healthier chicken + white bean chili {slow-cooker}

the weather is starting to cool down here. mornings + evenings are becoming crisper + chillier – fall is in the air! there are many reasons i love autumn, but my favorite thing is the excuse to make soups + stews. while i’m a total soup/stew junkie + enjoy them year ’round, i know that the average person isn’t jonesing for soup in 95-degree weather. now that the temperatures are dropping, i have a reason to make tons of comfort food soups/stews for myself, friends + family again. hooray!

i always associate chili with the fall + football season, so for NFL kickoff weekend, i decided to make chili. this amazingly delicious white chicken chili is a favorite with friends + blog readers, but with 2 cups of half-and-half + almost 2 cups of cheese, it ain’t the healthiest meal. so, i decided to make a healthier chicken chili. how was it? absolutely delicious! the hearty beans, the smoky fire-roasted tomatoes + the fall-apart tender chicken all work perfectly with the savory, slightly-spicy base. and at less than 300 calories per serving, it’s wonderfully figure-friendly. so, if you’re looking for chicken chili that’s as healthy as it is tasty, look no further – this one will definitely be a crowd-pleaser!

healthier chicken + white bean chili

serves about 10, adapted from the gracious pantry

ingredients

2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1.5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 (16 oz.) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
4 (16 oz.) cans Great Northern beans
1 (4 oz.) can fire roasted green chiles
8 teaspoons chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (this will make your chili somewhat spicy – feel free to omit it for a non-spicy version!)
1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken stock
1 cup 2% cheddar, grated
salt + pepper to taste

directions

sauté the onions + garlic in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

put the tomatoes, chicken, beans, chiles, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper (if using) + 1 1/2 cups chicken stock into the slow cooker. once the onions + garlic are cooked, add them as well. stir everything until well-combined.

cook the chili for 6 hours on LOW, until the chicken is cooked through + fork-tender. remove the 3 chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred into large pieces with two forks, + return to the slow cooker. add the 1 cup of cheese + salt + pepper to taste.

continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chili is bubbling lightly around the edges.

note: if you use already-cooked chicken/a rotisserie chicken, you can also make this meal very quickly in a large soup pot on the stovetop.

nutritional information per serving, as provided by the gracious pantry:
servings per recipe: 10 • serving size: 1 cup • calories: 287 • fat: 4 g • protein: 24 g
carb: 39 g • fiber: 9 g • cholesterol: 21 mg • sugar: 2 g • sodium: 125 mg

 print this recipe