Our barbecue chicken chili is a great dinner recipe with a ton of flavor. You can make it with little to no prep time, since most of what you need is already in your pantry. This chili recipe is one of our favorite go-to recipes for fall. You can either throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning, an let it do its thing. Or, if you forgot to do it in the morning, throw it in the Instant Pot in the evening. Let the Instant Pot do it’s thing an come back when it beeps. Perfect for busy weeknights.

Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our barbecue chicken chili recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Onion
- Diced carrots
- Diced green bell pepper
- Diced red bell pepper
- Minced garlic cloves
- Barbecue sauce (Your favorite BBQ sauce)
- Cannellini beans
- Pinto beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Green chiles
- Liquid smoke
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- Chicken broth
- Corn
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour Cream (Optional)



Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:



How to Make BBQ Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except the cheese and sour cream.
- Cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred with 2 forks, then add back to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with sharp cheddar shredded cheese.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.
- Place lid on pot and press MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) and set timer for 20 minutes.
- Allow 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before it starts the countdown cook timer.
- Once it is finished cooking, let the Instant Pot do a natural release of the pressure for 10 minutes, then move the valve to VENTING to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and stir, breaking up chicken.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with sharp cheddar shredded cheese.



Freezer Meal Notes
- Place all the ingredients except for the chicken broth into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last up to 90 days.
- When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into Instant Pot and add 4 cups of chicken broth in with the frozen food. Place the lid on top, move the valve to SEALING, and press the MANUAL button. Set timer for 30 minutes. Follow the rest of instructions as written.


Explore More Delicious Chili Recipes
Explore our collection of delicious, homemade chili recipes that are easy-to-make and freezer-friendly. For more chili inspiration, check out our full list of chili recipes!
- Cream Cheese Chili
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Chili
- Ground Turkey Chili
- Ground Turkey Taco Chili
- Homemade Chili
- Instant Pot Chili
- Mom’s Crockpot Chili
- Mom’s Easy Slow Cooker Chili
- No-Bean Chili with Ground Beef
- Shepherd’s Pie Chili
- Texas Chili
- Texas Roadhouse Chili
- Wendy’s Chili

BBQ Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 15 ounces cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
- 15 ounces pinto beans, drained, rinsed
- 14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes, undrained
- 4 ounces green chiles
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 15 ¼ ounces canned corn, undrained
- ½ cup sharp cheddar shredded cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.
- Place lid on pot and press MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) and set timer for 20 minutes.
- Allow 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before it starts the countdown cook timer.
- Once it is finished cooking, let the Instant Pot do a natural release of the pressure for 10 minutes, then move the valve to VENTING to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and stir, breaking up chicken.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with sharp cheddar shredded cheese.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except the cheese and sour cream.
- Cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred with 2 forks, then add back to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with sharp cheddar shredded cheese.



















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