This easy paleo chicken chili recipe is a real crowd pleaser! It's loaded with vegetables—and it has secret ingredient standing in for the beans.
Crock pot chicken chili
This crock pot chicken chili recipe uses one of the most versatile ingredients for paleo cooking—cauliflower. I've used cauliflower in everything from hummus to gravy to making cauli rice. In this cauliflower chili recipe, the cauliflower is standing in for the beans.
And replacing the beans makes this crock pot chili an easy paleo and Whole30 dinner. Just dump everything in the slow cooker, and let it cook all day.
I use my simple homemade chili powder in this chicken chili. It's a mix of just five spices that creates that classic chili flavor. And unlike store-bought chili powder, I know it doesn't contain any processed food chemicals or fillers. The only other spice I add to the chili is chipotle chile flakes for a little extra smoky heat.
I would call this chili medium-hot. It has three different types of heat—smoked hot paprika in the chili powder, chipotle chile flakes, and fresh poblano pepper. The poblano is a mild to medium-hot pepper.
Of course, you can always adjust the heat to your taste by adding more or less of the dried chile. You can also substitute a green bell pepper for the poblano pepper if you want a milder chili. Or use a hotter pepper to add more heat. Here's a guide to popular hot pepper varieties.
As for the tomatoes, be sure to use organic tomato puree with no sugar added. Look for one packaged in a BPA free can or glass jar.
Homemade chicken stock is easy to make in the slow cooker and has the best flavor. But you can always substitute a good quality organic chicken broth. Just make sure to check the label for ingredients that are not real food. If it's not something you would put in chicken stock if you were making it at home, it doesn't belong in your chili.
This crock pot chicken chili is my go-to for football watching. It's so easy to make and you can set the slow cooker to keep it warm for serving. Don't forget to top the chili with avocado, lime, and cilantro when you serve it. It really takes it up a notch.
How to make paleo chicken chili
Crock Pot Cauliflower Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Chili
- 1/2 head of cauliflower diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 poblano pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28- ounce can organic tomato puree
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile flakes to taste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in large chunks
Toppings
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Add all chili ingredients to crock pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 8 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Cube avocado, cut lime into wedges and chop fresh cilantro.
- Serve chili topped with avocado, a squeeze of lime juice, and cilantro to taste.
Nutrition
More Easy Paleo Crock Pot Recipes
Crock Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce with Zucchini Noodles
Looking for more healthy slow cooker recipes? Check out these 30 paleo crock pot recipes.
What's your favorite slow cooker recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Bri
January 25 at 12:23 amThis looks delicious!! My sister is currently eating Paleo so this will be a good recipe to cook for her. I’ve never see Chipotle chile flakes but they sound good. Can you get them just at any grocery store?
Lisa
January 26 at 1:20 pmBri, you will probably find them at a store that has a good selection of gourmet spices. I’ve seen them at Williams Sonoma, local gourmet stores, and lots of online retailers.
Sara
January 31 at 3:19 pmCould I use ground meat? If so, how? Thanks!
Lisa
February 2 at 7:35 pmHi Sara, I haven’t tried this recipe with ground meat so I don’t know how it will turn out. If you try it, I would brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. Also, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid and the spices. Hope this helps!
Lisa
September 25 at 9:14 pmThanks Sarena!
Cheri
November 23 at 6:25 pmLooks delicious and cannot wait to try it. Could you tell me where you got the bowls in the pic
Lisa
November 24 at 5:03 pmThanks Cheri! I’ve had the bowls forever. The brand is Syracuse China. I don’t think they make them anymore, but you might find them on ebay.
Jillian
December 29 at 12:00 amThis looks so yummy. would I be able to use leftover turkey for this recipe? Would the cooking time need to be adjusted if the meat is already cooked?
Lisa
December 31 at 2:58 pmHi Jillian, I haven’t tried it with leftover turkey, but I think you would need to adjust the cooking time. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Cor
January 4 at 6:19 amShould the 28-ounce tomato puree perhaps be diced tomatoes or a lesser amount of tomato puree? 28 oz (793 grams) seems an awful lot of (concentrated) tomato puree.
Lisa
January 4 at 4:13 pmCor, the tomato puree is like tomato sauce. It is not concentrated.
Cor
January 10 at 6:12 amThanks. Then it makes sense!
Rose
January 4 at 2:47 pmThis is by far one of my favorite paleo recipes! Perfect for winter! It’s delicious!! 5 stars
Lisa
January 4 at 4:15 pmThanks Rose! It’s one of my favorites too – I have it in the crock pot now. 🙂
Alicia
February 2 at 6:48 pmHow would you adjust this for stovetop cooking? Thanks!
Emily
February 12 at 10:01 pmI love the idea of substituting cauliflower for beans! Thanks for sharing your recipe with Merry Monday 🙂
Luda
July 10 at 4:24 pmThis was good alternative to a traditional chill, i cooked this for my husband who is sensitive to beans and he liked it. However i would prefer traditional bowl of chili i guess i was missing the beans =)
Kenia Brown
April 21 at 3:39 amI am not a Paleo eater but I saw this recipe while browsing decide to give it a try and I must say it was pretty good. I will be making it again.
Lisa
April 21 at 11:35 amThanks Kenia! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Justine
June 19 at 12:33 pmHey! I am new to Paleo and I am looking for recipes that freeze well. There are only two of us and I like a little more variety I wouldn’t want to have this 3 days in a row. Do you know if this freezes well?
Lisa
June 19 at 1:31 pmHi Justine, I freeze any leftovers in single servings for those days I need a quick meal.
Kris
June 22 at 10:41 amis the chunked chicken raw/uncooked? or do you cook it first and then put in?
Lisa
June 23 at 11:03 amHi Kris, the chicken goes in uncooked. It cooks with the vegetables in the slow cooker.
Melanie
July 3 at 1:03 pmHow large is a serving size?
Lisa
July 5 at 4:34 pmHi Melanie, the serving size is about a cup and a half.
allie
October 10 at 4:08 pmwhat is the calorie count?
Dina Uldall
October 6 at 2:47 pmHave you used an instant pot for this recipe?
Tammy
January 13 at 1:32 pmHow many lbs of chicken, if I use boneless skinless breasts, ballpark estimate of course.
Lisa
January 16 at 10:26 amHi Tammy, I would ballpark about 1.25 to 1.5 pounds.