Instant Pot No Bean Chicken Chili

This hearty Instant Pot No Bean Chicken Chili is a freezer-friendly main dish packed with shredded chicken breast, peppers, onions, green chilis, and bold spices. Make-ahead, then serve with your fave toppings during the week!

First thing, I would like to be clear – I love beans! I especially love things like black bean dip, refried bean crispy burritos, and yes, I do like beans in my chili. The problem is, those beans do not love me back. 🙁

I also love Instant Pot soups that are easy to make and easy to freeze – this recipe checks both of those boxes. And it’s pretty delicious too!

Chili Debate: Beans or No Beans?

So, thanks to my stomach, here we are, at no bean chili. Which I learned, is actually the way it’s preferred in Texas (except those recipes usually feature beef, like this Texas Chili Recipe!).

To make up for the lack of beans, I’ve added tons of peppers, onions, green chilis, and a can of yellow corn. Loading it up with toppings is also the way to go! Adding avocado, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and some corn chips is what I like most.

If you do want to add beans, I suggest swapping the can of corn for a can of kidney beans. If you’re anti-bean in your chili, skip them and pretend we never had this conversation!

What are the ingredients in this Instant Pot No-Bean Chicken Chili?

You may have some of the ingredients for this chili in your pantry or freezer already, and the rest should be easy to find at any grocery store.

Here are the ingredients I used, along with why each one is important:

• avocado oil – You can use olive oil or avocado oil, but I prefer avocado oil for the high smoke point.
• yellow onion – The base of any good chili or soup. I diced mine extra small. You could also use a food processor to quickly dice up the peppers and onion.
• bell peppers & jalapeño – I suggest using one red bell pepper, one green bell pepper, and one jalapeño pepper. Don’t use two jalapeños like I have pictured, they were large and honestly ended up being too much.
• garlic – Measure with your heart.
• chicken broth – This is the base of our chili. I found 4 cups to be the perfect amount.
• diced fire-roasted tomatoes – Yes, try to find the fire-roasted kind! It definitely makes a difference in taste. You can’t get that roasty fire cooked taste from a can of plain tomatoes.
• diced tomatoes and green chilis – I use both a can of Rotel, and an additional small can of diced green chilis.
• boneless skinless chicken breasts – You can use fresh or frozen chicken breasts here, I tried both! I would suggest skipping chicken thighs, they may come out a little too overdone.
• chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika – This is your seasoning base for the soup. Lots of chili powder required, complimented by the cumin, oregano and my favorite, smoked paprika.
• fine sea salt & fresh ground black pepper – Ties the soup and all the flavors together! Don’t skip!
• yellow corn – Normally, I’m not so into corn. But in this chili, it helps make up for the lack of beans and provides a hint of sweetness among lots of heat and spice from the veggies and seasonings.
• toppings – To really make the chili delicious, it’s important to add toppings. Things like diced avocado, sour cream, and cheese will help balance out the heat, while the corn chips give it some crunch. Adding cilantro and lime can also help round everything out with a fresh bite. Lesson: Don’t skip toppings!

How do you make the Instant Pot No-Bean Chicken Chili?

This chili is quite easy to make, especially because the Instant Pot lets you walk away while it’s cooking. There are four main steps – sautéing veggies, adding the rest of the ingredients in, pressure cooking, and finishing it off by shredding the chicken and adding corn. Easy!

Start by heating oil in the Instant Pot liner on Sauté mode. When the oil is all ripply and hot, add the onion, bell peppers and jalapeño, along with a dash of salt. Use a high heat spatula or wooden spoon to stir occasionally and cook until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

The Instant Pot sauté mode gets really hot, so I would watch carefully during this time period!

Next, add the minced garlic, then stir and cook for 1 minute, until quite fragrant. Hit cancel to turn off the sauté function. We add the garlic later so it doesn’t burn.

Quickly deglaze the bottom of the pot by adding a small amount of chicken broth to remove any brown stuck bits from the bottom of the pot, scraping with a wooden spoon.

Then, pour the remaining chicken broth into the pot, followed by all the diced tomatoes and green chilis, the raw chicken breasts, and all the seasonings. Stir everything gently to give it a quick mix.

If you’re swapping the corn for beans, I would suggest adding them now as well.

Place the lid on and make sure the steam release valve is sealed. Set the Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure Cook High for 15 minutes. When it’s done cooking, do a controlled quick release of the pressure.

After the float valve has gone down, carefully remove the lid. Use tongs to pull out the chicken breasts and shred on a cutting board, then return shredded chicken to the pot. Add the corn kernels and stir until the soup is well combined.

Quickly heat the corn by using the Sauté function to bring the soup to a low boil for one minute or so. Turn the pot off, or back to the ‘Keep Warm’ function.

Serve the chili with your favorite toppings like diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, corn chips, cilantro, etc! It’s the best with a bag of Fritos to eat along with the chili at the same time!

How do you meal prep this Instant Pot No-Bean Chicken Chili?

This Instant Pot No Bean Chicken Chili is a wonderful meal to make-ahead and eat throughout the week, or freeze in individual portions for later. Here are some ideas on how to meal prep this recipe:

1. Partial prep & cook later: Chop all the veggies, measure out the spices, and make sure everything is ready to go up to 48 hours ahead of time. Then, when dinner time rolls around, make the recipe as written.
2. Complete prep & store: Make recipe as written ahead of time and store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat as needed throughout the week!
3. Complete prep & freeze: Make recipe as written, then freeze individual portions of the chili for later. I like to use my 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays to freeze recipes like this one. More freezing info below.

What should you serve with this chicken chili?

If you cover this chili with tons of toppings, I would honestly consider it a full meal! But, it would also be really good served with some cornbread.

An alternative to cornbread is just bringing the whole bag of corn chips to the table and adding them to the bowl of chili as you go!

Which Instant Pot model do you use?

I recommend the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt if you’re just starting out with an Instant Pot and you’re trying to serve two or more people.

This recipe was tested only in a 6 quart size Instant Pot.

I have upgraded my Instant Pot to the 6 quart plus sous vide option, but I don’t think that’s necessary for beginners.

Is this Instant Pot No Bean Chicken Chili freezer-friendly?

Yes! This chili will freeze and reheat well. See below for instructions.

How to store No-Bean Chicken Chili:

Store in smaller individually portioned containers or one large airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4 days. Store toppings separately.

How to freeze No-Bean Chicken Chili:

Use Souper Cubes Trays (I like the 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays for chili and soup) to freeze individual portions of chili in cubes. Store in the trays or transfer to another airtight freezer bag or container. Enjoy within 4-6 months for best quality.

How to reheat No-Bean Chicken Chili:

Reheat from the fridge: Cook in a microwave safe container for about 2 minutes, or until steaming hot. Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan on the stove until steaming hot (about 10 minutes). Add additional broth as needed.

Reheat from the freezer: Place cube in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until completely thawed and steaming hot (about 15 minutes). Add additional broth as needed.