Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili Recipe - Pinch of Yum
icon-arrowicon-chevron-whiteicon-chevronicon-commenticon-facebookicon-hearticon-instagramicon-instant-poticon-listicon-lockicon-meal-prepicon-nexticon-pinteresticon-popularicon-quoteicon-searchicon-staricon-sugar-freeicon-tiktokicon-twittericon-veganicon-videomenu-closemenu-open
Our recipes, your inbox. Sign up

Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

26 reviews / 4.9 average

This post contains referral links for products we love. Pinch of Yum earns a small commission on these links at no cost to you, and the links will always be marked with an asterisk. We ♡ honesty!


You know those times where stuff just works?

This is one of those times. I did not really know where I was headed when I started making this sweet potato chicken chili other than that I had a vision of something semi-spicy that could compliment that bag of blue corn + flax tortilla chips burning a hole in my cupboard. Just another example of the finer things that inspire greatness for me.

By the way, blue corn + flax tortilla chips? I think you want these. I’m putting a link –> right here*. You can’t buy them online, but you can go find them at a Target and then be forced into making this healthy jalapeño sweet potato chicken chili as a BFF for your chippers.

And just FYI. If you think you don’t want these, you should know that non-flax-eater Bjork had no idea what “those little crunchy things” were that made the chips taste so good and gobbled them down like a true flax loving health nut. Except in a tortilla chip health nut sort of way. So you want these. End of story.

To make this chili, you’re going to have to let it simmer for a while. Like 45 minutes or more – enough time to do something like get outside and go for a run, which by some miracle I did. And if you can simmer it in what appears to be a miniature camping pot, all the better.

*sometimes I don’t even know*

Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili in a bowl with a spoon.

I don’t have step by step photos for this – after the light falling into the palak paneer episode, I’m waiting until we get a house that has kitchen windows to continue with those, and speaking of houses, we find out TODAY about the most recent offer that we put in! eeeee! – but I do need to tell you a few things about the step by step process. Let’s have a Q&A.

I Don’t Like Spicy Things. Should I Leave Out The Jalapeño?

Maybe just take out the ribs and seeds of the jalapeño – that’s what makes it spicy. I used one biiig jalapeno pepper and I left the seeds and ribs in when I chopped it up. It was The Perfect amount of spicy for us. Kind of like a light medium spicy, if we’re getting that specific. I had actually planned to put a chipotle pepepr in this as well, but the flavor of the jalapeño just sang to me and I didn’t feel like it needed anything else.

What’s The Broth Or Base In This Soup?

Well, good question. In my mind it was going to be tomato sauce. But then I found that, in fact, I did not have any tomato sauce.

That’s when the unexpected magic happened: instead of tomato sauce, I added a few cups of water and gave it all a stir. Oh, hey. Perfection. A few of the softer sweet potatoes sort of melted into the liquid, and some of the flavor seeped out of the other ingredients, creating this yummy + spicy sweet potato creaminess as the base of the soup.

Then I added some flaxmeal, to bring things full circle (remember the chips?) and to help keep it thick and give it a nice warm nutty flavor. I loved it.

Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili in a blue bowl.

What Kind Of Pot Should I Use To Keep The Soup From Sticking?

Not the miniature camping pot pictured above, because when you cover it and let it simmer for 45 minutes, it’s going to end up getting stuck and burnt and crusted all over the bottom. Hello nightmare.

I used a large nonstick braiser that I just got from a company called Swiss Diamond. It worked perfectly. And if I wouldn’t have had that new braiser, I would have used my nonstick soup pot. Pleaze friendz. Use nonstick for this one! Or watch carefully, stir periodically, and add water as it simmers.

Can I Add ______ ?

Yes! Yet another reason I love chili. Anything you want, like roasted corn, more or less beans beans, bell peppers, different meat, avocado slices on top, sour cream, cilantro, Cotija cheese, any cheese, more cheese, etc. Add it.

Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili in a blue bowl.

It’s September, it’s a little chilly, and the chili is a-cookin on the stove. And so begins my favorite eating season of the year. ♥

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili - Pinch of Yum

Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili


  • Author: Pinch of Yum
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x

Description

This Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili is so simple and loaded with veggies and spices. Perfect lunch or dinner for fall!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
  • 2 14 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, undrained
  • 1 14 ounce can black beans, drained
  • 3 tablespoons ground flaxmeal
  • cilantro and Cotija cheese for topping

Instructions

  1. Poach the chicken: Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil and add the raw chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken continue to cook in the broth for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, let cool, and shred with two forks. Reserve 2 cups of broth. Keep chicken in the fridge until ready to use (I did this a day in advance and just stored my chicken and broth together in the fridge).
  2. Saute the veggies: Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and saute until tender. Add the chili powder, salt, and sweet potatoes. Saute until the sweet potatoes are lightly browned.
  3. Let it cook: Add the fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, shredded chicken and reserved broth. Stir and cover with a tight fitting lid. Keep over medium heat for 45 minutes without stirring (see notes).
  4. Make it saucy: After 45 minutes, uncover and you’ll see a bunch of chicken and veggies with hardly any liquid. Perfect. Add 2 cups of water (or less, as needed) and stir to combine. Add the flax and stir again – this helps it thicken up and gives it a warm, nutty flavor.
  5. Eat: Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with cilantro and Cotija cheese.

