Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Cider Chili
This Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Cider Chili is a simple soup with a surprising depth of flavor from fall herbs and apple cider.
I have to confess that I’m not the biggest chili fan. My mom only made it occasionally when I was growing up (I liked her lasagna with cottage cheese recipe much more!), and when she did, I mostly just ate the “broth” and left all of the “stuff” in the bowl.
I wasn’t much of a picky eater as a kid, but for some reason, traditional beef and bean chili just didn’t appeal to me. And still doesn’t.
However, in recent years I’ve really warmed up (pun intended) to chicken and white bean chili. This Slow Cooker Autumn Chicken & Apple Cider Chili has been on repeat at my house lately.
Apple cider in chili may seem a little strange, but just go with me here.
When I’ve served this crock pot cider chili recipe to family and friends, nobody has known that the secret ingredient is apple cider until I mentioned it, but I think the cider, along with the fall herbs, added a unique depth of flavor to a basic chicken chili.
The ingredients for this Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Cider Chili Recipe are easy to find:
- rotisserie chicken
- Great Northern beans
- celery
- garlic
- bay leaf
- onion
- chicken stock
- apple cider
- sage
- thyme
- chili powder
- salt and pepper
- paprika
- cayenne
- apples
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Can I use apple juice for Chicken Apple Cider Chili?
Yes! I’ve made this with apple juice in place of apple cider, and it works well. The juice adds the same sweet apple flavor that the cider would.
Can I make this chili recipe without beans?
You certainly can, although the beans add most of the body to the chili. Without the beans, this will be more like a chicken soup.
If I wasn’t using beans in this chili, I may add a couple of cans of diced tomatoes or possibly even some cooked lentils to make it a little more filling.
Can I make Apple Cider Chicken Chili with turkey instead of chicken?
Yes! One roasted turkey breast, chopped up into bite-sized pieces is a great substitute for the rotisserie chicken in this recipe.
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Autumn Chicken & Apple Cider Chili
Ingredients
- Meat from 1 roasted/rotisserie chicken
- 2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained 15.5 ounces each
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- Chopped apples for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In slow cooker, stir together chicken, beans, celery, garlic, bay leaf, onion, stock, cider, sage, thyme, chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.
- If desired, serve chili topped with chopped apples.
Love this recipe and have made it many times! We like to double the seasoning amounts and add a little bit more cider. Turns out rich and delicious! (Wouldn’t recommend doubling spices for small kids though, makes it a little spicy.)
Such a great tip, Ree! I’m so glad you liked it.
I made this yesterday, and it was delicious! I was worried it would be too spicy, but it wasn’t. I needed to add more chicken broth, though. There wasn’t enough liquid. Followed it up with apple cider floats for a perfect no fuss fall dinner date with my husband. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
So glad to hear your dinner date was a success, Kristen. I’m super jealous of apple cider floats!
Could you cook the Apples in it instead of it being a garnish?
Sure! The apples will be a mushy, but if that doesn’t bother you, go for it 🙂
Would this be fine without the beans? Any adjustments need to be made?
Hi Drew – I haven’t tried this without beans, so I’m honestly not sure. If you do end up trying it without beans, please let me know how it turns out!
Hi Lori,
Do you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe? I really only need the calories and carbohydrates per serving.
Thank you, Lisa
Hi Lisa – I’m sorry, but at this time, I don’t offer nutritional information for my recipes.
Great recipe Lori! I had a question and wanted your thoughts on it.
Do you think one could substitute turkey for the chicken? Or would the flavor profile not be the same?
Thanks!
Sure Mason, I think turkey would be great in here!
Hi Lori, I see I’m the first to ask this, and maybe it’s a Canada vs. USA thing 🙂 but when you say apple cider, do you mean the “raw” juice (often unpasteurized) that you get at an apple orchard, or the alcoholic beverage? I could see it being either but I’d like to get it right!
Hi Alison. Great question! I mean raw, unpasteurized juice, which I guess we call cider here in Michigan. But no, it’s not the alcoholic beverage (which we call hard cider), although I imagine that would be pretty tasty here, too. Hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
So it’s just plain 100% apple juice? I was a bit confused as well, but definitely want to make this! 🙂
Hi Katie! This recipe can be made using either apple cider (unpasteurized apple juice) or 100% apple juice.
hi love this!! Ive made the beans with chicken chicken bullion cubes garlic and hot pepper flakes.yum.
So glad you liked it, Roberta!
Morning, I’m wondering why you suggest “meat from 2 cooked chickens”…if its in the crockpot all day, couldn’t I use raw chicken breasts and then just separate them prior to serving and shred them ??
Hi Connie! I think because this was my first time using the Wonderbag, I played it safe by using already-cooked chicken. If you are using a traditional crockpot, you could absolutely use raw chicken breasts. Enjoy!
Just came upon your post in pinterest and was intrigued. I know the post was a couple of years old, but unfortunately both the wonderbag itself as well as the wonderbag cookbook are sold out on Amazon (“Currently unavailable.
We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.”) Sad as I would have purchases a few for Christmas gifts and one for myself. Still plan to try the chili though!
Sorry to hear the Wonderbag is sold out on Amazon, Jane. Looks like it’s still available on the Wonderbag website, if you’re interested in ordering from there, but not sure if it’ll be in time for Christmas 🙁 http://wonderbagworld.com/wonderbag.html
I made this chili recipe this week and we all loved it! Everyone thought putting apples in chili was crazy, but great! I blogged about this recipe as well and added a couple of links to your page! 🙂
Hahaha, thanks Gina! I thought it was crazy, myself, putting apples in chili, but I’m so glad I did!
That chili sounds delicious, Lori! I love the substitution of the cider. Just the thing for a cold rainy tailgate party. And the Wonderbag sounds truly wondrous!
I’ve sent your link to a friend who has connections with a school in Uganda. So much of their money is spent on cooking fuel as they serve the children one hot meal a day, and I would love to donate a Wonderbag if she thinks they would use it.
Oh, that’s such a nice thing to do, Stacy. Please keep me updated on how it all turns out.