I know it’s mid-July, but I just had to do Barbecue Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot with some of the Honey Barbecue Pulled Pork I made the other day. No Instant Pot? No worries. The stovetop instructions are here, too.
Barbecue Chicken Chili
I was thinking about my Dad and how he loves chili, year-round when I made this. He always orders chili if it’s on a menu, anywhere, anytime. I wonder what he’d think of my barbecue twist? We loved it here at our house and he’d love it, and I think you will, too!
About Barbecue Chicken Chili:
There’s a lot of overlap between the flavors and spices of Chili and Barbecue, so this twist of barbecue chili worked so well. That honey barbecue gives a hint of sweet to the chili that’s almost addictive. A splash of a vinegar-based hot sauce when this is served amplifies the flavor giving a sweet/sour twang. Don’t skip it!
I developed this recipe specifically to use some of the chicken & broth left from making my Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken. It’s a big batch recipe. Whether you cook that chicken in the Slow Cooker or in the Instant Pot, there will be extra juices/broth and they are so tasty.
One of my mottos: Never waste flavor – and that broth has it! Rich, chicken-y, barbecue flavor. If you’re coming to this page and you haven’t made the Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken? Scroll down, and I give you options. Or back up and make the Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken from my last post! It’s super easy and crazy good.
Corn Fritter Pancakes. Honey Barbecued Pulled Chicken, Sweet Corn Salsa & Honey Lime Slaw
Serving the Chili:
Of course, you’ll want to top this with a little cheese and some sour cream. And for a hot sauce? Try a little of the Cholula Chili Lime, and no, no one is paying me to say that! It highlights all the flavors in the chili.
But for a big surprise? It was how good a scoop of my Roasted Sweet Corn Salsa was on top of my Barbecue Chicken Chili.
Roasted Sweet Corn Salsa
Making Barbecue Chicken Chili:
Barbecue Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or on the Stovetop. Either way, please start with pre-soaked or brined beans. I’ve tried many recipes in my IP with dried beans that haven’t been soaked or brined and stopped doing it. The results just aren’t as good.
Everyone tells you the recipes with unsoaked beans are great, but frankly they aren’t. There is always a mix of too soft and just right or too crunchy and just right. For the best results use the brining options on this page: Soaking and Brining Beans.
When you make this with Chicken from my Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken, you’ll just stir the chicken in at the end to heat through. If you want to make this recipe and don’t have any Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken, I feel sorry for you.
Ok seriously, use any pulled chicken or pulled pork, homemade or from a restaurant, or use one of the tubs you can pick up in the refrigerator section of the store. Just use chicken broth instead of a mix of chicken broth and the leftover broth from the pulled Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken. Add a bit of barbecue sauce to the chili, to taste. Easy peasy.
Barbecue Chicken Chili
Storing and Reheating:
When storing a heavy, dense dish like this, add it to the fridge after it’s cooled. Cover only after it’s chilled. It will cool down faster.
When reheating, add more liquid if needed. It’s a judgment call and it will be difficult to tell how much liquid to add until it has started reheating. Reheat on the stove or the microwave, gently stirring often. Be careful not to turn it to mush.
This freezes well. Thaw overnight in the fridge or defrost in the microwave.
Other Favorite Chicken Chilis:
You might want to check out this serious Chipotle Chicken Chili, a very Easy White Chicken Chili, my Creamy White Chicken Chili, and this White Chicken Chili made in the Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, or Stovetop. You can see more Chili recipes on the menu for Soups, Chowders, and Chilis.
Saving Money on Barbecue Chicken Chili:
Using a little leftover barbecued chicken is a serious flex; a great way to take a bit of something and turn it into a main meal! To see what might be on sale before any holiday, see my post Win at the Grocer.
- 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.
- Bell Peppers: Buy on sale; they’ll keep two to three weeks in the fridge. Discount groceries run about the same price as the regular grocery on sale. Green is always less expensive than other colors. Compare pricing in two or three packs to singles.
- 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 when 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; 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 hard and can be chopped right from the frozen state.
