Thick Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Chili
A thick, deep tomato red slow cooker chili with shredded chicken running through it and one inch cubes of sweet potato that hold their shape. No browning, and no added broth.
Servings 6 bowls
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts left whole
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes peeled, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
To Serve
- 1 cup sharp cheddar shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Load the Slow Cooker
- Spread the sweet potato cubes across the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and both cans of drained beans on top of them.
- Lay the whole chicken breasts over the vegetables. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over everything, then add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir once gently so the chicken is mostly submerged. Do not add any broth or water.
Cook
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Low gives a better result because high boils at the edges and breaks the sweet potato apart. Keep the lid on the whole time.
Shred and Thicken
- Lift the chicken breasts out onto a cutting board and shred them with two forks, pulling along the grain. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot.
- Press about 1 cup of the sweet potato cubes against the side of the crock with the back of a spoon, then stir that mash through the chili to thicken it.
- Stir in the apple cider vinegar and season with salt and black pepper. Let the chili stand uncovered for 10 minutes before serving, and top the bowls with cheddar, sour cream, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
- No broth: nothing evaporates under a slow cooker lid, so added stock is what makes chili into soup.
- One inch cubes: smaller sweet potato will not survive 7 hours.
- Whole chicken breasts: cubed chicken dries out. Shred it on a board, not in the crock.
- Low over high: high boils at the edges and shreds the vegetables.
- Mash to thicken: a cup of crushed sweet potato replaces any starch or flour.
- Vinegar at the end: a long cook flattens flavor and an acid brings it back.