This Southwest slow-pitch chicken chili recipe is loaded with black beans, corn, and tomatoes and makes an easy-to-prepare soup or stew. It can work as a hearty sauce to pair with tortilla chips and sour cream. And with just 5 minutes of preparation, it’s perfect for a mid-week meal.
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One
thing we miss living outside the United States is Southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisine. It’s something we grew up in. As much as we have more classic Mexican cuisine living in Spain, it’s that Tex-Mex flavor we miss.
However, while visiting my sister in New Jersey, I found it the perfect opportunity to throw some Southwest chicken chili into her slow cooker on a cold, rainy winter day. She’s not a cook (not at all, sometimes I can’t believe we grew up in the same home).
I walked through this simple recipe with her. It is an easy chicken chili that can make a meal with many leftovers.
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Looking for a unique chili recipe? Check out this sweet and savory beef, black bean and pumpkin chili. Or, try our Chicken with Red Beans – Cowboy Stew.
Using a slow cooker for chicken chili It’s easy to use a slow cooker or
slow cooker to
make chili. Just throw everything in the pot, stir, set it and forget it. When making beef chili, some people like to brown the meat first. This step is not necessary for a chicken with chili.
Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may want to cut them in half. I used about a pound of chicken, which was all in one piece. I cut it into four pieces. Just remember how many pieces you threw in the slow cooker.
Once the chicken is in the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to flip the pieces and season the other side. Then start preparing the other ingredients.
That’s the hardest step. Then, simply throw the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Give it a good stir. Go to work. Come home. Dine. I love recipes like this.
Check out our Southwestern 15 chicken bean soup recipe
.
Shredding the chicken for the chili
There is one more step before eating. About 30-60 minutes before the chili is ready, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken breasts from the chili.
Place chicken breasts in a large bowl to catch any juice that may drip if you use a cutting board. Use two forks to crush the chicken into bite-sized pieces. This makes it a shredded chicken chili.
Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Stir well and replace the top. The juice will be soaked directly into the shredded chicken.
Tips For Southwest Chili With Black Bean And Corn
As long as you cook something that is considered Southwestern-style, the level of spices is entirely up to you
.
If you’re sensitive to heat (like my sister is) simply sprinkle chili powder and crushed red pepper. If you love the heat, take things to the next level. Or do a taste test about an hour before the chili is ready and add a little more heat.
Looking for more recipes with black beans? Check out this recipe for instant Cajun chicken pasta with black beans.
What to serve with chili This
is really the fun part. When it comes to chili recipes, anything goes to serve. Minimally, I like to top this chicken chili with black beans with fresh cilantro. This will give the chili a extra layer of aroma.
Then top it with grated Mexican cheese, a tablespoon of sour cream, pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced avocado and more
.
Modification and variations
There are so many different variations for this recipe. To make it more of a chicken chili soup, add just one more touch of chicken broth. To make it more of a stew, reduce the amount of chicken broth.
The chili also becomes thicker on the second day. I love serving leftovers almost like nachos. We used some thicker tortilla chips to pick the chili. Mix it with some grated cheese, sour cream or even sauce.
Or make this recipe with our coriander and lime rice to add some flavor or to spread the recipe for more meals.
