- Chicken thighs are cooked with onions, garlic, jalapeños, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, then simmered in tomatoes and broth for a hearty, deeply flavorful chili that’s ready in under an hour.
- Canned pinto and black beans add stick-to-your-ribs substance and texture for an extra-satisfying bowl without any extra effort.
- This chili can be made with leftover chicken (or substituted turkey), garnished simply with cilantro, and paired with cornbread or rice — perfect for weeknights and crowd-pleasing meals.
Even though most of us probably already have a go-to chili recipe, there’s plenty of room for mixing things up from time to time. If you’ve never ventured into chicken chili territory, this recipe will make you a believer. Made with flavorful, juicy strips of chicken thighs, a couple of jalapeños, and two types of beans, Spicy Chicken Chili is a welcome departure from traditional beef chili while still retaining the dish’s tomatoey backbone and zesty spice blend.
How to thicken chili
Everyone’s ideal bowl of chili is different, but the beauty of this dish is that it’s infinitely customizable. As written, this chili recipe tends to be on the soupier side of things. If that’s not your jam, you’ve got options. You could simply decrease the amount of chicken broth right from the get-go — try cutting it by a half to a full cup. Or, use the full amount and take the opportunity to build even more flavor by simmering the chili longer in Step 2: Start as instructed, simmering the covered chili for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to your liking. Keep in mind that it’ll need to cook for another 15 minutes once you add the beans in Step 3, so don’t take the liquid down too far at this point.
Since canned beans are already cooked, it’s important to do the long simmer before they’re added to avoid them turning mushy. As for the chicken, juicy thigh meat can actually benefit from an extended cook time by helping it become tender and shred more easily. Just be sure not to heat the pan too aggressively, keeping it at a gentle simmer, as a hard boil could toughen the protein.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- Control the spice level by adjusting the number of jalapeños or swapping in milder peppers if you want a gentler heat. For a spicier chili, go ahead and leave the seeds in the peppers.
- Feel free to add a splash of lime juice to the finished chili if it needs a touch of acidity.
- Wedges of cornbread are always a good complement to chili. Alternatively, you could serve the chili over macaroni or rice.
Suggested pairing
A red wine with plenty of acidity is best suited to the spice and heat here. Look for a Sangiovese from California or a Dolcetto from the Piedmont region of Italy.
