Soul food ingredients and flavors take over the slow cooker for this unique spin on chili. Hearty yet healthy, this comfort food can be eaten year-round.
Sometime I make a recipe that I know right away will be a hit. It doesn’t happen often but it happens. Like my Slow Cooker Gumbo. As soon as I tasted it, I knew it would be popular. To-date, it’s been pinned over 80K times. This soul food chili is one of those recipes. At least I think so lol.
Soul food. I love it. My maternal grandmother was born & raised in North Carolina. She cooked southern, soul food like no other. I pulled some of her favorite southern ingredients for this recipe – pork, chicken, black-eyed peas and lima beans. Only thing missing is chitterlings. I thought that would be going too far! If you don’t know what chitterlings are…Google it. You’ll thank me for not adding them.
Before you add the meat to the slow cooker, I suggest you brown it in a skillet and drain the grease. It’s not 100% necessary but personally I don’t like greasy chili.
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Slow Cooker Soul Food Chili
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 lb ground chicken, browned
- 1 lb ground pork, browned
- 15 ounces black-eyed peas
- 15 ounces lima beans
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Stir to mix well.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
Okay the peas & beans. If you you’re using frozen black-eyed peas and/or lima beans, throw them in frozen. For canned, drain and rinse them. If you’re using dry, then be sure to pre-soak the peas overnight first. You can even soak them in your slow cooker – add beans, cover with water, strain the next morning. If you don’t like chicken or pork then swap it out for a different protein like ground beef or ground turkey.
This is another recipe using food from my Milk and Eggs delivery. I told you it’s the ‘gift that keeps on giving’. I specifically picked up some ground chicken from them with this recipe in mind. Local residents of LA or Orange County, use the code Fitslowcookerqueen for $15 off any order of $35 or more from Milk and Eggs. Valid for new & existing users.
I was compensated a free delivery from Milk and Eggs but all opinions and recipes are my own. You can view my disclosure policy here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I have the ingredients in my slow cooker right now. Should I add water or broth?
Nope, no broth or water needed, it will cook down. Enjoy!
Thank you.. I was wondering the same. Cooking mine now! (Fingers crossed) 😉
This says that it serves 4. If I wanted to double it, would I need to make two separate batches?
Yes I would. My 6-quart slow cooker was pretty full with just one batch. Enjoy!
THis sounds delicious and hearty. And I love that you kicked it up a notch by adding some soul to it. Yum!
This is a completely new version of chili for me! Sounds delicious!
This looks delicious! Can it be made without a slow cooker?
Thank you! Yes, you can make this in a pot or dutch oven. The instructions pretty much stay the same except you don’t cook it as long. An hour or so on low, stirring occasionally should do the trick. Enjoy!
Oh yum!!! This looks fantastic!
Your selection of beans is wonderful! This is so unusual, and I love it! I’ve pinned it for quick reference.
I love a good slow cooked chili!
oooh this looks awesome. I really should take advantage of my slow cooker more often!
Your aerial photo of the ingredients in the crockpot is a masterpiece in itself and sold me on this! Making it!
You had me at soul food. Looks absolutely amazing!
Awesome! I’ve never had a chili with lima beans and back eyed peas. Fantastic. I will have to try this.
I love a good hearty chili and your recipe looks so good and easy to make. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
The slow cooker is a great way to make chili. This beefy chili is packed with beans, veggies, and spice. This spicy and satisfying chili is made in the slow cooker. Start it before you head off to work, and return to a homemade meal ready to eat! I like to put two scoops of sour cream in my bowl.
I love chili! It’s great year round, I’ll have to try out this recipe!
Your chili looks so good! I would make them for dinner tomorrow. If we have left overs (I doubt that), I will keep it in the freezer to reheat on Saturday and enjoy it with tortilla chips. Delicious!
Great pictures! Makes me want to put together some chili myself now. Always one of my favorite meals on a cool fall day or cold winter evening.
I love love soul foods and make them often as it’s always cold in the UK so they are always perfect year round those I have not tried in a slow cooker before
That chili has some great color! I’ve never seen a chili made with some of those ingredients.
This recipe is perfect for Sunday’s family dinner. I’m sure my family would love it. I’m glad you shared the recipe.
Oh I love chili! I’m going to save it for those cooler fall days when you just feel like something warm in your stomach.
This sounds like the perfect chili! It has everything you could want from a hearty, filling meal in it.
I’m usually not a big fan of chili, but this does look excellent! I like the variety of beans in there, and the seasonings sound good. We are vegetarian but I’d just sub in a mock meat 🙂
This looks so yummy. I never thought to put ground pork in chili, but I am sure it makes it delicious.
This is a great way to presednt a recipe. And such a good one, too!
That looks absolutely amazing especially on a cold summer day like today. Yes…we are having a cold summer day! I use slow cookers in the summer. The’re a life saver when we want to just relax. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe!
The soul food chili would be something I would love. It’s soothing and really rich in taste. No wonder your recipe is such a hit.
Now this sounds delicious, it amazes me all the bits you can do with a slow cooker, I really need to get more adventurous with mine.
This is definitely something I want to try. I like anything you can do in the slow cooker because it’s less work for me and it tastes so good.
Chili is one of our favorite winter meals. I can’t wait for fall when we start making it again 🙂