This chicken chili Instant Pot recipe is great year round. Using fresh or shredded rotisserie leftover meat, it’s a hearty healthy one pot meal your whole family will love. If you loved our creamy Instant Pot white chicken chili you’ll love this tomato based choice too.
Chicken chili is great to make if you have leftover rotisserie + a couple canned ingredients. It is super cheap to make and even the kids will clean their bowl with this easy Instant Pot recipe.
Our very first IP recipe was this Instant Pot chili. Now we’re tweaking it to make a variety of choices! If you really just love poultry more than bee we get it. My kids have always kinda’ been the same way. You don’t have to have fresh meat though to make this goodness, it is very versatile.
The type of beans are pretty versatile as well, I use what I have on hand. White beans are called for but if you wanted to double up on the kidney then have at it. The difference between the colors is the texture really, and flavor a bit. For a milder version go for Great Northern beans for sure. You could start from dry but canned beans are way faster.
Ingredient Notes
- You are going to use shredded Chicken and olive oil is needed if cooking fresh meat vs. pre cooked.
- Taco seasoning is the bomb when it comes to seasoning meat because everything is already together in one bottle.
- Chicken stock or broth is the best liquid to use vs. water because the later offers no flavor to the dish.
- Onions are optional but diced fine are a nice add in. I use yellow or white versions typically for flavor and more texture
- Black beans are traditional but any work, canned is easiest. If making homemade black beans cook on high pressure using this recipe first. Then you can drain them and go for it with these.
- Kidney beans we like too as well as a can of White beans that are also called great northern beans sometimes on the can
- Can of smoked chiles or canned chiles that are already diced up give it more of a Mexican flavor. You can find mild, medium or spicy levels of heat.
- Rotel is great because it has diced jalapenos and chiles with diced tomatoes in the can together, we choose mild but there is a hot version too
- Tomato sauce or enchilada sauce works to thicken the sauce to make more of a rich soup.
Variations and Substitutions
As for the meat I always say use what you have on hand. We use leftovers really the most often for this because I hate wasting food. If you do have and want to use fresh you will just need to saute at first for a few minutes with a bit of olive oil. It doesn’t need to be cooked thru, just enough for the pink on the outside be be browned.
You can amp up the amount of legumes inside too. If I have a second and there is another guest in the house it is an easy way to make more without really changing the timing. No draining required, the liquid in the can is helpful so add as is.
with Rotisserie Chicken
It is super versatile because whether you have boneless skinless breasts you want to use or have leftover chicken, it comes out great either way. Heck, if you had pulled pork you needed to use, that would be great too.
with Frozen Chicken
If you forgot to defrost your meat, pressure cooking frozen chicken in Instant Pot first. You can dice up into small bite size pieces or shred with two forks on a cutting board. Then proceed with the rest of these directions.
with Dry Beans
If you want chicken chili no beans you can of course do that too. Using dry beans in Instant Pot, no problem! We have instructions for that method too. It takes longer but some prefer super homemade and fresh to canned.
We used a 13 bean mixture for this pressure cooker chili with dry beans recipe here. It offers a lot of variety, texture and flavor with a bunch of different varieties in there. Takes quite a bit more time because you are starting from scratch but so good.
Instant Pot Chicken Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium chicken breasts, boneless skinless, or shredded precooked (rotisserie)
- 2 tsp taco seasoning
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, 15 oz., drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans, 15 oz., drained and rinsed
- 1 can white beans, 15 oz., drained and rinsed, also called Northern beans
- 1 can chiles, 7 oz. diced with juice
- 1 can rotel, 10 oz.
- 2 cans tomato sauce, 16 oz. total, 8 oz. each
Instructions
- Season chicken on both sides with taco seasoning.
- Turn pot to saute and add olive oil. Put in chicken and cook until outsides are browned.
- Remove meat, add a bit of your broth and deglaze, scraping stuck on bits off bottom of pot. Turn pot off.
- Pour in all other ingredients leaving breasts on bottom of pot, do not stir contents.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 10 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Open and shred chicken with 2 forks or chop up on a cutting board and put back into the pot.
- Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro etc….
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ninja Foodi (Option)
It is great made in any brand of pot too. I have a few of them because I want to always make sure the timing is the same for them all before sharing. If you’re looking for an easy Crockpot Express recipe go for it. Same goes for the Ninja Foodi. You will just use the lid not attached and pressure cook button.
As you can see, other than 2 items, this is a great pantry item recipe! If you’re looking for a really cheap Instant Pot recipe to stretch your budget, this is a great one.
We have made Crockpot white chicken chili too but this way is much faster. Here are a few questions you might be asking yourself before getting started.
Can you make this vegetarian?
Add what you like and omit what isn’t your favorite. You could load it with vegetables too if you wanted or make it completely vegetarian. It is just a great base to make to your liking. We love this recipe for that very reason. With a really quick cooking time your white chicken chili recipe will be done a lot faster than in a slow cooker.
I almost always make this with leftover rotisserie shredded chicken, or our Instant Pot chicken and rice is a close second. Done cooking in about 15 minutes it’s not only fast but healthy and super filling too.
What is served on top?
Top with things like avocado slices, green chilies, or we love shredded cheddar cheese!! I mean this is a great one for a buffet table if you have a lot of guests over. Everyone loves a bar of some sort where you can personalize your plate, or bowl. This is a great place to offer dried jalapenos that some people might like to use as a topping. When submerged and stirred in with everything else they will rehydrate and add a spicy nature to their bowl of YUM.
How long can you leave cooked chili out?
It is recommended that once you’re done cooking it you store it and put it in your fridge within an hour or so. Wait until it is completely cooled. I like to break it up into individual airtight containers so you can reheat easier the next day.
Does chili freeze well?
It does!! As long as you put it into freezer bags or storage containers free from air it can last as long as 6 months. Allow it to defrost before reheating for best results. Microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between times.
Do you let chili cool before freezing?
Whether you want to put it in the fridge or freezer it should always come to room temperature first. This will prevent bacteria from growing inside as rapidly.
Other Instant Pot Dinners You’ll Love
If you wanted it to be a bit creamier you could incorporate some sour cream on top or stir some inside too. We have a bunch of easy Instant Pot chicken recipes to choose from here too;
Our Instant Pot chili verde is beyond amazing using pork instead, but could be altered for poultry too. Throw it inside air fryer tortillas for tacos or on top of white rice. Skip if you want a low carb dinner option of course.
Instant Pot orange chicken is to die for with only a handful of ingredients in it. Instant Pot chili mac is a favorite amongst my girls. We make it a bit spicy but could be left mild for sure.
FAQ
I think this is a complete meal in itself for sure. With meat and beans together all you’re really missing is a vegetable I guess so you could serve those.
Chili beans that are canned include seasonings where kidney are larger with a tougher skin and plain. You could really use either.
