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If you’re looking for a dinner that screams flavor but doesn’t demand your constant attention, then you absolutely must try my Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips. I’m Anna, and I live for sharing simple, flavorful chicken recipes that make everyday cooking easier and way more joyful. Honestly, setting it and forgetting it is my favorite cooking method, especially when the result tastes this incredibly bold and Caribbean-inspired!
I’ve tested enough hands-off meals to know exactly how to coax incredible depth out of simple ingredients in the slow cooker. This chili is hearty, it feeds a crowd beautifully, and the homemade chips on the side? Total game changer. Trust me, this recipe is going to be your new weeknight hero.
Table Of content
Gathering What You Need for Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
Getting ready for this Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips is half the fun because you know the payoff is huge! Since this is a big, bold flavor bomb, quality ingredients really matter. We need a good base of fresh veggies to balance out that spicy jerk marinade. Don’t skimp on the peppers—I used all three colors because it just looks better, and honestly, the flavor is richer that way!
You’ll notice we are using dried spices alongside the marinade. This blend of allspice and thyme is what gives it that true Caribbean warmth. Remember, this recipe is designed to be easy, but those little details in the spice mix are what make people ask, “What is this amazing thing?”
Components for the Flavorful Chili Base
For the chili itself, you’ll want to get your chopping done ahead of time. We need 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts—they shred perfectly after hours in the slow cooker. Dice up that white onion and all three colored bell peppers. Make sure you mince your garlic finely, and please, be careful when mincing that habanero! Precision here matters because we need those small measurements of spice distributed evenly throughout the 6 servings this recipe makes.
- Chicken breasts (2 lbs)
- Onion and bell peppers (diced)
- Habanero, green onions, and garlic (minced/chopped)
- Canned kidney and black beans (drained and rinsed—this is important!)
- Crushed tomatoes, jerk marinade, soy sauce, and lime juice
- All your dried spices: thyme, cumin, allspice, pepper, cinnamon
Ingredients for Crispy Plantain Chips
The plantain chips are non-negotiable; they are the perfect salty, crunchy scoop for this rich chili. You absolutely must use 3 large green plantains. If they are yellow or black, you’ll end up with mushy, sweet chips, not the savory crunch we need for this dish. We just need vegetable oil for frying and some coarse sea salt for finishing.
Essential Equipment for This Recipe
You don’t need a ton of fancy gear for this one, which is what I love! Since we are relying on the slow cooker, that’s the main player. But you do need a space ready for frying those chips because they come together fast once the chili is done.
Tools for Making Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
To make this Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips a success, grab your large slow cooker first. You’ll also need a couple of cutting boards—one for the raw chicken and veggies, and one reserved for the plantains. A large, heavy pot is essential for getting that oil temperature right for the chips. Finally, make sure you have two sturdy forks handy for shredding the chicken right in the pot!
Safety Check for Cooking Temperatures
Just a quick reminder, since we are dealing with chicken: always have a reliable meat thermometer ready. We have to make sure that shredded chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before we stir in the lime and cilantro. Safety first, flavor second—though with this recipe, they happen at the same time!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
Okay, this is where the magic happens, and I promise, it’s almost entirely hands-off! We are layering flavors beautifully for this Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips. You’ll have plenty of time to tidy up the kitchen or just put your feet up while this cooks itself.
Building the Chili Base in the Slow Cooker
First things first, lay those 2 pounds of chicken breasts right across the bottom of your slow cooker insert. Think of it as the foundation. Next, just start piling everything else on top! Add your diced onion and all those colorful peppers, the minced garlic, the chopped green onions, and don’t forget to rinse and drain those beans before adding them in. Dump in the crushed tomatoes, the jerk marinade, soy sauce, brown sugar, and all those wonderful dried spices—thyme, cumin, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon.
Now, here’s the gentle part: you need to stir it all together, but don’t go crazy whipping it around. Just gently combine everything so the seasonings coat the chicken and veggies without turning it into mush right away. That’s it for setup!
