Dial up the heat with this Nashville Hot Chicken Chili Recipe! Packed with flavor & spice, it’s sure to be a hit at a Chili Cook Off!
If you’re looking for a delicious twist on the classic chili recipe, wait until you try this Nashville Hot Chicken Chili.
I’ve combined the spice and heat of Nashville-style hot chicken with traditional chili ingredients like beans and tomatoes to take chili to a whole new level!
When we visited Nashville a few years ago with our husbands and another couple, AnnMarie’s husband couldn’t wait to try Nashville hot chicken.
We stopped at Hattie B’s and got an order to take back to our AirBnB and it was so good!
If you’ve never tried it, or heard of it, before, it’s crispy fried chicken dipped in a very spicy sauce with just a hint of sweet.
But this sauce is no joke!
It’s burn your tongue off if you’re not careful kinda hot.
Fortunately, you get dill pickles and buttered bread, both of which help to cool down the heat.
Ever since trying it, I’ve been a little obsessed!
I’m even a little bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods, but there’s something about this Nashville-style chicken that just hits (as my kids would say).
Or maybe it slaps…
Whichever hip slang it is, it’s delish!
So when our supper club group decided to host a chili cook-off, I decided to try my hand at making a chili recipe that featured these flavors.
After all, I’ve already shared recipes for my All Meat (no beans) Chili.
And my popular Healthy White Chicken Chili.
I knew if I wanted any chance at winning the cook-off, I needed to whip up something unique.
This recipe combines all those classic Nashville hot chicken flavors, and you can easily dial the level of heat up or down based on how much cayenne you add.
Tips for Making Nashville Hot Chicken Chili
I love how easy it is to whip up this recipe!
You can have it assembled and cooking in just 15 minutes.
Less if you’re fast at chopping.
One of the ingredients that makes it so simple is rotisserie chicken.
I buy packages of it at Costco that are already picked off the bone!
Talk about easy.
The first thing you’re going to do is get all the seasonings together.
You can just mix everything together in one bowl, but I wanted you to see all the different flavors that go into seasoning the chicken.
Up top is the cayenne pepper.
It’s kind of the star of the show.
After all, they don’t call it hot chicken because of the temperature it’s served at…
Most recipes for Nashville hot chicken sauces call for 3-4 Tablespoons of cayenne.
You read that right.
Tablespoons.
I’m kind of a wimp, so I dialed it back to just 2 Tablespoons.
Feel free to adjust that amount based on your family, but don’t be afraid of 2 Tablespoons.
I promise.
Then there’s a whole bunch of traditional chili kinds of seasonings like garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and coriander.
The brown sugar adds some much-needed sweetness, the perfect foil to the heat.
You can substitute Swerve Brown for a sugar-free option.
I decided to embrace the pickles that are traditionally served alongside this chicken and marinated the chicken in some dill pickle juice (Grillo’s is the best!).
Now that you have all those seasonings, mix them together and then toss them with the shredded chicken.
The dill pickle juice helps it all to stick to the meat nice and evenly.
Then set that chicken aside while you chop the onions and celery.
And rinse and drain the beans.
Now, heat up your Dutch oven or 5-quart pot over medium-high heat and add the butter.
Let the butter melt, and then let the melted butter start bubbling.
You can even let it start to brown for extra flavor.
Then add the diced celery and onions.
Saute them for about 5 minutes, until the onions get translucent.
Stir them every so often.
Then add in the marinated chicken.
If you prefer smaller bites of chicken, you can chop it instead of shredding it!
But I like the way it looks shredded.
Mix it all together to get those seasonings into the veggies.
Finally, add the broth, beans, and honey.
The honey is optional, but I highly recommend adding it.
Once again, there’s something about the little bit of sweet that helps tame the heat.
Cover the pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
Then remove the cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
You can let it simmer longer if you want.
It’ll thicken up a bit more the longer you simmer it.
How to Make This Recipe in a Crockpot
The great thing about most chili recipes is that they’re perfect for crockpot cooking.
This one is no different!
Simply add all the ingredients (except for the garnish items) to a crockpot and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for 8 hours.
You can even assemble everything the night before and keep the crockpot insert in the fridge!
