This slow cooker Indian spiced chili uses Indian cuisine inspired seasonings & ingredients. Garam masala, coriander, tomatoes, chickpeas…this hearty chili is packed with flavor. You can also make this easy recipe in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients For Indian Spiced Chili
- Ground Poultry: Your preferred ground poultry like ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Tomatoes: A combination of crushed tomatoes & tomato sauce.
- Chickpeas: 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) that have been drained & rinsed. These will be pre-cooked.
- Garam Masala & Seasonings
- Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic
How To Make Indian Spiced Chili
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground poultry until no longer pink.
- Add ground poultry along with all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
- Turn on the pressure cooker and select sauté. Once hot add oil and ground poultry, bell pepper, & onion to the pot. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the poultry is no longer pink and vegetables are soft. Crumble the ground poultry as it cooks. Add garlic & cook an additional minute. Drain grease if you need to.
- Add the garbanzo beans (or potatoes), garam masala (or curry powder), chili powder, cumin, salt, coriander, and pepper to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix well. Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce on top. DO NOT STIR.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
Indian Inspired Spice Blend
This chili is all about the homemade Indian inspired seasoning mix. The main ingredient is garam masala. Garam masala is a popular spice blend commonly used in South Asian cooking. It’s a staple in Indian cuisine, used in everything from curries to soups. The spices used to create garam masala varies by region but common ones include cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Garam masala is not spicy but has a very strong flavor & aroma. Yellow curry powder is a good substitute for the garam masala in this chili.
Poultry Of Your Choice
Since this slow cooker chili is inspired by Indian cuisine & nearly 80% of the population in India does not eat red meat, this recipe calls for ground poultry. Whatever you use ground chicken or ground turkey is up to you. You can even use a combination of the two.
Garbanzo Beans or Potatoes
You can make this Indian spiced chili two different ways: using garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or using potatoes. Having made it both ways I can honestly say I don’t think one way tastes better than the other, it’s more personal preference. What are your dietary needs? Garbanzo beans, are a high-protein legume so if you are following a whole30 then you will need to use potatoes because chickpeas are not compliant. If you use potatoes, feel free to use your preferred potato but keep in mind that some potatoes work better than others. Waxy potatoes always work best with the slow cooker or Instant Pot because they hold their shape during the cooking process. If you use a non-waxy potato, I suggest you cut the potato into larger pieces than you usually would. This will help them not turn mushy.
Storing Leftover Chili
Let the chili cool before packing it away. Store any leftover chili in the frig for up to 4 days or the freezer for 4-6 months.
Chili Recipes
-
The Best Turkey Chili
-
Taco Chili
-
Pumpkin Chili
-
Old Fashioned Chili
-
Chorizo Beef Chili
-
Chunky Beef Chili
-
Bean-Free Chili
I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.
PrintSlow Cooker Indian Spiced Chili
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground poultry, seasoned with salt & pepper
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans cooked garbanzo beans (drained & rinsed) or 1 1/2 pounds diced potatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons garam masala or curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground poultry until no longer pink.
- Add ground poultry along with all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
- Turn on the pressure cooker and select sauté. Once hot add oil and ground poultry, bell pepper, & onion to the pot. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the poultry is no longer pink and vegetables are soft. Crumble the ground poultry as it cooks. Add garlic & cook an additional minute. Drain grease if you need to.
- Add the garbanzo beans (or potatoes), garam masala (or curry powder), chili powder, cumin, salt, coriander, and pepper to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix well. Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce on top. DO NOT STIR.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
Notes
nutritional facts use garbanzo beans
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 810.3 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.4 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 34.3 g
- Cholesterol: 104.3 mg
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26 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Indian Spiced Chili”
for the Instant Pot, 20 minutes seems a long time since all the ingredients are already cooked. I love it for infusing the spices and flavors but generally bo with five minutes. Is there a reason for 20?
Fantastic recipe! I made it vegan by subing in tofu instead of the poultry. I took two 14 oz packages of super firm tofu (the kind that is pre-pressed and just needs a little draining) and pulsed it in my food processor until it was crumbled and then threw it in the crockpot. I don’t know how it compares to the poultry version (since I haven’t made it with poultry), but comparing my result to the pics you posted, it does look like it came out less saucy with the tofu. I suspect that the tofu soaked up more sauce than the poultry would, so I may use less tofu next time. Regardless, it was quite tasty and my husband loved it, too! It’s in our regular rotation. Thank you for a great recipe!
This recipe looks delicious and is so different from my usual beef/chorizo chili recipe. I’m going to try it! Two quick questions. I will be using a slow cooker and like to cook on low heat. Do I need to use the tablespoon of oil to brown the ground chicken? Second, do I add ground coriander spice to the recipe or sprinkle it with fresh coriander once it’s finsished? Thank you!
Great questions. Since it’s chicken, it’s okay not to brown it beforehand since there will not be a lot of extra grease. You make want to stir the chili halfway through cooking time though; when ground meat cooks in the slow cooker raw it tends to clump up. Stirring it will help crumble the meat. The coriander is added into the recipe along with the rest of the ingredients. Let me know how it turns out!
WOW! This was truly awesome. I’m not a particularly good cook, but I surprised my girlfriend by making this!
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This was a fantastic recipe. Will make this again for my my next potluck!
I needed some good crockpot recipes so this was right up my alley! I loved the curry flavors.
Such a fun twist on a classic. I loved the spicy and Indian flavor, this would be amazing to try!
Fantastic. So yummy.
I had a friend that used to make Indian food for me all the time. Now that we live on opposite sides of the world, im on my own with these types meals. This reminded me of a curry she used to make. Thanks for the recipe, I really enjoyed it!
I loved the flavors and colors of this dish. Will make again.
Wow i could smell its deliciousness all the way in my basement. I bookmarked this recipe:)
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I have a Q. Do you use dried garbanzo beans or do you first put them in to water to get them soft?
For dry garbanzo beans, yes I do recommend soaking them first to soften them up. If you use canned garbanzo beans, then I suggest draining & rinsing them. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
So good. I love regular chili but I really like the idea of adding curry powder to it took this to a different level!
I lovee the twist in this recipe. It was incredibly delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
2-8oz cans of tomatoes? Listed 2x
Nice catch, THANK YOU I’ll update when I’m back at my computer.
I have desperately been missing Indian food since moving to a rural town. My mom has sent me several of her recipes but they all seem so complicated and I haven’t had the patience to actually make any of them. THIS one looks like something I’d be wiling to try out though. Slow cooker recipes for the win!
The best thing about a slow cooker is you just throw the stuff in and let it cook! I love Indian food, so I know I’d love this!
My boyfriend would absolutely love this. I’m a vegetarian, but I could probably substitute the chicken for something else (paneer, maybe) and make myself a batch too! 🙂
Christie’s Take on Life. x
I’d add in a more beans for a vegetarian take. Perhaps double up on garbanzo beans?
We’d make this with more beans as we don’t eat much meat. It looks amazing though!
Oo I know I’d love all the flavors in this. Plus I love when I can use my slow cooker. I am going to make this for a future dinner!