.

First, grab that chicken from the freezer. Take out two or three chicken breasts, completely frozen, and throw them in the crockpot. Turn it up to high and close the lid.

Then, chop your onion. Throw that over the chicken and close the lid again.

Open all your cans. For the diced tomatoes, you can throw them right in on top of the chicken and onion. For all the rest, pour them into a strainer and rinse them well before dumping them in the Crockpot. Canned beans and vegetables are high in sodium, which is why this needs no extra salt.

Once everything is in there, add your spices to the top. Mix it all together, leaving the chicken on the bottom of the pot. Put the lid back on and let it all cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Anytime after about 6 hours or so, you can pull your chicken breasts out to shred. It’s quickest to shred them on a cutting board. However, we’ve done it right in the Crockpot. You just end up chasing the pieces around a little bit. Put the chicken right back in and stir it all together and you’re ready to eat.

If you have pre-cooked chicken, you could probably get away with only about 4-6 hours on this recipe and just throw it to heat it up at the end.

Top your Chicken Chili!

If you ask my kiddos, their favorite part of having Chicken Chili for dinner is topping it with a dollop of sour cream and a handful of shredded cheese.

I have to admit, that’s the way I like it too. Yum! It only takes a little sour cream to make the whole bowl creamy and delicious. I also love to add a few slices of avocado. It adds the perfect amount of bright flavor and even more creaminess. So good!

I hope you enjoy this fool-proof, healthy, weeknight meal! Let me know how it goes, or share how you have always made your chili!

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