This Chipotle Chicken Chili is one of our family’s favorite chilis but I’m giving you a disclaimer. It’s a serious, adult chili. That being said, everyone in my family loves it – both for its unbeatable flavor and the heat!
Chipotle Chicken Chili
Here is the Chili that will score points on game day, at the ski condo, or on the snowmobile trip. Just be sure you’re serving it to those who can man up and take it – even if they’re not men. I’m joking coz I’m a Grandma six times over and I love this chili!
About Chipotle Chicken Chili:
While this isn’t hot enough to do you in, unless you have kids like mine who grew up eating spicy food, be careful. I give options for a range of heat from hot to hotter and there are pics and links to some of our tamer chilis if you think this one won’t suit.
Chipotle Chicken Chili is different from other White Chicken Chilis. It’s a deeply rich, earthy, spicy chili that just to be made white beans and chicken. And it’s not all about the layers of heat; there’s an incredibly complex flavor that tastes like it was slowly simmered for hours. And that’s achieved in about 40 minutes.
My inspiration is Lucinda Scala Quinn of Mad Hungry and her Hearty Chicken Chili. I did change it up:
- I fabulously “frugalized” it so you can have it on your table at a reasonable cost.
- I used boneless chicken instead of whole pieces.
- I streamlined the recipe and instructions just to make it more doable.
One Mad Genius move Lucinda made that I kept? She served darling little toasted cornbread “croutons” with her chili. They’ll be on their own post, coming soon.
Cornbread Croutons
Let’s Talk about that Heat:
Three types of chile, chipotle, jalapeno, and chili powder give this recipe a wide range of flavor and heat.
If you decide to reduce the heat level, start by lowering the amounts of the different chiles rather than eliminating any of them altogether.
Making Chipotle Chicken Chili:
This recipe makes a little over six cups, which is a bowl for four people, about a cup and a half each. That won’t go far in my family and def isn’t enough for a party! I double it every time for home and make lots more if there’s a crowd.
Pay close attention to a couple of parts in the recipe and take some care.
- Watch the heat on your pan as you’re searing the chicken; too hot and you’ll burn all the fond (the lovely little browned bits on the bottom of the pan) and that gives so much flavor to the Chipotle Chicken Chili.
- Watch the spices, too, as you toss them into the heat of the skillet to toast. That wakes up the flavors of spices, but be ready to add the rest of the ingredients as soon as those spices become fragrant. If they cook too hot or too long, they’ll burn. Adding the other ingredients will lower the temperature in a heartbeat.
Chipotle Chicken Chili
Our Other Favorite Chicken Chili Recipes:
I have several killer Chili recipes on my site and they all have their place. You might want to check out my Barbecue Chicken Chili which is a Stovetop or Instant Pot recipe, Easy White Chicken Chili, Creamy White Chicken Chili, or this fabulous White Chicken Chili (that last is a Stovetop, Slow Cooker, or Instant Pot recipe.) Go to my menu for more chili recipes!Soups, Chowders & Chilis
Storing and Reheating the Chili:
Almost any slow-cooking “stew-like” recipe tastes better the next day and this is no exception. When storing a heavy, dense dish like this, cool to room temp before placing in the fridge and cover until chilled. It cools faster.
When reheating, add more liquid if needed. It’s a judgment call but it will be difficult to tell how much liquid to add until it has started heating. Reheat on the stove or the microwave, gently stirring often. Be careful not to turn it to mush.
Chipotle Chicken Chili freezes well. It’s a great candidate for a larger batch to divide and freeze for future meals or individual portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge or microwave on defrost before reheating so it doesn’t overcook.
Substitute for Chili Packet
Saving Money on Ingredients:
Chipotle Chicken Chili can easily be stretched by adding more beans and stock. The lowly bean is super healthy. Soaking and rinsing beans (and eating them regularly) eliminates common issues.
To see what might be on sale before any holiday, see my post Win at the Grocer.
- Beans: Canned beans are cheap but dried beans are cheaper. A pound of beans equals about 3 standard 15-ounce cans. Dried beans are often on sale around any holiday whether ham is normally served.
- Stock: It pays to make your own Chicken Stock with bones and scraps, but if you don’t, buy your stock during the glut of sales over the Winter Holidays and before Easter.
- Canned Tomatoes: go on sale regularly, so buy enough to last until the next great sale (they drop to a low about once a quarter.) If you’re not particular about the brand you’ll have more opportunities to save.
- Chipotle Chiles: Cans of Chipotle Chilis are often on sale unadvertised, and usually at a low before Cinco de Mayo. Once a can is opened, place the rest in a Ziploc and freeze. They don’t freeze totally hard and can be chopped right from the frozen state.
- Chicken: Never pay full price on any chicken; it goes on sale often, usually reaching a low about once a quarter, and freezes well. Know your prices and stock up when it’s at rock bottom.
- Jalapenos: Seldom on sale but packages of about a dozen are dirt cheap at Aldi or Lidl. They’ll last a week or two in the fridge. Extras can be roasted, steamed, deseeded, and frozen in small packets for future recipes.
- Chili Packet: Save a little by making this homemade Chili Seasoning in bulk.
Chipotle Chicken Chili
Chipotle Chicken Chili
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup Chili
- Cuisine: Mexican or Southwestern
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, about 1 3/4 pounds
- 1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
- 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers
- 4 garlic cloves, peel on
- 1 large can (29 ounces) whole tomatoes, broken up, juice reserved for another use (see note)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney, white or pinto beans, drained
Note on tomatoes; If using the blender, pierce and squeeze the tomatoes first and allow excess juices to drain out. If blended “as is” the tomatoes will add too much liquid to the chili.
Instructions
Add chicken breasts to a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken without too much extra room. Add the chicken broth. If needed, add a little additional water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook breasts 10 – 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the broth. Once cool enough to handle, remove chicken from the broth (reserve the broth) and cut chicken into large bite-sized pieces. The chicken will break down more as it simmers in the chili. Set aside. Measure the broth and add a little water to return to 1 1/2 cups if necessary. If there is excess it can be saved to use if the chili happens to be too thick.
In the meantime, place oven rack three inches from broiler. Prepare sheet pan with enough aluminum foil to hold the jalapeno, garlic, and onion halves, with the edges of the foil turned up. Place the vegetables, with the onion cut side down on the foil. Broil until starting to char, turning the garlic as the top side browns and turning the jalapeno as needed so each side chars. The garlic will need to be removed first as it will be finished before the others. Chop onion and set aside. Remove the skin, seeds, and stem from the jalapeno. Remove the skin from the garlic. Chop jalapeno and garlic and set aside separately from the onion.
As the chicken breasts and vegetables cook, drain tomatoes, reserving liquid for another use. Place tomatoes in a blender and pulse to break up, or break up by hand, removing any hard bits from the stem area. Set aside until needed.
Add oil to a large, heavy Dutch oven (preferably enamel cast-iron) and place over medium heat. Add the onion, stirring now and then until golden brown. Push aside onion and add chili powder, stirring until it is fragrant and begins to darken, about a minute. Do not burn. Stir in chipotle and add tomatoes, stirring to loosen darkened bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the broth, chicken, jalapeno, garlic, and salt. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until desired thickness is reached, stirring often. Add beans and simmer another five to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. If by any chance the chili is too thick, add a little saved chicken broth, if any, or a little water.
Serve with desired toppings, and/or cornbread.
