I love my crockpot. I have had a love affair with it for well over 10 years now but this sentiment is not shared by all of my family members. I am always looking for inspiration to make them love it again and this recipe, adapted from a recipe on Spend With Pennies, might actually have swayed them just a little. Colorful and satisfying, this Crockpot Chicken Chili is perfect for a crowd – it serves 8! (We ate it one night and froze the rest for a dinner another night and it reheated beautifully.)
Just a note as we get started: I regularly use crockpot liners because I am really not a fan of dishes. These make cleanup a breeze and keep me sane. (And show up in my pictures as plastic bags!)

Place two or three chicken breasts into the bottom of the crockpot. Corn, kidney beans and black beans will go in next. The black beans should be rinsed before you put them into the crockpot to get rid of excess salt. Add the chopped peppers, onion and diced tomatoes and just kind of stir things around to mix them up a bit.


In a large bowl or a big measuring cup (my favorite!) combine salsa, lime juice, chicken broth, minced garlic, taco seasoning and salt & pepper. Pour this mixture over the chicken mixture in the crockpot.

This will cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low with the cover on. It will smell fantastic pretty much the whole time.

When the time is up, pull out the chicken breasts and allow them to cool.

While the chicken breasts are cooling, stir in the refried beans until they are completely blended in. These will thicken the broth and really add to the chili. When the chicken has cooled, shred it. I use my hand mixer in a bowl because it does the job so fast but you can also shred with two forks.

Stir in the chicken and cover again and allow to heat for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with avocado and sliced jalapenos and whatever else you like. Give each bowl a little squeeze of lime just before serving. You’ll be amazed by what a wonderful addition it is. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 other color pepper chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced (optional) plus more for serving
- 1 15 oz can corn, drained
- 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 2 limes juiced (1/4 cup) plus more for serving
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic 3 tsp
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 16 oz can refried beans
- Avocado optional for serving
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts on bottom or crockpot and add peppers, corn, beans, onion and diced tomatoes.
- In a large bowl combine salsa, lime juice, chicken broth, garlic, taco seasoning, salt & pepper. Pour over chicken mixture.
- Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours, high 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken from crockpot and shred. Return to crockpot,
- Stir in refried beans and chicken and cook an additional 30 minutes until heated through and thickened.
- Serve with avocado slices, jalapeno slices (optional) and give each bowl a squeeze of lime before serving. Enjoy!
Sheila says
I just made this! Thanks for the recipe!
The Bandit says
Awesome Sheila! Hope you enjoyed it. 🙂