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Red Chicken Chili Recipe

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Today’s recipe will be the best red chicken chili recipe you’ll ever eat. Yes, I’m that confident you’ll love this incredible chili soup.

This is an easy red chicken chili made in the dutch oven – a chili without beans, that’s both filling and quick to prepare. Watch how it comes together in this recipe video.

Best Red Chicken Chili Recipe

My all-meat and veggie chili obsession began three years ago when I created my favorite Paleo Chili recipe of all time. It’s relatively fast to cook, and the flavors are enhanced (I believe) when cooked in a cast-iron pot or skillet. With dozens of great reviews and over six million visits, it has been one of the most popular recipes on this website, until now.

For today’s recipe, I traded in my cast-iron skillet for a Dutch oven to share with you this wonderful red chicken chili recipe.

overhead view of chicken chili in a bowl topped with avocado cubes. Half an avocado next to bowl

Both of these Paleo-friendly chili recipes are also perfect if you are doing the Whole30! After trying it a few times on my own, I found that the biggest thing that helped me succeed at Whole30 was when I got my whole family to do it with me. But as I’m sure you can guess, that took some adjusting. I needed recipes that my kids and I could both enjoy that would help us ditch all processed foods together, for the whole month!

Don’t worry, I’m not keeping all the secrets to myself, I put everything YOU need to succeed at the Whole30 with your family into my Family KickStart Program. Click on that link to see for yourself how we’ve been able to do it at our house multiple times (even with super picky eaters!).

Dutch Oven Red Chicken Chili

Okay, back to today’s recipe. I’m confident that this healthy chicken chili recipe will rival the classic on both flavor and heartiness. It’s very filling, and the flavors are -once again- enhanced by simmering on low in my cast iron enamelled Dutch oven.

The 6-quart size Dutch oven is the perfect size for a family. Whether you are cooking for four, six, or eight, it cooks meals to perfection. I cook the best pot roasts, soups, my famous chicken stew, gumbos, and bolognese sauce, and my ridiculously delicious chilis. The Dutch oven can go from the stovetop to the oven without a fuss, and it keeps food warm long after I remove it from the heat since the cast iron retains heat like no other cookware.

Let’s face it, the Dutch oven also looks gorgeous on the table.

side by side images of vegetables for chili

Red Chicken Chili Ingredients

So this red chicken chili recipe is just the kind of dinner you can put together with leftover chicken or a ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken from the store. If you’re working with frozen, you can defrost your chicken quickly with these instructions. Got your chicken? Perfect, here’s the full list of ingredient’s you’ll need:

  • Jalapeno pepper
  • poblano peppers
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Salt, pepper & spices
  • Chicken broth
  • Limes
  • Zucchini
  • Chicken or turkey if you are making leftover turkey chili
  • Cilantro & avocado for topping

If you don’t have poblano peppers, use an additional green pepper, but know that you’ll miss the smoky-heat that the poblano brings to the recipe.

bowl of chicken chili, large blue pot full of chili behind the bowl

How to Make Red Chicken Chili

This chicken chili recipe couldn’t be easier to make on your stove. Here is how it’s done.

  1. Sauté
    In your Dutch oven sauté the peppers, onions and garlic until soft
  2. Season
    Add the chili powder, cumin and coriander to the pot and continue to toast the spices.
  3. Stir & Simmer
    Add the chicken broth, lime juice, zucchini and chicken, stir together and simmer for 20 minutes
  4. Serve
    After simmering, salt & pepper to taste and serve with avocado slices and chopped cilantro.
closeup of bowl of chicken chili topped with avocado

I hope you enjoy this flavorful chicken chili as much as my family does. We make this recipe all year long.

How to Freeze Red Chicken Chili

This chili tastes even better the second day and freezes great for future meals and thermos lunches. Everything you need to know about freezing this recipe and all other soups and chilis, right below: 

  1. Allow the soup to cool down to room temperature
  2. Pack it into large, freezer-safe zip bags.
  3. Label zip bags with the date and reheating instructions. 
  4. Place bags on a large sheet pan and transfer to the freezer for 2 hours. 
  5. Once frozen, remove them from the sheet pan, and store for up to 2-3 months. 

