This BBQ Chicken Chili recipe features simple ingredients and is easy to prepare in 30 minutes or less. It’s one of our favorite cold-weather meals… perfect for busy weeknights or slow snow days at home.
When it comes to feeding a family of growing kids, I often turn to soups, stews, and chilis on busy weeknights.
Often, I can prepare them in the morning and let them simmer all day. Or, if I’m gone during the day, I have a handful of soups that I can whip up in about 30 minutes if we’re short on time.
We Love BBQ Chicken Chili!
This BBQ Chicken Chili is one recipe I make often when we have leftover chicken or if I get a great deal on a rotisserie chicken at the store. It’s a delicious combination of protein, veggies, broth, and a whole bunch of other flavors that really pack a punch.
It’s one of those recipes that’s so easy to change the flavors based on your own taste preferences… just use more or less chili powder and cumin, or add in super spicy peppers if that’s your thing.
I also love the optional garnishes that elevate it to a gourmet-feeling meal with almost zero extra effort!
Serve this chicken chili with a slice of crusty bread (homemade or store-bought), and you have a complete meal… with very few dishes to wash!
Ingredients for BBQ Chicken Chili
- 2 T. olive oil or butter to sauté veggies
- 1 small onion; diced
- 1 bell pepper; diced (I chopped a green and a red, and kept half of each for snacking)
- 3 garlic cloves; minced (or 1 t. garlic powder)
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 t. paprika
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 2-3 c. broth or water (more or less if you prefer a thinner or thicker soup)
- 1 can (15 oz) corn; drained (or use fresh or frozen)
- 1 can (15.5 oz) white beans; drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15.5 oz) kidney beans; drained and rinsed (not pictured)
- 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. cooked chicken breasts; diced or shredded (he’s my tip to quickly shred chicken)
- 1/2 c. BBQ sauce
- Shredded Cheese
- Cilantro (optional garnish)
- Green onions (optional garnish)
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (optional garnish)
- More BBQ sauce (optional garnish)
NOTE: I did NOT use all the broth pictured above; I had just finished making another batch of bone broth, so I put the whole slow cooker in the picture.
Mix up the flavors with different BBQ sauces!
You can easily change up the flavor by using different BBQ sauces — or omit the BBQ sauce from the recipe and let everyone choose their own flavor as a garnish.
And of course, if you actually have leftover BBQ chicken, this recipe would be a fantastic way to use it up. Simply shred or chop the chicken and add it to the pot… YUM!
How to Make BBQ Chicken Chili
1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil or butter over medium heat.
2. Add chopped onions, pepper, and garlic. Sauté until soft (3-5 minutes).
3. When veggies are soft, stir in seasonings, salt, and pepper until fragrant (1-2 minutes)
4. Add in broth, corn, beans, chicken, and BBQ sauce and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary (depending on how thick or thin you want your soup).
6. Serve hot, garnished with cheese, cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and/or more BBQ sauce.
NOTE: I got a little carried away with the broth for this batch — it’s usually not this “watery”! It still tasted great though!
30-Minute BBQ Chicken Chili
This BBQ Chicken Chili recipe features simple ingredients and is easy to prepare in 30 minutes or less. It’s one of our favorite cold-weather meals… perfect for busy weeknights or slow snow days at home.
Ingredients
- 2 T. olive oil or butter to sauté veggies
- 1 small onion; diced
- 1 bell pepper; diced
- 3 garlic cloves; minced (or 1 t. garlic powder)
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 t. paprika
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 2-3 c. broth or water (more or less if you prefer a thinner or thicker soup)
- 1 can (15 oz) corn; drained
- 1 can (15.5 oz) white beans; drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15.5 oz) kidney beans; drained and rinsed
- 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. cooked chicken breasts; diced or shredded
- 1/2 c. BBQ sauce
- Shredded Cheese
- Cilantro (optional garnish)
- Green onions (optional garnish)
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (optional garnish)
- More BBQ sauce (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, heat oil or butter over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions, pepper, and garlic. Sauté until soft (3-5 minutes).
- When veggies are soft, stir in seasonings, salt, and pepper until fragrant (1-2 minutes)
- Add in broth, corn, beans, chicken, and BBQ sauce and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary (depending on how thick or thin you want your soup).
- Serve hot, garnished with cheese, cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and/or more BBQ sauce.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1 bowlAmount Per Serving Calories 171Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 17mgSodium 156mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 5gSugar 3gProtein 13g
Nutritional information is approximate and does not account for additional ingredients or added toppings.
How to Make Chicken Chili in a Slow Cooker:
Go for it!
Just dump everything in and heat on low until warmed through.
Or, put raw chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, topped with all the other ingredients, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken and return it to the slow cooker to serve.
More 30-Minute Soup Recipes
This chili has been on regular rotation in our kitchen for several years — it’s such a quick weeknight meal I can have on the table in roughly 30 minutes.
Plus, it gives me an excuse to make more bread!!
If you’re looking for a yummy warm-weather comfort food, give this BBQ Chicken Chili a try!
What are your favorite soup or chili recipes?
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JJ says
Andrea, this is phenomenal! I just made it and had to review. My husband does not normally like chili or beans. We both completely enjoyed this! The BBQ sauce and spices are perfect together! I forgot to get peppers, so I used yellow squash and zucchini. It was great! Thank you SO much!
Andrea says
yay — another win!
We actually ate it again last week and I was reminding how good the flavors meld together. And it’s so tastey with the fresh cilantro too! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
BETSY says
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing!!!
Andrea says
awesome!! So glad to hear this!
Dawn says
Tried this Chili last night! So simple and delicious. I used a can of great northern beans and a can of garbanzo beans (that’s what I had on hand). Also used all dark meat chicken from some drumsticks I had roasted up. Delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Andrea says
oh good — glad to hear you approve!!
Lorrie says
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Andrea says
you’re welcome! Hope you enjoy the chili!
Dawn Smith says
That bread looks fantastic!
Jen says
This sounds yummy! I’m interested in that bread in the photo–it looks like a savory bread. Hope you’ll be sharing the recipe soon!
Andrea says
The bread in the 3 little pans? That was a recipe for garlic cheddar zucchini bread. I basically just swapped out the sweet cinnamon and sugar for cheddar, greek yogurt (sour cream) ,garlic, and some other herbs. I don’t have a recipe — but it WAS good!
Jen says
Yes! That sounds great. I will give it a try!
Annette Silveira says
I have everything I need to make this on this rainy Wednesday. It will be a great, warm dinner!
Andrea says
oh good — hope you enjoy it!
Chris says
The sounds good! I don’t think I’ve ever thought of putting BBQ sauce in soup. I recently started making the Pioneer Woman chili and we really like it. I leave out the corn flour she puts in. I don’t think it needs to be thickened. In fact, last time I added water. Maybe I’m doing something wrong ? but it sure is delicious!
Andrea says
I didn’t really either — until I decided I wanted to use up the BBQ sauce we had in the fridge! HAHA!