Butternut Squash Chili is hearty and flavorful with tender chicken, soft veggies, and quinoa, all simmered together in the slow cooker.
author’s note
The Best Comfort in a Bowl!
The minute the weather starts to cool down, chili goes on repeat at my house. It’s one of my favorite ways to pack in all the good stuff like veggies, beans, and quinoa.
Chilis are great for using up leftovers from the fridge, and they make plenty of extra servings that taste even better the next day. They’re simple to make, easy to change up, and always hit the spot, especially with a big piece of cornbread for dunking.
Here are some of the chili recipes I’ve made and loved over the years: Turkey Chili, Chicken Chili, Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili, Quinoa Chili, Chicken Taco Chili, Crockpot Chili, and Crockpot White Chicken Chili. Told you—I’m obsessed!
Why Sauté First?
This is a slow cooker Butternut Squash Chili, but I always cook a few things first—it really helps with flavor and texture. If your slow cooker has a sauté setting, you won’t even need to use another pan.
Lightly cooking the onion, garlic, spices, tomato paste, and tomatoes brings out a sweet, rich flavor. It also softens the squash, carrots, and onions so they’re nice and soft by the end. If you skip this step, they might still be a little hard.
Shortcuts
For a quicker prep time, use a bag of already cut butternut squash from the produce section of the store. If the pieces are overly large, cut them down a bit so they’ll cook in time for this recipe.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Butternut Squash | Sub with sweet potato or pumpkin. For quicker prep, use pre-cut cubes from the store. |
| Chicken | Swap for ground turkey, shredded rotisserie chicken, or leave out for a vegetarian chili. |
| Quinoa | Replace with rice, farro, or lentils if preferred. Make sure to rinse before adding. |
| Fire-Roasted Tomatoes | Regular diced tomatoes work, but add a pinch of smoked paprika for that same depth. |
| Chili Seasoning | Use a packet for convenience or mix up your own blend (chili powder, cumin, cayenne, garlic, onion powder). |
| Carrots | Sub with parsnips or extra squash. They add sweetness and bulk. |
| Chicken Stock | Veggie stock works if making this meatless. For thicker chili, reduce the stock slightly. |
How To Make Butternut Squash Chili (Tips)
- Use a 6-quart slow cooker since this recipe makes a full pot of chili.
- Cook on high heat so the quinoa “pops” and cooks through properly.
- Cut the chicken into small chunks so it cooks at the same rate as the veggies and quinoa.
- Go for fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky, rich flavor without any extra work.
- Chop squash into even cubes (about ½ inch) so it softens evenly in the slow cooker.
Featured Comment
“Thank you for sharing this recipe – I made it yesterday and it’s so delicious!! So good that my husband and I stood over the slow cooker eating straight from it with spoons!”
– Jessica
Quick Tip
This butternut squash chili is mild, especially with toppings like cheese, sour cream, or avocado. For less heat, skip the cayenne and cut back the chili powder. If using a seasoning packet, choose a mild blend.
Storage
- Fridge: Store butternut squash chili in an airtight container for 4–5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in containers or bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove or microwave.
More Butternut Squash Recipes:
Butternut Squash Chili
Equipment
- 6-quart Crock-Pot 6-quart
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped, see note 1
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet mild chili seasoning mix see note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (16-ounce) can chili beans
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn undrained
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1-1/4 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, see note 3
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons lime juice optional
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Toppings as desired see note 4
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Trim excess fat from the chicken and cut it into 2-inch chunks. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and set it aside.
- If your slow cooker has a sauté function, use that; otherwise, heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, about 5–7 minutes. Then, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. Sauté for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in diced tomatoes without draining, mixing well and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer this mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add chili beans, corn, black beans, chicken thighs, quinoa, and chicken stock to the Crock-Pot. Stir thoroughly, ensuring the chicken is submerged in the liquid. Cook on high for 3–4 hours, or until chicken shreds easily (see note 5).
- Once cooked, remove the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred the chicken using two forks, then return it to the slow cooker. For a heartier texture, you can also mash some of the squash.
- Add in the cilantro and lime juice if using. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and add desired toppings. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
Variations
- Want more heat? Add in some diced jalapeños, a can of fire-roasted diced green chilies, and/or increase the cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Thicker chili. While the quinoa does continue to absorb liquid and thicken this chili as it sits, it’s not super thick. For an ultra-thick chili, use 4 cups chicken stock.
This looks fabulous! Read the comment about the quinoa and thickening the soup as it stands. Could it be made without the quinoa in the crockpot? Would you reduce liquid? Do the quinoa on the stove top and add to the bowl at time of serving?
Thanks!
Sorry Kristin, I haven’t tested this recipe any other way so I can’t say for sure how to make it. It definitely would require less liquid in the crockpot, I’m just not sure how much less, sorry to not be of more help! But overall, your idea is great, you can certainly prepare the quinoa separately and spoon into bowls later.
Love love LOVE! If anyone has a smaller crockpot like me, I reduced the quinoa down to 1/2 cup and 3 cups of broth – turned out perfectly 🙂
So happy to hear! Thanks for the tip Kat! 🙂
I love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times and still love it. I prefer white beans so I usually use those instead and I add a diced onion, but otherwise it’s perfect! Would recommend adding sour cream, makes it nice and creamy!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! 🙂
First: I’ve made this recipe multiple times and love it. But…
After multiple attempts, I came to grips with the reality that using my slow cooker setting on my instantpot just isn’t a good crockpot substitute- at least with this recipe (I think it’s most likely b/c the recipe has a lot of ingredients with different densities and compositions).
SO – Not to be discouraged, tonight I tried this recipe in my instantpot, pressure cooker setting this time, and it worked great! Here’s what I did:
1. Made sure to put the butternut squash in first, since it’s the densest.
2. I mixed the fajita seasoning into the chicken broth so that the seasonings would be evenly distributed throughout the broth
3. Added the rest of the ingredients in per the instructions.
4. Set the instant pot on manual cooking setting, on high for 23 minutes.
5. Voila! All done in about 40 minutes (accounting for the IP to come to pressure)
(This method does overcook the quinoa a bit, but not so much that it’s significantly different than my results with the slow cooker)
Thank you so much for sharing all this!! Appreciate it and I’m sure this will help so many people trying to use an instant pot instead of a crockpot 🙂
Made this last night and it was a huge hit! Thank you for the recipe ????
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks Diane 🙂
I made this tonight! Very good! Thank you for a great recipe. I’ve been looking for something different and healthy and this fit the bill. One change I made was to puree the squash in a blender with the broth first then add it to the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients. I’m not a huge fan of squash (or vegetables in general… gasp!) but I know I’ve gotta eat more of them and this was a great way to sneak them in (for everyone in the house) 🙂
Also, I started making the soup and thought I had an entire bag of chicken in the freezer… open up the freezer and I have NONE. Oops. I had some tenderized steaks I had no idea what to do with so I threw them in instead. Chicken would have been better I think, but it worked!
So happy you enjoyed this soup! I LOVE the idea of pureeing part of the squash!