When you’re ready for hot soup, remove the desired amount of bags from the freezer and defrost in the fridge overnight or transfer the entire frozen soup block(s) to a large saucepan and reheat over medium heat until defrosted. Add about ½ to 1 cup of additional broth or water to the soup and bring to a boil. Now you are ready to enjoy.

If you are looking for a great dessert to serve after this chili recipe? Try my paleo-friendly coconut flour cake! So good!

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Easy Red Chicken Chili Recipe

chili topped with avocado
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★★★★★

4.7 from 128 reviews

Today’s Paleo Red Chicken Chili recipe is the best chicken chili with no beans you’ll ever eat. Hands down a keeper!

  • Author: Laura Fuentes
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
  • 2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 limes, juiced, plus lime wedges, for serving
  • 3 large zucchini, peeled and diced
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded (about 3–4 cups)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Instructions

  1. Add the oil to a large 6-quart Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  2. Season the vegetables with salt, and pepper, to taste. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and continue to sauté for 1 more minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken broth, lime juice, zucchini, and shredded chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. After 20 minutes of simmering, taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary. 
  4. Serve the chili in individual bowls topped with avocado slices and chopped cilantro.

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Buy Now →
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Chicken. It’s What’s for Dinner

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Notes

  • If you can’t find poblano peppers, you can use green peppers but the chili will not be as “smoky” in flavor.
  • For lower heat, you can use ½ of the jalapeño pepper and freeze extra. For added heat, keep seeds and sauté them with vegetables.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 311
  • Sugar: 1.2g
  • Sodium: 295.5mg
  • Fat: 14.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 11.2g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 36.5g
  • Cholesterol: 133.6mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. trudy

    August 03, 2022 at 2:03 am

    my husband and i both loved this healthy red chicken chili

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Sarah James

    September 30, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    I made this chicken chili in my dutch oven and it was the best I’ve ever made. thanks for a great recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Erika Chilton

    March 28, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Has the winner been chosen yet? I hadn’t seen where it was announced so I’m still keeping my fingers crossed I have a chance. 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      March 28, 2016 at 6:30 pm

      The winner was picked and emailed and there is a comment below their comment letting them know they won. Thank you for entering! I’ll try to have more of these type of giveaways in the future.

      Reply
      • Erika Chilton

        April 01, 2016 at 7:17 am

        I’m sorry I didn’t see that! Congrats to the winner & thank you so much for your giveaway! 🙂

        Reply
  4. Denise Pollard

    March 27, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    I would love to win the dutch oven for camping!

    Reply
  5. Meaka

    March 21, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    I’ve never owned this kind of cookware before, but I would love to have one!

    Reply
  6. Amy B.

    March 21, 2016 at 10:39 am

    I’d love to win the cast iron pot to add to my efforts of getting rid of my old crappy unhealthy pots and pans.

    Reply
  7. Robbi

    March 18, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    Simple. Everything! 😉

    Reply
  8. Sophia

    March 18, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    I am one of 11 children living in my home (there are another 4 out of the house), and because my father passed away, my mom has a lot on her. As one of the oldest, I help a lot with the cooking. I would LOVE this dutch oven! It would definitely be put to good use in our full house 🙂 Thank you so much for your recipes! I am going to be using a lot of them for my younger siblings over this Spring Break to make things exciting! Hopefully I will get to try this one out 🙂

    Reply
  9. Brandi Elam

    March 18, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    I’d make chicken and dumplings. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  10. Adrienne

    March 18, 2016 at 3:23 pm

    I’d make soups and roasts.

    Reply
  11. Heather Sears

    March 18, 2016 at 7:02 am

    I love to cook ham & beans in ours, I would love a different one because I don’t like the color of mine

    Reply
  12. jenny T

    March 18, 2016 at 6:55 am

    I would love to try a recipe for short ribs. I’ve seen this on the cooking shows and it looks so good, but I’ve never had a pot that would go from stove to oven so it would be great to win the dutch oven!

    ★★★★

    Reply
  13. Carlyn

    March 18, 2016 at 1:17 am

    I’d make a hearty beef stew

    Reply
  14. Cynthia Sowards

    March 17, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    What wouldn’t I cook in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven? That is my dream cooking pan.

    Reply
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