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    Home » Dinner

    Crock Pot Cauliflower Chicken Chili (Paleo, Whole30)

    October 6, 2020 Updated: April 10, 2021 by Lisa Wells / 37 Comments

    This easy slow cooker paleo chicken chili recipe is a real crowd pleaser! It's loaded with vegetables---and it has a secret ingredient standing in for the beans.

    Crock Pot Chicken Chili with avocado and lime

    How to make chili without beans

    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 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.

    Bowl of chicken chili without beans

    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 slow cooker 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.

    Crock Pot Cauliflower Chicken Chili

    This easy homemade paleo chicken chili recipe uses cauliflower to stand in for the beans. 
    4.45 from 29 votes
    Print Save Email
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 8 hrs
    Total Time: 8 hrs 10 mins
    Servings: 6 servings
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Tex Mex
    Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Whole30
    Author: Lisa Wells

    Ingredients

    Chili

    • ½ 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
    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon chipotle chile flakes to taste
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ 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

    Calories: 289kcal Carbohydrates: 24g Protein: 27g Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 107mg Sodium: 621mg Potassium: 1377mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 10g Vitamin A: 2285IU Vitamin C: 88.1mg Calcium: 67mg Iron: 4.4mg
    Keyword: chicken chili, chili without beans, slow cooker chili
    Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating above and share your photo on social. I love seeing what you've made!

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    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!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bri

      January 25, 2015 at 12:23 am

      This 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?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        January 26, 2015 at 1:20 pm

        Bri, 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.

        Reply
    2. Sara

      January 31, 2015 at 3:19 pm

      Could I use ground meat? If so, how? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 02, 2015 at 7:35 pm

        Hi 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!

        Reply
    3. Lisa

      September 25, 2015 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks Sarena!

      Reply
    4. Cheri

      November 23, 2015 at 6:25 pm

      Looks delicious and cannot wait to try it. Could you tell me where you got the bowls in the pic

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 24, 2015 at 5:03 pm

        Thanks 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.

        Reply
    5. Jillian

      December 29, 2015 at 12:00 am

      This 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?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        December 31, 2015 at 2:58 pm

        Hi 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!

        Reply
    6. Cor

      January 04, 2016 at 6:19 am

      Should 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.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        January 04, 2016 at 4:13 pm

        Cor, the tomato puree is like tomato sauce. It is not concentrated.

        Reply
        • Cor

          January 10, 2016 at 6:12 am

          Thanks. Then it makes sense!

          Reply
    7. Rose

      January 04, 2016 at 2:47 pm

      This is by far one of my favorite paleo recipes! Perfect for winter! It's delicious!! 5 stars

      Reply
      • Lisa

        January 04, 2016 at 4:15 pm

        Thanks Rose! It's one of my favorites too - I have it in the crock pot now. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Alicia

      February 02, 2016 at 6:48 pm

      How would you adjust this for stovetop cooking? Thanks!

      Reply
    9. Emily

      February 12, 2016 at 10:01 pm

      I love the idea of substituting cauliflower for beans! Thanks for sharing your recipe with Merry Monday 🙂

      Reply
    10. Luda

      July 10, 2016 at 4:24 pm

      This 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 =)

      Reply
    11. Kenia Brown

      April 21, 2017 at 3:39 am

      5 stars
      I 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.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        April 21, 2017 at 11:35 am

        Thanks Kenia! I'm so glad you like it 🙂

        Reply
    12. Justine

      June 19, 2017 at 12:33 pm

      Hey! 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?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 19, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        Hi Justine, I freeze any leftovers in single servings for those days I need a quick meal.

        Reply
    13. Kris

      June 22, 2017 at 10:41 am

      is the chunked chicken raw/uncooked? or do you cook it first and then put in?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 23, 2017 at 11:03 am

        Hi Kris, the chicken goes in uncooked. It cooks with the vegetables in the slow cooker.

        Reply
    14. Melanie

      July 03, 2017 at 1:03 pm

      How large is a serving size?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        July 05, 2017 at 4:34 pm

        Hi Melanie, the serving size is about a cup and a half.

        Reply
    15. allie

      October 10, 2017 at 4:08 pm

      what is the calorie count?

      Reply
    16. Dina Uldall

      October 06, 2018 at 2:47 pm

      4 stars
      Have you used an instant pot for this recipe?

      Reply
    17. Tammy

      January 13, 2019 at 1:32 pm

      How many lbs of chicken, if I use boneless skinless breasts, ballpark estimate of course.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        January 16, 2019 at 10:26 am

        Hi Tammy, I would ballpark about 1.25 to 1.5 pounds.

        Reply
    18. Aimee

      November 07, 2019 at 10:46 am

      I am keto and was wondering if you could tell me is the carb count you gave for the entire recipe and the sugar also?

      Thanks so much I cant wait to try this.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 07, 2019 at 1:05 pm

        Hi Amy, all the nutrition info is for one serving. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    19. Sarah

      January 03, 2020 at 10:35 am

      Can you place in ninja foodi?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        January 07, 2020 at 2:27 pm

        Hi Sarah, I haven't used a Ninja Foodi, but if it has a slow cooker setting I think it should work.

        Reply
    20. Kathy

      October 09, 2020 at 11:44 am

      It is diced cauliflower now fresh riced cauliflower you can find in the grocery stores?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        October 16, 2020 at 3:10 pm

        Hi Kathy, the cauliflower is diced so it is similar in size to the other vegetables.

        Reply
    21. Mandy

      February 19, 2021 at 11:47 am

      The chicken chili looks like something I'll want to try. A word of caution for those unfamiliar with poblano peppers. One of my favorite recipes is a southwestern chopped salad; I learned the hard way to gingerly taste the poblano before adding it. They can vary wildly in heat, from mild to set-your-eyebrows-on-fire. It's no fun picking chopped peppers out of a big bowl of salad after you've got the thing all nicely tossed together.

      Reply
    22. beckandbulow

      March 05, 2021 at 7:23 am

      5 stars
      Its so yummy

      Reply

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