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    Home » Pork And Beef Recipes

    Published: Dec, 2018. Updated: Mar, 2023 by Iryna Bychkiv | This post may contain affiliate links. Read more here

    Crockpot Chili Recipe

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    Jump to Recipe

    Not to brag, but if I had another Cook-off, I would have won it again and again. This Crockpot Chili Recipe combines all the flavors of my original Award Winning Chili but also has some new unexpected ingredients.

    Turn on your slow cooker in the morning and return home to a bowl of hearty and yummy goodness. 
    Also, try my Mushroom Chili and White Chicken Chili - ready to be served in just 40 minutes.

    Slow Cooker Chili in a bowl against dark background

    Although Chili soup is a traditional Tex-Mex recipe, I added a few non-traditional ingredients and gave my best Crockpot Chili an Italian spin.

    See, I've had tremendously good reviews on my Cook-Off Winning Chili so I decided to recreate it but with a few minor changes.

    The outcome?

    Jump to:
    • 📋 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🍴 Serving suggestions
    • ♨️ Freezing and thawing
    • 🍲  Similar Recipes
    • Recipe

    Slow Cooker Chili in a bowl with sour cream, shredded cheese and a piece of lime

    So an extremely flavorful (no joke), hearty and so satisfying soup that even my 2-year-old devoured without saying a word. And she's not used to eating spicy food.

    This Italian Sausage Slow Cooker Chili is delicious to make throughout the year but tastes especially good during cold winter months.

    Because there's no better time for a bowl of warm and comforting soup than when it's cold outside.

    📋 Ingredients

    As I said before, this recipe is adapted from my Cook-Off Winning Chili and if you had a chance to try it, you know it's amazing.

    This nontraditional Crockpot Chili from scratch features all familiar ingredients but you'll also notice some unexpected players.

    All these ingredients contribute to even more flavorful Chili and make it hearty, delicious, and simply the best.

    • meat - I used Italian pork sausage and ground chicken. You can substitute the sausage with ground turkey, beef, or even deer. Some of my readers on Pinterest actually said they made this Chili with deer meat and it was a delicious
    • vegetable base - onion, bell peppers, garlic
    • Parmesan rinds - this is an optional ingredient, but you should have no problems finding it in any grocery store. Just look in the cheese aisle and the rinds are usually sold in small bundles
    • canned tomatoes🍅  and tomato paste 
    • beans - I used white beans and Kidney beans. However, you can use any beans you have on your hands
    • broth - I used chicken broth
    • spices - chili powder, Cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, Tuscan seasoning (substitute with Italian seasoning), brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt
    • olive oil
    Easy Crockpot Chili in a bowl served with cheese and sour cream

    🔪 Instructions

    1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add Italian pork sausage and ground chicken.

    Cook, stirring occasionally, and break up the big chunks with a fork until the liquid evaporates and the meat is thoroughly cooked and slightly brown, about 10-15 minutes.

    2. Transfer cooked meat into a bowl of the slow cooker and add onion, bell pepper, garlic, Parmesan rinds, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and spices.

    3. Cover your slow cooker with a lid and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Serve with your favorite toppings (see my suggestions below)


    By the way, did you try my BEST Vegan Chili? It's made with protein-packed chickpeas, veggies, and beans. Chili is ready in no time and is healthy and kid-approved.


    💭 Frequently Asked Questions

    Can you add raw meat🍗  in a slow cooker for Chili?

    Technically you can, but I would advise against it.

    Browning meat prior to cooking helps to develop a deeper and richer flavor of Chili.

    So despite that, you'll have to make one extra step, this step is essential to ensure the best and most delicious soul food Chili ever.

    In case your slow cooker is up for an upgrade, I highly recommend you consider a 3-in-1 multi-cooker, like this one I've used this particular brand for a few years now and I couldn't be happier with its functionality.

    It has a prebuilt "brown/saute" mode which eliminates the need to use a separate pan for browning meat.

    Also, if you want less cleanup, I recommend using these Slow-Cooker liners.  They're Amazon best-sellers and are super affordable.

    Hearty Chili made with italian sausage and in a crockpot

    How much Cayenne Pepper should I add to Chili?

