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Instant Pot Chicken Chili is a hearty, creamy chicken and black bean chili made with a boost of flavor from beer and a sharp cheddar cheese spread! Make this in less than an hour in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker!
So it's "winter" here in Florida and it's officially our soup and chili season. When it falls below 65 here (yes, that's cold for us!), I always love to make this chili.
It's filled with chicken, black beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic and colorful bell peppers. The absolute best part, I think, is the addition of beer and a creamy, sharp cheddar cheese spread. It just gives it that extra special something.
This Instant Pot Chicken Chili is perfect to serve for a family dinner on a cool night, or great for a big game day or even taking to a potluck or tailgate gathering.
I've always made this on the stove top, but since getting an Instant Pot, I've moved over to using that. I love, love, love my Instant Pot. The Duo Plus 6 quart 9-in-1
is the one that I have.
It also can be made in a slow cooker. Make sure to saute the ingredients (extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, peppers and chicken) on the stove first before adding to the slow cooker and then cook on low for 4-5 hours.
How to use an Instant Pot for this chili
This recipe as written is for how I've always cooked it on the stovetop. When using the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, it does trap all of the moisture in, so it does end up a little more soupy than I normally like my chili.
If you like your chili on the thinner side, this will be fine for you. If you like your chili thicker, you can leave out the extra cup of water.
When making this chili, both the sauté and pressure cook functions are used. The veggies and chicken are first sautéed, then the remaining ingredients are added and pressure cooked.
If you would like to get a thorough walk through of using your Instant Pot, Kristine at Kristine's Kitchen does and amazing job of explaining everything in great detail.
What ingredients are needed to make this recipe?
Below is what is needed to make this recipe. If you don't like something, feel free to substitute. If you don't want to use the beer (but I highly recommend you do, as all of the alcohol cooks out, and it adds TONS of flavor), you can substitute chicken broth. Water is acceptable, but really is not recommended since it's flavorless. Add flavor whenever and wherever you can!
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- onions
- red and yellow bell peppers
- boneless skinless chicken breast
- spices: chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper
- beer
- water
- tomatoes
- black beans
- hot sauce
- sharp cheddar cheese spread
- Italian parsley
How to make Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Select the sauté function. Add extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Sauté for a minute.
- Add onions and sauté for another minute.
- Next, add bell peppers and sauté for another minute.
- Add chicken and cook until mostly cooked through.
- Add spices and stir to combine.
- Next pour in the beer and water (or leave out water if you prefer thicker chili).
- Add tomatoes.
- Add black beans.
- The last addition before cooking is the hot sauce. You can leave this out if you don't like it spicy. Put the lid on and set steam release handle to Sealing. Select the cancel button, then select the pressure cook button. Increase the time to 30 minutes.
- After the chili has cooked, add the cheddar cheese spread and the Italian parsley. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Tip #1
When the timer goes off, release the pressure by carefully moving the steam release handle to Venting. When the metal float valve next to the steam release handle drops down indicating the pressure has been released, it's ok to open the lid.
Tip #2
If you like shredded chicken instead of diced chicken, place whole chicken breasts in the pot right before you put the lid on to cook. After the chili has cooked, you can remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, which will be very easy. Add the shredded chicken breast back into the chili.
Favorite toppings for chili
Chili is one of those things that you get to load up with toppings (like a baked potato) and I love being able to make it my own. When serving chili for a crowd, make sure to put out a wide variety of toppings if you want to make it over the top and get rave reviews!
Some great ideas are: shredded cheddar cheese or cotija cheese, diced avocado, lime slices, tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, sour cream or crema, sliced jalapeños (fresh or pickled), diced onions.
What are your favorite chili toppings? I'm always looking for new, unique ideas!
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 cup water
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes drained
- 30 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 11 ounces sharp cheddar cheese spread
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Select saute button on Instant Pot. Add garlic and saute for a minute or so.
- Add onion and saute for another minute.
- Add bell peppers and again saute for another minute.
- Add chicken breast and saute until mostly cooked through.
- Add all spices and mix thoroughly.
- Add beer and water (leave water out if you like thicker chili).
- Add tomatoes, black beans and hot sauce.
- Put lid on and set steam release handle to Sealing. Select the cancel button, then select the pressure cook button. Increase the time to 30 minutes.
- When timer goes off, release the pressure by carefully moving the steam release handle to Venting. When the metal float valve next to the steam release handle drops down indicating the pressure has been released, it's ok to open the lid.
- Add the cheddar cheese spread and Italian parsley.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you’re looking for other Instant Pot Recipes check out my Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches or my Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta. If you are looking for some other game day food, check out my Appetizer recipes for some great ideas!
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