Cooking Times and Heat Management
Cover that pot up tight. If you’re starting this in the morning, set it to low for 6 hours. If you’re rushing after work, you can switch it to high for 4 hours. The goal is for the chicken to be incredibly tender—so tender that when you poke it with a fork, it practically falls apart. That tenderness is what sets up the final shredding step perfectly.
Preparing the Homemade Plantain Chips While the Chili Cooks
While that chili is simmering away, it’s chip time! You must work with those green plantains here. Peel them—it’s a little tougher than peeling a banana, but worth it. Slice them paper-thin. Seriously, the thinner the better for crunch. Heat about an inch and a half of vegetable oil in a heavy pot until it hits 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer; this temperature is key! Fry the slices in small batches so you don’t cool the oil down too much. They only take about 4 to 5 minutes until they turn that beautiful light golden color. Scoop them out onto paper towels immediately and sprinkle them with coarse sea salt while they are hot. They’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
Finishing the Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
Once the cooking time is up and the chicken is super tender, take two forks and shred that meat right there in the slow cooker bowl. Mix it all up so the shredded chicken soaks up all that amazing sauce. Now, stir in the fresh lime juice and the chopped cilantro—this brightens everything up! Please, check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure it has safely reached 165°F. Taste it now and add any extra salt or pepper you think it needs. Serve it up piping hot with those homemade chips ready for scooping!
Tips for Perfect Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
Getting this Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips just right comes down to a few little tricks I learned after making this recipe way too many times! Don’t worry if you’re new to jerk flavors or slow cooking; these tips make sure your chili is exactly how you want it every single time.
Controlling the Heat Level
That habanero pepper adds a real kick, and I love it, but I know not everyone shares my obsession with heat! If you’re nervous about the spice level, just follow my little note: slice that habanero open and scrape out all the seeds and the white membrane before you mince it. That’s where most of the fiery heat lives. If you leave them in, you get serious fire; take them out, and you just get the lovely fruity pepper flavor blending in with the jerk marinade. It’s totally customizable!
Achieving Perfect Chicken Texture
The key to the best texture is patience during the cooking phase. You want that chicken breast to be so soft it practically dissolves when you look at it. Don’t rush the 6 hours on low! Once it’s done, shredding is easiest when done directly in the slow cooker—it allows the meat to absorb all that delicious liquid right away. And remember that final safety step: even though it looks done, use that thermometer to confirm it hit 165°F before you stir in the fresh lime and cilantro. That ensures everything is perfectly cooked and safe to eat.
Ingredient Notes and Flavor Adjustments
This recipe is pretty forgiving, which is perfect for busy cooks like us! Since we aren’t using a ton of fresh herbs here, the flavor really hinges on a few key pre-made items. I always tell people that when you’re using a slow cooker, you’re building deep flavor over time, so pay attention to the intensity of your main flavor agents.
Selecting Your Jerk Marinade
The jerk marinade you choose is going to be the star of the show here, hands down. Since we aren’t doing a traditional, scratch-made jerk paste, the quality of your bottle matters! Some store-bought marinades are incredibly spicy, while others are much sweeter. Taste a tiny bit of your marinade before you add it to the slow cooker. If it’s very mild, you might want to add an extra teaspoon of allspice or a dash of your favorite hot sauce later on. This sets the whole Caribbean profile!
Adjusting Seasoning for Your Taste
Because the jerk marinade already contains salt and the soy sauce adds a good bit of savoriness, you absolutely must taste the chili before you serve it. I only put in 2 teaspoons of added salt initially. Once you’ve shredded the chicken and stirred everything together, taste a spoonful. Does it need another pinch of salt? Does it need more brightness? If it tastes a little flat, hit it with the juice of half a lime. That fresh acidity wakes up all those deep, slow-cooked spices!
Serving Suggestions for Your Hearty Chili
This Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips is so robust, it really doesn’t need much else to make a complete meal. But you know me—I love loading up bowls with fresh toppings to add texture and cool contrast to that warm spice! Since the chili is already packed with chicken and beans, we are focusing on fresh, bright additions right on top.