Barbecue Chicken Chili
Barbecue Chicken Chili
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Chili
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Hint: Make sure your beans are soaked or brined for this recipe. See post on Soaking and Brining Beans
- 2 to 4 jalapenos, roasted & seeded or not, finely diced (see note, below)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2/3rds of a pound of pintos, soaked or brined
- 2 cups cooking liquid left from Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken or a mixture of liquid and chicken stock to make 2 cups.
- 1 29-ounce can whole tomatoes with juices, tomatoes crushed by hand
- 2 to 3 cups cooked pulled chicken
- Garnishes: Sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, chopped green onion
Stovetop Version:
- 2 to 4 jalapenos, roasted & seeded or not, finely diced (see note, below)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2/3rds of a pound of pintos, soaked or brined
- 3 cups cooking liquid left from Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken or a mixture of liquid and chicken stock to make 3 cups. Add more liquid if needed to cover beans by one inch.
- 1 29 ounce can whole tomatoes with juices, tomatoes crushed by hand
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 to 3 cups cooked pulled chicken
- Garnishes: Sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, chopped green onion
Instructions
All versions: to roast jalapenos:
- Arrange jalapenos in a row on a foil-lined cookie sheet, just touching each other. Place about 4 inches under the broiler. Broil until blistered, two to three minutes, then remove sheet and turn the jalapenos, broiling again until blistered. Repeat until all sides are blistered and slightly charred.
- Place in a small paper bag or a small bowl, sealed with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 minutes to steam. When cool enough to handle, remove the majority of the charred skin. Roasted jalapenos freeze well and a great shortcut is to make more than needed, then divide in small portions and freeze.
Instant Pot Version:
Heat Instant Pot with 1 tablespoon of oil in the inner liner set on Saute until pot is hot. Add in the onions, bell pepper, and jalapenos and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until vegetables have softened. Add a lid, partially ajar, to speed up the process. (Never put a lid fully on the IP while sauteeing.)
As the vegetables cook, to a small bowl add the spices, the chili, cumin, salt, and paprika, Mix together.
When the vegetables are tender add the garlic, stir, then all the spices and herbs. Stir, let toast for a few minutes until spices become fragrant. Deglaze with the chicken stock/reserved cooking broth mixture. Add in the pintos, level them, then without stirring them in, add the tomatoes on top.
Cover with lid fitted with liner, seal, and set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes. When done, allow to sit for 10 minutes on the Keep Warm function, then release the remaining pressure manually. Gently stir in the pulled chicken.
If a thicker chili is desired, mix 2 tablespoons Masa Harina with 1/2 cup of the liquid. Set the Instant Pot to Saute; when it begins to simmer, stir in the mixture. Simmer for several minutes, paying special attention to the bottom of the pot; a plastic spatula works well for this. Turn off the Instant Pot, but continue stirring until the chili is no longer simmering.
Garnish as desired with Sour Cream, Cheese and/or Cilantro.
Stovetop Version:
Heat a Dutch Oven with 1 tablespoon of oil until pot is hot. Add in the onions, bell pepper, and jalapenos and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until vegetables have softened. Add a lid, partially ajar, to speed up the process.
As the vegetables cook, to a small bowl add the spices, the chili, cumin, and paprika, Mix together.
When the vegetables are tender add the garlic, stir, then all the spices. Stir, let toast for a few minutes until spices become fragrant. Deglaze with the chicken stock/reserved cooking broth mixture. Add in the pintos and the tomatoes. At this point, there should be enough liquid to cover the beans by about an inch. Add more broth if needed.
Partially cover and very gently simmer, small bubbles popping up now and then until beans are tender. Check at about an hour then every five minutes after that. When beans are done, add salt and gently stir in the pulled chicken.
If a thicker chili is desired, mix 2 tablespoons Masa Harina with 1/2 cup of the liquid in the chili. Set the Instant Pot to Saute and when it begins to simmer, stir in the mixture. Simmer for several minutes, paying special attention to the bottom of the pot; a plastic spatula works well for this. Turn off the Instant Pot, but continue stirring until the chili is no longer simmering.
Garnish as desired with Sour Cream, Cheese and/or Cilantro.
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I’m sharing Barbecue Chicken Chili at Fiesta Friday #233.
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