Crockpot Quinoa Chili

Simple (dump it all in and forget about it) Crockpot Quinoa Chili. No veggie chopping or pre-cooking required; just open cans and throw it all in for the easiest slow cooker dinner that’s packed with flavor and healthful ingredients.

Pair this Crockpot Quinoa Chili with homemade dinner rolls, this easy cucumber salad, or this favorite Italian salad.

I’m all about quick-prep dinners and especially when the slow cooker is willing to do the work; why not take advantage?! This dinner doesn’t get much easier than opening cans and adding them into said slow cooker.

The best part though? It’s not cans of cream of mushroom soup and cups of brown sugar-filled BBQ sauce (yes, there’s always a place for those recipes too!); instead, it’s filled with good-for-you ingredients. And, personally, I’ve found that healthy cooking is rare in a slow cooker dinner with little prep time! Clearly, I’m really excited to share this recipe with you all today! It’s easy to prepare AND healthy AND the kiddos are obsessed. My 6-year-old asked if he could eat it (with an extra handful of cheese ?) for breakfast the night after I made it. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does!

Ingredients in Crockpot Quinoa Chili

• Seasoning blend: This chili has the best blend of spices; we’ve got chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and of course salt and pepper.
• Quinoa: This forms the base of the chili and thickens and absorbs flavors from all the different ingredients.
• Chicken: We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin tenderloins (it helps cook quickly!); feel free to use boneless chicken thighs instead.
• Chicken stock: Chicken broth works great too. We like to use the salted/seasoned chicken stock for extra flavor!
• Black beans: Feel free to use another can of chili beans or kidney beans.
• Chili beans: We typically use chili beans in mild sauce, but pick whatever heat you prefer. Unsure what chili beans are? Here’s a great explanation.
• Frozen corn: If you have access to fresh corn, cut right off the cob, go for it!
• Petite diced tomatoes: Use fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor. Depending on the acidity of the canned tomatoes, you may want to add a pinch of sugar. (We love San Marzano tomatoes best in this chili.)

Quick tips

• Cut the chicken into thin/small chunks. Otherwise, it won’t be done at the same time as everything else. You don’t need to spend much time cutting the chicken; just quickly cut 2-3-inch (1-inch thick) pieces and make sure to submerge the chicken in the liquid.
• Use a large slow cooker. I recommend a 6-quart slow cooker for this Crockpot Quinoa Chili.
• Season to taste. If you have delicate taste buds, add the spice mixture slowly, remembering you can always add more later. Additionally, you can always add more than the recipe calls for at the end of the cooking time. Always taste first for salt and pepper and then add other spices to preference.
• Don’t forget to rinse the quinoa: Quinoa has a bitter saponin coating that needs to be rinsed off before using. Place it in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it well before adding to the pot.
• Quinoa continues to absorb liquid as it sits. This chili will continue to get thicker and thicker, so keep that in mind as it’s cooking. If it cooks too long, the quinoa will begin to burn around the edges.

Variations

• To make Crockpot Quinoa Chili vegetarian or vegan, I recommend following this recipe instead (we “replace” the chicken with sweet potatoes).
• To boost the flavor, add in a finely diced yellow onion and a few cloves of garlic. I don’t add those in this recipe because I wanted the prep to be as quick as possible! (The onion powder and garlic powder do give you a nice flavor without the actual ingredients.)
• To increase the spice, use spicy chili beans and add in a few tablespoons of diced jalapeño or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
• To make Crockpot Quinoa Chili milder, reduce or omit the cayenne pepper.

More easy slow cooker recipes

• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Crockpot Cowboy Casserole
• Crockpot Chili reader favorite!
• Instant Pot or Crockpot Mexican Tortilla Soup
• Crockpot Quinoa Tacos

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4.93 from 13 votes

Crockpot Quinoa Chili

By Chelsea Lords

Simple (dump it all in and forget about it) Crockpot Quinoa Chili. No veggie chopping or pre-cooking required; just open cans and throw it all in for the easiest slow cooker dinner that's packed with flavor and healthful ingredients.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3/4 cup white quinoa
• ▢ 1 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1/2 pound (8 ounces) chicken breast boneless, skinless
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• ▢ 2 and 1/4 cups salted/seasoned chicken stock (can use chicken broth)
• ▢ 1 cup frozen corn
• ▢ 1 can (15 ounces) chili beans in mild sauce (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes (Muir Glen recommended)
• ▢ Optional toppings: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, sour cream, Cheddar cheese

Instructions 

• Line the slow cooker with a plastic liner or coat with cooking spray. Thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating. Drain and rinse the black beans. Cut the chicken breast into 2-3-inch-long, 1-inch-thick pieces.
• Add the quinoa, black beans, chicken, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, chicken stock, frozen corn, (undrained/unrinsed) chili beans, (undrained) and diced tomatoes to a large 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2.5 to 4 hours. (Ours is always done right at 3 hours.) Check occasionally and stir every once and a while if around.
• Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, remove the slow cooker insert from the heat. Season to taste with any additional salt/pepper as needed, or any additional seasoning. I like to add a few tablespoons of lime juice here. Shred the chicken in a separate bowl with two forks (or chop it coarsely with a knife) and add back to the pot.
• Top individual bowls with favorite toppings. We top ours with a good handful of freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese, another squeeze of lime, a good spoonful of sour cream, and some chopped cilantro. Don't forget the toppings; they make this chili!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: You'll find chili beans in the canned good aisle (usually with the other beans) in the grocery store. They are typically pinto, red, or kidney beans in a mild chili-spiked sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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This recipe has been updated; to see the original version, click here 🙂