Easy Chicken Chili in the Dutch Oven

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

This is an easy 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.

https://youtu.be/eGK5dw3eDQo

Best 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 chicken chili recipe.

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 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.

Chicken Chili Ingredients

So this 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
• 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.

How to Make 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.

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

How to Freeze 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, 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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