Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili

So easy, so filling, Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili recipe packs a wallop in terms of both flavor and texture. The quinoa adds texture, flavor, and heartiness, making this dish a meal unto itself.

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Are you cold? I’m cold! It’s a blustery day here in Chicago and the wind is whistling through my windows even as I type… making it a great day for chasing my garbage cans down the street, but also a great day for Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili. This easy Crock-Pot chicken chili recipe packs a wallop in terms of both flavor and texture, while adding the quinoa really makes it an entire meal unto itself.

Why Quinoa Chicken Chili?

Well, while shopping at ALDI to replace some of my dry pantry goods this week (grr) I added a bag of quinoa to my cart, because: Organic quinoa for $2.99? Yes, please. Looking at my lovely new quinoa made me realize that I haven’t cooked with it in a while, and I also had a couple of cans of organic fire roasted diced tomatoes sitting around on my counter (that I’d picked up two for $1.00 at Dollar Tree, of all places).

So today we’re trying out these Hunt’s brand organic tomatoes (or hey, any fire roasted diced tomatoes you happen to have on hand) and using my replacement quinoa to cook up a big pot of comfort food with this Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili recipe.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili

Ingredients

10 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped (optional — omit if you’re sensitive to heat)
1 small or 1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used red)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup quinoa, uncooked and rinsed
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1.5 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions

Add all ingredients to your Crock-Pot. Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, then stir the shredded chicken back into the chili.

Serve this slow cooker quinoa chicken chili garnished with your chili toppings of choice, such as shredded cheddar, green onions, sour cream, or tortilla strips. (I also brightened my bowl up with a little fresh lime juice, which really made the flavors pop — but that’s optional!)

Oh yes, quinoa chicken chili is just that easy!

You have to like an easy dump and go Crock-Pot meal, and this one just requires a minimal amount of chopping — especially if you use the handy little food chopper I keep recommending to you (there’s a reason for that…). More on useful kitchen tools below, but meanwhile: Yum. This chili has all the things — and it’s even on the healthier side!

The quinoa adds such great texture, the corn adds a little sweet crunch, and the chicken and beans make it super filling and comforting. Both the chicken and the quinoa cook right in the chili with no need to pre-cook or to dirty another pan, and this slow cooker quinoa chicken chili recipe is naturally gluten free.

A note on the kitchen tools I used today

Can I just pause for a moment to tell you how much I appreciate my little Ninja Express food chopper at times like these? I used it here on the garlic, jalapeño, onion, and bell pepper in order to reduce the chopping time (and save my hands) tremendously.

A big seven quart Crock-Pot is also worth the investment for when you’re making big pots of chili, soup, stew, roasts, whole chicken, and more — really a minimal investment for the use you’ll get out of it — while a fine mesh strainer is super useful for things like rinsing quinoa and rice.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili, printable recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili

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This easy Crock-Pot chicken chili recipe packs a wallop in terms of both flavor and texture, while adding the quinoa really makes it an entire meal unto itself.

Course dinner

Cuisine slow cooker

Keyword chicken, chicken chili, chili, crock-pot, quinoa, slow cooker

Total Time 6 hours hours 29 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Rachel Singer

Equipment

1 slow cooker

Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2 jalapenos, chopped optional — omit if you're sensitive to heat
• 1 small yellow onion (or half a medium one) chopped
• 1 bell pepper chopped (I used red)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup quinoa uncooked and rinsed
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn drained
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• dash of cayenne
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to your Crock-Pot. Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.
• Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, then stir the shredded chicken back into the chili.
• Serve this slow cooker quinoa chicken chili garnished with your chili toppings of choice, such as shredded cheddar, green onions, sour cream, or tortilla strips. (I also brightened my bowl up with a little fresh lime juice, which really made the flavors pop — but that’s optional!)

Notes

This slow cooker quinoa chicken chili recipe is naturally gluten free.

Recipes in the real world

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