What Pairs Well with Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips
The best thing you can do is add something cool and creamy to balance the heat. Diced avocado is fantastic; the buttery texture cools your mouth down instantly! A dollop of plain Greek yogurt works great too, much like sour cream but tangier. If you want a side, skip heavy bread and go for something crisp. A simple, vinegary coleslaw made with shredded cabbage and carrots cuts through the richness perfectly. And of course, you always need extra lime wedges on the side for squeezing over your bowl of Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili with Plantain Chips!
Storing Leftovers of This Flavorful Meal
This chili makes fantastic leftovers, but you have to treat the components differently if you want them to taste fresh the next day! The biggest mistake people make is storing the crispy plantain chips right next to the moist chili. Trust me, soggy chips are a tragedy we must avoid!
The chili itself holds up beautifully because it’s already slow-cooked, meaning the flavors actually deepen overnight. Just make sure everything is cooled down before you seal up your containers. We want to keep that crunch factor alive for the chips!
How to Store and Reheat Your Chili
The key here is separation. Store the chili base in a good airtight container in the refrigerator—it’ll be great for up to 4 days. Reheating is easy; just zap it in the microwave until it’s steaming hot all the way through.
For the chips, keep them completely separate in a container that seals well but isn’t airtight, or just use a Ziploc bag that you don’t seal completely. They are definitely best eaten within two days, but you can try popping them in a 300-degree oven for about five minutes if they’ve lost a little crispness.
| Storage Item | Method | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Chili | Airtight container in refrigerator | Up to 4 days |
| Plantain Chips | Airtight container at room temperature | Up to 2 days (best fresh) |
Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
I get so many questions about this recipe because people love how much flavor comes out of such a simple process! Here are a few things I hear most often about making this wonderful jerk chicken chili.
Can I Skip the Plantain Chips?
Oh, you can, but I really hope you don’t! The crunch is everything. But if you absolutely must skip them, no worries! This is still a fantastic, hearty chili on its own. Instead of chips, serve it over fluffy white rice—that soaks up all the sauce beautifully. Or, you can use warm corn tortillas for wrapping. It turns it into more of a slow-cooker chicken stew, which is also delicious!
Is This Jerk Chicken Chili Recipe Truly Easy?
Yes! That’s why I love it so much. It’s truly an easy chicken recipe because 90% of the work is just layering ingredients into the slow cooker. You have about 40 minutes of chopping time, and then the machine does the heavy lifting for 4 to 6 hours. Once the chicken is tender, shredding takes two minutes. It’s about as hands-off as you can get for dinner this flavorful!
Can I Make Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili Ahead of Time?
Absolutely, you can make it ahead! In fact, I think the flavor is even better the next day once all those spices have married in the fridge. You can cook the chili completely, shred the chicken, and store it. I wouldn’t make the plantain chips more than a day ahead, though, because they lose their crispness fast. If you make the whole batch of Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili on Sunday, you have an amazing lunch ready for Monday!
If you want to see more of my favorite easy meals, check out my Pinterest board for inspiration!
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Fearless 6-Ingredient Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili
- Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Flavor packed slow cooker jerk chicken chili served with crispy plantain chips. This is a bold, hearty chili that cooks hands off and feeds a crowd.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 habanero pepper finely minced
- 6 green onions chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 15 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup mild jerk style marinade
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 large green plantains
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a large slow cooker.
- Add onion, bell peppers, habanero, green onions, garlic, beans, crushed tomatoes, jerk marinade, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, thyme, cumin, allspice, black pepper, and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours until the chicken is very tender.
- While the chili cooks, prepare the plantain chips. Peel plantains and slice very thin.
- Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F. Fry plantain slices in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
- When the chili is finished cooking, shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks.
- Stir in lime juice and cilantro and adjust seasoning if needed. Chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve hot with plantain chips on the side or crumbled on top.
Notes
- For milder heat, remove the seeds from the habanero before mincing.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Caribbean Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: Unknown
- Sodium: Unknown
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: Unknown
- Unsaturated Fat: Unknown
- Trans Fat: Unknown
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: Unknown
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: Unknown