    Obviously, everyone has their own preference as to how spicy they want Chili to be. Having said that, here are my suggestions:

    • If you're going to serve Chili to smaller kids, I found ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon to be a good amount of Cayenne pepper.
    • If you like it really spicy, aim for 1 ¼ teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper.

    How can I make my crockpot Chili recipe less spicy?

    If your Chili is too spicy, there are a few ways to dilute the spiciness.

    1. Add dairy. A good dollop of sour cream and/or a generous sprinkling of shredded cheese should do the trick and make Chili less spicy.

    2. Add more toppings:

    • cubed avocados
    • cherry tomatoes
    • pitted Kalamata olives
    • Tortilla chips

    All of these are great choices for diluting the spiciness of Chili.

    🍴 Serving suggestions

    I love serving Chili with Mozzarella, Sharp Cheddar cheese, and a generous dollop of sour cream.

    Amazing Crockpot Chili in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and cheese

    ♨️ Freezing and thawing

    1. cool Chili completely
    2. divide it among quart-size freezer-friendly zipper bags (I like these BPA-free double-zipper bags)
    3. seal the bags and lay them flat in the freezer.

    That way, Chili will last up to 4-6 months in the freezer.

    Place the bag with frozen Chili in a bowl with warm water and let it come to room temperature. After that, transfer Chili to a pot and bring it to a gentle boil.

    🍲  Similar Recipes

    • Vegan Chili with sliced avocado.
      Mushroom Chili Recipe - Ultimate Vegan Chili
    • Slow Cooker Chili in a bowl topped with avocado, sour cream and cilantro
      Vegan Butternut Squash Chili {Easy Slow Cooker Recipe}
    • Award-winning Chili soup in a white bowl with sour cream and yellow cheddar.
      Award Winning Chili Recipe (The Best Chili You'll Ever Have)
    • White chicken Chili in a white bowl.
      White Chili With Ground Chicken And Sour Cream Recipe

    Friends, if you like this recipe, please take a second to leave me a comment and PIN IT! I would greatly appreciate this! 

    Recipe

    Best Crockpot Chili in a bowl.

    Crockpot Chili Recipe

    So incredibly flavorful, rich and hearty Crockpot Chili Recipe is easy to make and is absolutely delicious. Perfect soul food for a cold weather.
    4.29 from 35 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American, Italian, Tex-Mex
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 808kcal
    Author: Iryna Bychkiv
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Click on the highlighted link to purchase the necessary ingredients

    • 1 lb Italian pork sausage see the notes
    • 1 lb ground chicken breast or thigh
    • 1 large onion finely minced
    • 1 green bell pepper chopped
    • 6 cloves garlic finely minced
    • 2 Parmesan rinds optional
    • 2 cans (14 oz each can) diced tomatoes
    • 1 can 14 oz kidney beans
    • 1 can 14 oz white beans
    • 6 oz tomato paste
    • 32 oz chicken broth
    • 4 tablespoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
    • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
    • 2 teaspoon brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
    • 1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
    • 8 tablespoon sour cream for serving

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large skillet and on a medium heat.* (See the notes)
    • Add Italian pork sausage and ground chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the big chunks with a fork until the liquid evaporates and meat is thoroughly cooked and slightly brown, about 10-15 minutes.
    • Transfer cooked meat into a bowl of slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients except cheese and sour cream.** (See the notes)
    • Cover with a lid and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
    • Serve with a dollop of sour cream and both type of cheese. 

    Notes

    *Meat
    Instead of Italian pork sausage, you can also use ground turkey, beef or even deer. (In fact, some of the reviewers to my original Chili recipe used deer meat and said that Chili tasted amazing)
    *For Slow Cookers With a Browning feature
    You don't need to brown the meat in a skillet. Instead, turn your slow cooker and press the "Brown/Sear" button. Add olive oil and cooked Italian sausage and ground chicken according to my recipe instruction. 
    Press "Slow Cook" button, add the remaining and continue cooking according to the recipe instruction.
    *Adding Salt
    Since Italian pork sausage is already salty, it's better to start with less salt in the recipe and add only ¼ teaspoon. When Chili is ready you can always adjust the salt.
    Don't forget to check out my original Award-Winning Chili:)
    ---Nutritional Information Should Be Considered An Estimate---

    Nutrition

    Calories: 808kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 32.4g | Saturated Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1081mg | Potassium: 2467mg | Fiber: 19.3g | Sugar: 10.1g | Calcium: 3290mg | Iron: 11.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Lavender.And.Macarons or tag #lavenderandmacarons!

