One-Pot Chicken Chili

 You guys… This one-pot chicken chili is a MUST-TRY weekday meal. It is hearty, flavorful, and all around SO delicious. I meal prep this for lunch every other week and NEVER get sick of it. The chili has the perfect combination of protein, veggies, and heat to keep you warm and full all winter long.

Chicken Chili in 10 minutes!

One of the biggest excuses I’ve heard about why people never cook is “I don’t have the time!” With full-time jobs, school, sporting events, and family, it seems as though there are hardly enough hours in the day. This recipe will allow you to add time back in your life for allllllll of those other things, while still saving you money and allowing you to take care of yourself. 

Mama Simon can attest to this. My mom is a mother of five and when we were growing up, she was constantly bouncing between a million different practices and games while simultaneously ensuring there was hot dinner on the stove when we got home. 

When I went away to school, I asked my mom for this recipe and quickly learned why this was a staple of the Simon Family diet. It takes the word “easy” to new heights.

You open up a few cans, chop an onion, shred a chicken and then dump it all into one pot. Even if you’re new to cooking, you can’t mess it up! Everything is already cooked! You simply heat the chili and Voila! You’re finished. 

Easy AND affordable? CHECK
Cost per bowl: $3

Another huge perk here is that canned beans are roughly $0.79– $1.00. It cost me $14.82 to cook this one-pot chicken chili (this serves 5 people!). That’s roughly $3.00 per serving. That is insaaaaaaane.

This means that you can make dinner for your whole family on a very low budget. OR if you are just cooking for one, this recipe will provide enough for 5 servings for lunch/dinner ALL. WEEK. LONG. 

People sometimes say (ahem myself included), “I’d eat healthier but it’s SO expensive and it takes SO LONG to meal prep.” Now we have no excuse 😉

Pro Tip #1: Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chicken is the secret to so many of my easy recipes. It works especially well in soups and stews because it falls apart easily, and it is one of the quickest ways to ensure you have juicy chicken for your recipe.

You can pick up rotisserie chicken at most grocery stores near the deli area. Shred the chicken from the bone and throw it in the pot!

Pro Tip #2: Killer garnishes

I recommend garnishing the top with a little sprinkle of cheddar cheese, greek yogurt, or scallions for a bit of added flavor. 

Pro Tip #3: Straining the beans

Be sure that you strain all of the canned ingredients EXCEPT the chili beans. These come packed full of flavor from chili sauce, so you definitely want to keep that flavor in the recipe.

Pro Tip #4: Spice levels in the chili

Spice it up / Spice it down: there is a TON of room for variation here. My fiancé and I love food with a spicy kick — so I get HOT chili beans, HOT rotel, and then add tabasco and hot pepper flakes. If you do not like spicy — no problem. Just use mild chili beans, substitute diced tomatoes or mild rotel, and skip the tabasco and hot sauce. 

Pro Tip #5: Reheating Chicken Chili

To reheat – use the microwave. It’s faster and tastes the same as if you were to cook it on the stove top.

Be sure to check out the video so you can see how easy this Chicken Chili recipe really is!

P.S. If you liked this one-pot chicken chili recipe stay tuned for many more one-pot recipes to come! If you are looking for a good pot to keep around your kitchen, check out some of these options:

 I used my Le Creuset Dutch Oven but I have linked two other options that are a bit more affordable: Rachel Ray Stock Pot or Cuisinart Stock Pot. 

Let me know what you think!