This Instant Pot Chicken Chili is a delicious comfort food classic made lighter by using ground chicken – it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like canola, avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Yellow onions – white onions or shallots would also work here.
- Celery – carrots would also be good in this chili.
- Frozen corn – feel free to substitute for a drained can of corn.
- Ground chicken – ground chicken makes this recipe healthier but you could also use ground beef.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- Cumin – double up on the chili powder in a pinch.
- Canned diced tomatoes – two cups of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce would be a good substitute here.
- Chicken broth – beef or vegetable broth would also work.
- Kidney beans – substituted for your favourite kind of beans like black beans or pinto beans.
- Green pepper – substitute for another colour bell pepper of your choice like red, yellow or orange.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make this recipe
- Add everything but the beans and green pepper to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the beans and green pepper.
- Let it sit for 5-10 minutes with the lid on.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve on the side
I love putting a Tex Mex spin on my chicken chili so I’ll often add some jalapeno, lime wedges and tortilla chips for garnish. It’d also be delicious with a slice or two of garlic bread and even a dollop of low-fat sour cream if you’re feeling extra indulgent!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want your chili to have more of a stew-like texture, swap out the broth for an extra can of diced tomatoes.
Chicken chili is healthier than regular chili because it uses ground chicken instead of ground beef. It has fewer calories and less fat so you can enjoy your favourite comfort food dish without any of the guilt!
Yes, you need to drain the kidney beans for this recipe or your chili might end up being watery.
Storing and reheating
This chicken chili is great for meal prep and you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days in airtight glass containers. When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, or reheat it on the stovetop.
Freezing this recipe
This chili freezes like a dream! Once it’s cooled down to room temperature, store it in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags and freeze it for up to 3 months. You can reheat it from frozen for 6-8 minutes in the microwave or let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat on the stovetop.
More comfort food Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
 is the version I use in this recipe. - Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this chili up for lunch!
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box!
 is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1 can kidney beans, drained
- 1 green pepper, diced
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onions, celery, corn, chicken, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper, diced tomatoes and beef broth to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then do a quick release of pressure.
- Stir in kidney beans and green pepper, then let sit 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on. Serve and enjoy!