    Click HERE to PIN this recipe!


    Do you want ZERO mess after cooking your Chili? These Slow Cooker liners are perfect for cooking soups, pot roasts, casseroles and other foods. When you're done eating, simply remove the liner and throw it away. These Reynolds Kitchen Slow Cooker Liners are Amazon best-sellers and cost under $6.


    Easy Crockpot Chili with cheese, sour cream and crackers

    Iryna Bychkiv
    Website

    Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
    Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen says

      November 17, 2019 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent ? my favorite so far!!!

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        November 18, 2019 at 10:39 am

        Thank you for your comment Karen! I'm so happy you like this recipe!

        Reply
      • Don Frost says

        August 19, 2023 at 7:45 pm

        1 star
        You ruined it when you added beans!
        I guess I'm a purist,I wouldn't even call it chili if it had beans in it!

        Reply
    2. Ashley says

      September 27, 2019 at 6:52 pm

      Recipe was perfect! I adjusted a bit. I used a yellow pepper that I had on hand and only used ground chicken. Perfect amount of heat for my husband that doesnt really do spicy.

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        September 28, 2019 at 9:19 pm

        Thank you for your comment Ashley! I'm so happy you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!:)

        Reply
    3. Patricia says

      December 18, 2018 at 10:27 am

      5 stars
      The Chili was fantastic. Thanks for sharing. I do have one comment to make to all the folks that leave replies about how good a recipe looks or how they can't wait to try it, etc . Before you rate a recipe, please try the recipe first. I really enjoy reading other cooks comments, positive or not, as well as ideas they may have to put a twist on a recipe. But paging through ratings/comments about how the recipe sounds or how pretty the pictures look, just doesn't add any value to the purpose. On this page alone, 5 out of 5 'ratings' were from folks that haven't even tried the recipe.

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 18, 2018 at 9:36 pm

        Patricia, thank you for your comment! I've very glad you enjoyed my Slow Cooker Chili recipe as much as my family did!

        Reply
    4. Sonal says

      December 04, 2018 at 9:46 pm

      5 stars
      This chili sounds exactly what I would like to eat but in vegetarian version. I am saving the recipe to develop the vegan or vegetarian version of the same. And yes I like mine spicy ?

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 04, 2018 at 9:48 pm

        I'm sure these spices would be great in vegetarian version as well. Thanks for your comment Sonal!

        Reply
    5. Kelly Anthony says

      December 04, 2018 at 9:44 pm

      5 stars
      This crockpot chili would be the perfect way to end a long cold day. Nothing says comfort food better than homemade chili.

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 04, 2018 at 9:47 pm

        Thanks Kelly!

        Reply
    6. Amanda says

      December 04, 2018 at 9:32 pm

      5 stars
      I can't get enough chili during the fall and winter months. This sounds super tasty. Can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 04, 2018 at 9:36 pm

        You're welcome Amanda!

        Reply
    7. Sarah | Wandercooks says

      December 04, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      5 stars
      The spices in this sound fantastic. I'm hosting a dinner this weekend and this will be the perfect side dish with my starters. 🙂 Also - is there anything better than using Italian sausages in this sort of dish? Yum!

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 04, 2018 at 9:36 pm

        Italian sausage gave such an incredible aroma. Thanks for your comment Sarah!

        Reply
    8. Adriana Lopez Martn says

      December 04, 2018 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      Chili is so comforting and a perfect dish for the winter as well as to offer in parties. I organize a football party every year, as I always set up a chili bar with all the toppings. Will have to make your recipe for a change as I always use beef or turkey.

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        December 04, 2018 at 9:05 pm

        Thanks for your comment Adriana! Serving Chili for a football party is a great idea. I never thought of that.

        Reply
    4.29 from 35 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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    The photo of Iryna Bychkiv, the writer and owner of a culinary website - Lavender & Macarons.

    I'm Iryna - a healthy food writer, photographer, and taster behind Lavender & Macarons. Here, you'll find healthy, clean recipes that are easy to prepare, made with wholesome ingredients, and approved by picky eaters. More about Iryna...

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