Spicy Chicken Chili

A Delicious White Bean Spicy Chicken Chili. This is one delicious chicken chili. A great alternative to beef based chilis.

One of the things I am most known for is my Famous Chili. I realize not everyone likes red meat so I decided to come up with an alternative using chicken. So here's my Spicy Chicken Chili.

For this recipe, I used my Instant Pot pressure cooker (which I absolutely love by the way). If you are not fortunate enough to have a pressure cooker, a crockpot is a great alternative.

💭 Recipe Tip

While you can pretty much use any brand of cream cheese, I highly recommend you use Philadelphia brand cream cheese. You will taste the difference.

You will need to experiment with cooking times though. I suspect no more than 4 hours on high would suffice for this recipe. Chili lovers need to try my other fabulous Gourmet Chili Recipes.

If you've ever wondered what part of the pig Bacon comes from check out the picture below. Surprised?

🥓 How to Make Bacon

If you struggle to make bacon perfectly, I've put together a short tutorial on How to Make Perfect Bacon - 3 Ways. Check it out! My preferred method is baking it in the oven.

And don't throw away that bacon grease! Bacon is expensive and the grease is great for making Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Cheese, Popcorn and even hash browns. It can keep up to 3 months if properly stored in the refrigerator.

If you are curious about where Chili comes from, I found this article that might be of interest.

🌶 How to Handle Hot Peppers

The capsaicin in hot peppers is what makes peppers hot. If you handle hot peppers gloveless, it’s a guarantee that you’re in for a nasty case of chili burn, both on your fingers and anywhere you rub. Like your face. Ouch!

Even if you wear disposable gloves, be careful about what you touch. The gloves are going to protect your fingers, but touching any part of your body with the gloves after you’ve handled hot peppers can lead to severe chili burn.

Resist the temptation to rub your eyes. Wait until you’ve removed your gloves and washed your hands thoroughly with soap.

The Scoville Scale is the measurement that tells you the spiciness of a given type of pepper.

Pepper Type	Scoville Rating (Heat)
Bell Pepper	0-0
Banana Pepper	0-500
Poblano Pepper	1000-1500
Jalapeño Pepper	2500-8000
Serrano Peppers	10,000-25,000
Manzano Pepper	12,000-30,000
Tabasco & Cayenne	30,000-50,000
Habanero Pepper	100,000-300,000
Ghost Pepper	855,000-1,000,000
Carolina Reaper	1,500,000-2,300,000

An alternative to using chicken broth is Better Than Bouillon. I often use it when I don't have broth on hand.

🔪 Equipment Needed

You will need these items to make this Spicy Chicken Chili recipe: you can either make this chili in a pressure cooker or in a slow cooker (aka crockpot). As long as you have one of them, you have what you need to make this recipe.

📋 Gather your Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make this Spicy Chicken Chili recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Yellow Onion, Jalapeños, Garlic, Chicken Breasts, Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Low Sodium Chicken Broth, Diced Tomatoes, Green Chilies, Corn, Bacon, Cream Cheese, Navy Beans, Cheddar Cheese and Tortilla Chips.

🥣 How to Make Spicy Chicken Chili

Add diced onions, jalapeños, garlic, chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chilies, navy beans, and corn into the pot. Mix until combined. If you prefer less spicy, cut back on the jalapeño seeds.
If you are using a pressure cooker, set it manually for 10 minutes. For a slow cooker, set for 4 hours on high.
Once done, add the cream cheese and half the bacon. Mix well and cook another 5 minutes. The cream cheese should've completely melted at this point.
Serve chili in bowls. Top with cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and the remaining bacon.