Let it sit on the counter for about half an hour to warm up just a bit, then pop it into the crockpot in the morning, set the timer, and dinner’s ready when you walk in the door.
How to Make This Recipe in a Pressure Cooker
I love using my pressure cooker to have dinner on the table extra fast!
To make this recipe in an Instant Pot, start by setting the Instant Pot to Saute and adding the butter.
When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the onions and celery and saute until the onions are translucent about 3-5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients (except for garnish items) and then turn it off.
Select Manual, lock the lid, and set the timer to 5 minutes.
When it’s done, do a quick pressure release and serve.
What Should You Serve with Nashville Hot Chicken Chili?
Okay. So this may sound crazy.
But I put out both hot sauce and hot chili oil when I served this chili!
My husband likes things spicy, and since I dialed back the cayenne a bit, he actually really liked adding some more heat.
Next, is it really chili if you don’t serve some cornbread with it?
Not in my house it isn’t!
I also put out some Hawaiian rolls with butter for my family to mimic the way a Nashville hot chicken sandwich is served.
Finally, don’t forget the dill pickles!
And the sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
Both of these do a great job of cooling off your mouth a bit.
My daughter was skeptical about adding pickles to the chili but she ended up really liking it that way!
Can You Make This Chili in Advance?
This chili recipe makes a pretty big batch, enough to serve 10 people, so we had leftovers.
We all agreed that we liked it even better on the second day!
The heat actually mellows a bit in the fridge.
So you can definitely make this chili a day or two in advance.
If you want it to be as spicy as the first day, be sure to increase the amount of cayenne you use by a teaspoon or two when you make it.
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Can You Freeze This Recipe?
Chili is one of my favorite things to freeze!
I always freeze soups using a jumbo silicone muffin pan.
Simply place the pan on a baking sheet, then spoon the soup or chili into the silicone pan, and pop it in the freezer overnight.
Then remove the frozen pucks from the pan and put them into a freezer bag for up to 4 months.
Honestly, I’ve had them for closer to 8 months before and they’re still just fine!
When you want to heat up a serving, remove the number of pucks you want and heat them in the microwave or in a pan on your stovetop.
The Best Nashville Hot Chicken Chili
A delicious twist on classic chili! This flavorful recipe combines the spice and heat of Nashville-style hot chicken with traditional chili ingredients like beans and tomatoes you're gonna love. Crockpot instructions are in the notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs shredded cooked chicken breast
- 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 medium stalks celery, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp dill pickle brine
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or Swerve brown
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 Tbsp honey or Pyure sugar-free honey
- sliced dill pickles and nonfat plain Greek yogurt to garnish (optional)
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin. Stir well to mix the seasonings.
Place shredded, cooked chicken in a large bowl and add the dill pickle brine and the seasonings. Toss the chicken with the brine and seasonings until evenly coated. Set it aside to marinate.
While the chicken marinates, dice the onion and celery. Then rinse and drain the beans.
Heat a 5-quart pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the onion and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the shredded, seasoned chicken to the pot and stir. Next, add the chicken broth, beans, diced tomatoes, and honey. Stir until combined, then cover the pot and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. You can simmer it longer if you like!
Serve the chili with sliced dill pickles and either nonfat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. These both help to cool the heat! You might also like serving rolls, bread, or cornbread with butter to help with the heat. After all, it's not called Hot Chicken for nothing! If you like heat, also serve with hot sauce or hot chili oil as a garnish.
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Notes
Crockpot Method:
This chili can also be made in a crockpot. Simply add all the ingredients (except for the garnish items) to a crockpot and cook on High for 4 hours.
Instant Pot Method:
Set the Instant Pot to Saute and add the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the onions and celery and saute until the onions are translucent about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and add the remaining ingredients (except for garnish items). Select Manual, lock the lid, and set the time to 5 minutes. Release the pressure with a quick release and serve.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 342Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 90mgSodium 691mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 6gSugar 11gProtein 37g
Please note that we are not medical or nutritional professionals. We include nutrition information for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. However, due to wide variations in brands, nutrition data is subject to change for every user. Nutrition data is calculated using My Fitness Pal Pro. All sugar alcohols are subtracted from the final carb count. Please refer to our complete Nutritional Disclosure for more details.
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