This leftover chicken chili recipe is perfect for using up leftover rotisserie chicken for a delicious family meal.
This is one of my favorite leftover chicken recipes and is really versatile. You can enjoy it on nachos, with rice, in tacos or on a steaming hot jacket potato.
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients in this leftover chili recipe, most of them are spices and can easily be replaced by a store-bought Mexican seasoning.
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Spices for a leftover cooked chicken chili
The list of spices may look overwhelming, but remember you only need to buy them once and then you will have them in your cupboard for next time.
I tend to make up a big batch of our homemade Mexican seasoning and keep it in the store cupboard, so whenever I make this I can just use a tablespoonful from the jar.
If you don't have all the spices and don't want to buy them, then you could also just buy a jar of Mexican seasoning like this one.
You may also like these recipes: Leftover Chicken Curry and Leftover Chicken Pasta Bake.
What stock to use in this leftover roasted chicken chili
Because this is a recipe for leftover roast chicken, you will have all the bones from the chicken carcass to make up a stock. If you have time, you can make up a chicken stock before you start cooking.
To make this, add the chicken bones, an onion, clove of garlic, some herbs and salt and pepper and cover with water and let it bubble gently for a couple of hours… and you’ll have a cheap and tasty stock for your chicken chili.
I usually have portions of homemade chicken bone broth in my freezer ready for occasions like this.
If you don’t have time however, it is completely fine to use store bought stock or a stock cube. Whatever you have is fine!
Prefer beef chili? Check out our Easy Homemade Beef Chili recipe.
How to serve chicken chili
Chicken chili is so versatile! Here are some suggestions of how to serve it.
However you choose to serve this easy rotisserie chicken chili, be sure to top it off with a dollop of sour cream and a serving of guacamole and maybe some pico de gallo. Delicious!
- Over nachos with melted cheese
- Wrapped in tortillas for burritos or enchiladas
- In a burrito bowl
- With steamed rice
- With tortilla chips for dipping
- On a baked potato
- On top of hot dogs
Fast Chicken Chili
Want a super fast chicken chili? You can easily cut down the time to make this bean and chicken chili. Remember that the chicken is already cooked, and so are the black beans in the can.
So if you want to make this recipe in less time, simply reduce the time of cooking after you add the chicken and beans.
If you are not in a hurry however, I recommend not rushing this step as it allows all the flavors to infuse in the chicken, making it more tasty.
Can you freeze chili?
Yes! This leftover chicken recipe is great for freezing. You can then defrost it and re-heat for a super quick and easy family dinner.
Love Leftovers? You may also like these recipes:
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Leftover Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- pinch cinnamon
- salt & pepper
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 250 ml / 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 250 g / 8oz leftover chicken around half a rotisserie chicken, roughly chopped.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and salt over a low heat until soft, around 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add spices and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and let it bubble for around 15 minutes.
- Add beans and chicken to the pan and continue to simmer for a further 15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and you have a rich thick sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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This recipe was delicious, thank you. Rather than mixing spices, I used Penzy’s Fajita blend. Thank you for including the detail of how much to use if one didn’t want to make a blend.