Notes

It works best to use a nonstick pot. If your pot is NOT nonstick, be sure to stir periodically and add some water to prevent sticking and burning.

The nutrition information is for 7 servings, which ended up being about a heaping cup full per serving.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: sweet potato chicken chili, chicken chili, chili recipe

Healthy Jalapeño Sweet Potato Chicken Chili | pinchofyum.com

One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy soups. Check it out!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

117 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Love these photos and the gorgeous blue bowl!! Oh and obviously, the chili!! Sweet potato chili is one of my favorite and spicy is aways a good thing in my mind!! YUM!

    Good luck with the house! Hope you guys work out something out!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Thanks Tieghan! I got the blue bowl at an art fair a few years ago with my in-laws (my father in law actually does pottery as well)! cool, right? 🙂

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I really want to make this. I made something similar to this called ground nut stew. When I first heard of the ingredients I thought the combination sounded so strange, but after making it I am a believer. I try not to mention flaxseed being good – it just confuses my guest. 🙂 Oh, and I so want a Swiss Diamond pot/skillet. I be checking out the chips.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      It’s a dream. You should definitely check it out. I’ll be hosting a giveaway in a few weeks as well so you can hold out for that if you want. 🙂

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Made this chili this weekend. My wife refuses to eat sweet potatoes but ate this (and admitted it was good). She said it needed a little more spice. I put two jalapenos in it, so maybe I will add a third next time. Thanks for the great recipe.

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Yum! I love a good bowl of chili. My husband (then boyfriend) and I had a craving for chili, so we thought, hey why not go to Chili’s? It was our first time and we didn’t realize that they didn’t have any chili at all! 🙂 Lesson learned, check the online menu first. 🙂
    http://liveitinerantly.com

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I am intrigued! What caught my eye were the words: sweet potato and chili! What a lovely combination…it is certainly one that I have to try. Looks wonderful!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Yum, I love the addition of sweet potatoes in this chili. I am also so psyched that chili season is upon us as well – I even made turkey chili yesterday for the Redskins game! You rock, thanks for sharing!

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I’m even more excited for the cool fall temps that are rolling in now! This looks delicious! Thanks for the jalapeno tips!! I like a moderate amount of spice, but for some reason jalapenos always intimidate me.

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    September is just the perfect month all around – cooler weather means, break out the jeans!, and chilly days mean comfort food dinners. Chili will hit the spot, every time.

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    comfort in a bowl! Love this flavor and texture combo! Also love Target’s Simply balanced chips – there blue corn is so great and it’s gluten free 🙂 Their yellow corn chips are pretty fantastic too! Thanks for this recipe!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I was so confused at first about the Simply Balanced brand but then I realized that it’s just Archer Farms rebranded and I’ve just been out of the country for too long to know what’s going on. 🙂

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        wow what!? And this whole time I just thought that the simply balanced brand was just some cool new brand that target has! Wow, how did I miss that!!

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Yum, I love chili! Especially love the idea of adding in some sweet potatoes. Can’t wait to try this out once it gets cooler in LA.

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Oh how lovely does that fall weather sound… and a bowl of this sweet/spicy chili? Perfection. Hope things work out with the house Lindsay!!!!

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I make black beans a lot – just about every week. I’ve never thought of that combination before with the sweet potatoes, chicken and jalapenos. Sounds great – my guys are gonna love it!

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This look so, SO good! Definitely need to make this. The weather is just starting to cool down enough that this sounds like the perfect meal. Love all the photographs as well 🙂

    Good luck with the house stuff!!

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    As soon as I read your post yesterday I got super inspired and made it for dinner last night! Followed the recipe exactly but my liquids did not reduce at all so the extra water at the end was not needed. (I used a dutch oven – maybe that’s why?) No worries though because once I added the flax, it thickened to sheer perfection!! Tasted wonderful and definitely will be my go-to for fall weekends with friends!! Thanks for the great recipe! p.s. To other readers, don’t leave out the flax! It added serious nutty goodness!

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I have never thought of adding flax meal to chili, but I can’t wait to try it!–I won’t tell my husband, but I bet he won’t even notice! 🙂

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Do you think this would be possible to make in a crockpot? My fiance is home early so he could turn off the heat so it didn’t overcook. I just don’t get home from work/gym on week nights until almost 7 so I try to do make ahead dinners as frequently as possible. That or have my fiance have all the prep ready for me as soon as I get home

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Yep! I do. I would suggest putting the chicken, broth, onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes in in the morning. Then I would add the sweet potatoes with some liquid if needed about 2 hours before eating, and then then beans just an hour before. Kind of particular, I know, but I hate when everything turns to mush and you lose the texture. 🙂 Good luck!

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Would you cook the chicken before or just put it in for it to cook in the crockpot? Thanks!