Now that March is officially here, I’m hoping we can expect warmer weather. Not that our winter has been anything but mild, but I still prefer spring weather. There’s nothing I’m craving more than waking up a little late on a Saturday morning, grabbing brunch at a new restaurant in the city, then strolling around with Tony for the rest of the day. Mostly we head to antique shops or bookstores, or sometimes end up grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. Either way, I always have a good time moving, eating and enjoying ‘us’ time.
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Here’s the thing though, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but we’re bound to have some sort of chilly weather this month at some point. You know, it’s a very predictable Midwest thing; nice one day and snowing the next. When that moment comes, you’ll have this wonderful chili to make.
Trust me, this slow cooker meal filled my belly up on many cold February nights. It’s the easiest recipe to throw together because there’s no cooking on your end. Cumin, garlic and peppers simmer with chicken, chickpeas and quinoa all day until the chicken is tender and ready to be pulled apart.
Told you it was easy.
Of course, no chili is quite complete without a little avocado or guac on top. My favorite way to make an easy guac is to smash 1 avocado with a fork, then add a little lime juice, chopped cilantro and onion then salt and pepper to taste. You don’t need to get fancy with your guac all the time (unless you really want to). Buy 1 or 2 avocados a week and enjoy easy peasy guac for two people!
As far as the soup goes, I made this for Tony and even though he claims to hate quinoa (he calls it kin-oh-ah), he loved this recipe and even went back for seconds. Actually, he always goes back for seconds. And you might too.
I hope you love this soup as much as I did! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment below and/or snap a photo and tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
slow cooker chicken chile verde
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I hope you love this slow cooker salsa verde chicken chickpea chili! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 24 oz mild salsa verde (about 2 jars)*
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn (preferably organic)
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed & drained (white beans or black beans are also great)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small lime, juiced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add everything to a large slow cooker and stir well to combine.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Once done cooking, remove chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board; shred chicken with two forks then transfer chicken back to slow cooker and stir.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I don't find that adding either is necessary due to all the flavors happening). Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips and greek yogurt or sour cream.
55 comments
I am ALWAYS up for a slow cooker chili recipe! Yum!
This is perfect for a quick and easy dinner! I love salsa verde chicken and make a chili like this regularly. Yum!
I’ll never forget the day I discovered salsa verde. I was on a high school trip to Spain through our Spanish club, and it was so good I still have dreams about it. Totally loving this chili dear! I like to make soups and stews all year round, even when it gets warm out, so I’ll be making this soon for sure. 🙂
Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde is my absolute fave! I know we’ll get another storm in Chicago before the month is over so this is going on my to-make list!
Guess what we got in California today this morning? THUNDER. RAIN. DARKNESS. GAH. But I am so sure that this chicken quinoa and chickpea chili would make things all better! 😀
It’s “chilly” here tonight and I could totally go for this!!
Holy dang this is perfection. One question. Chickpeas and my tummy are not exactly friends. What would you suggest? Leave them out and replace with more chicken? Quinoa? Or not even worry about replacing?
This is so good! I replaced the chickpeas with a can of black beans and a can of great northern. And I used chicken breast. And I left out the jalapeño. I got 2nd place in my churches chili cook off 🙂
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This looks like just the thing to cozy up on any night of the week! Chickpeas are rarely in chili recipes and I love that you added them to this. It looks and sounds fab!
This was so hearty and delicious. I used black beans and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese, soooo good. My husband loved it too! Thanks for sharing!
I made this today after thinking about going back to it so many times and it was worth the wait! so delicious and so easy, thank you!
is there any version of this recipe that isnt using a slow cooking process?
I made this last night and it was delicious and so flavorful. I replaced the chickpeas with black beans—and it was fantastic. Thank you!!
Made this last night & the fam absolutely loved it! DH said it was one of the best chili he’s had. Loved all the flavors. Will definitely make this again! It was yummy & filling. Teenage son almost couldn’t go back for seconds, he did but not a huge bowl since it was so satisfying!
I just made this for dinner. It was divine! It is the best slow cooker meal I’ve made…ever!
Whoo hoo!!!
I am always looking for good slow cooker recipes that can be adapted to cook for a long work day. I subbed 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight) and 32 oz chicken stock. It turned out great even after 10 hours in slow cooker.
My family has really enjoyed this recipe! I want to make it for a friend as a freezer meal. Do you think it would work to put all the ingredients in a freezer bag without cooking it so that she can dump it all into her crockpot and cook it when she’s ready? or should I cook it and then freeze it for her? Thanks so much!
This may be an obvious question but does the lime juice go into the crock pot or for a garnish after served?
I’m new with quinoa , do you rinse before putting in the slow cooker? Thank you.
It’s not necessary, but you can if you’d like!
This is a delicious recipe. I made it this week and it was perfect. Thanks for the great idea!
Hello, will you please reply to my question from may 19? Thanks
Hi Lisa! My apologies for the delay over here. For this recipe I would cook it first and then freeze it 🙂
Yikes. I didn’t see the note about leaving out the jalapeño until it was too late. I highly recommend that. I added 1/2 of one and it got way too hot (I am no stranger to spicy foods, but my guests won’t be able to eat it.) In my attempts to down the spice I messed it up even more. 🙂
Oops! The jalapeño does add a kick of spice – next time feel free to omit it!
This did awesome in the Instant Pot. My chicken thighs were frozen. Threw everything in (except the beans because they would’ve become non existent) and cooked on high pressure for 30 mins letting the pressure naturally release. Took out the chicken to shred and put the beans in. This is delicious!
Perfect! Great idea.
This recipe comes together so easily and the end result so delicious! I’ve made this 2x in the last month and it is the perfect answer to avoiding the depressing desk salad. I find the jalapeno really mellows out in the slow cooker so I added a 2nd pepper and top with red chili flakes or sriracha (admittedly, I love spicy food so I wanted to amp it up). I think adding additional lime juice to taste at the end creates a perfect balance as well.
No sad desk lunches here! Glad you found this one, Sarah 🙂 Feel free to keep the seeds in the jalapeño too for some extra spice. Love the lime!
This recipe has been a favorite since I first made it almost two years ago! So easy and so delicious. It freezes well, too, although I usually don’t have any left to freeze.
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
I threw everything in this morning and came home to a delicious chicken chili! SUPER simple and great taste!
Love that! Such a great dinner.
Great recipe, but what is your serving size? Tyring to get the nutritional facts without doing all the math myself.
It’s about 1.5 cups! Glad you like it 🙂
This recipe was super easy. I used chicken breasts and added cayenne pepper. I used Herdez Salsa Verde. I would be interested in making it again with TJs salsa to see if it’s any spicier or more complex… I felt the recipe needed a bit more spice even though I added a full Jalepeno and the Cayenne. For toppings I used hot sauce, more cayenne, lots of cilantro, fresh onion, more fresh lime, tortilla chips and avocado. The toppings made the dish come together wonderfully. The cilantro and more lime were key.
Definitely plan to keep this in the rotation for lazy days!
Love it! This one’s great for customizing to your spice preferences, too 🙂 feel free to try a spicier salsa next time!
Delicious and super easy to make. My husband and picky teenager also liked it!
So glad it was a hit!
Love a good slow cooker recipe and this one is amazing! So flavorful and so easy!
This looks delicious, but how much is one serving? The nutrition facts say it makes six servings and one serving is a serving. Not helpful. 🙂 How many cups is a serving?
Oops. Nevermind. I see that got answered. Maybe you can change it on the site. BTW, my boys and I LOVE the “Best Healthy Turkey Chili” recipe, which is now on regular rotation at my house.
Sorry for the confusion, and glad you found the answer! Hope you guys enjoy this one. Glad you’re loving the turkey chili!!
Curious, I have made this simple tasty recipe a number of times. I have always wondered if I should include the juice from the can of chickpeas? I always do, but wanted to clarify. Thanks for all your great recipes! When is your cookbook coming out?!! Hint Hint!
WOW! This is delicious and SO easy. Trader Joe’s salsa verde is my guilty pleasure and it works perfectly in this chili.
Can you freeze this?
Definitely!
This recipe is a household staple! Great with chicken, or just beans.
I just made this again last night, probably for the 10th time! But, I still wonder if I should drain the liquid from the garbanzo beans or not?
Hello! Sorry if that was unclear. Yes they should be drained!
G I R L!! Your recipes never let me down! This was incredible and too easy! I had a bunch of fresh salsa verde that needed to be used up before it went bad and I’m so glad I found this recipe to do so! This will definitely be on rotation through fall and winter. Thanks for being the best XOXO
Ah of course! So glad you’re a fan ❤️
Great recipe. I added butternut squash & corn to it & it tasted great with rice in a tortilla. Thanks!