Butternut Squash Chili is hearty and flavorful with tender chicken, soft veggies, and quinoa, all simmered together in the slow cooker.
author’s note
The Best Comfort in a Bowl!
The minute the weather starts to cool down, chili goes on repeat at my house. It’s one of my favorite ways to pack in all the good stuff like veggies, beans, and quinoa.
Chilis are great for using up leftovers from the fridge, and they make plenty of extra servings that taste even better the next day. They’re simple to make, easy to change up, and always hit the spot, especially with a big piece of cornbread for dunking.
Here are some of the chili recipes I’ve made and loved over the years: Turkey Chili, Chicken Chili, Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili, Quinoa Chili, Chicken Taco Chili, Crockpot Chili, and Crockpot White Chicken Chili. Told you—I’m obsessed!
Why Sauté First?
This is a slow cooker Butternut Squash Chili, but I always cook a few things first—it really helps with flavor and texture. If your slow cooker has a sauté setting, you won’t even need to use another pan.
Lightly cooking the onion, garlic, spices, tomato paste, and tomatoes brings out a sweet, rich flavor. It also softens the squash, carrots, and onions so they’re nice and soft by the end. If you skip this step, they might still be a little hard.
Shortcuts
For a quicker prep time, use a bag of already cut butternut squash from the produce section of the store. If the pieces are overly large, cut them down a bit so they’ll cook in time for this recipe.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Butternut Squash | Sub with sweet potato or pumpkin. For quicker prep, use pre-cut cubes from the store. |
| Chicken | Swap for ground turkey, shredded rotisserie chicken, or leave out for a vegetarian chili. |
| Quinoa | Replace with rice, farro, or lentils if preferred. Make sure to rinse before adding. |
| Fire-Roasted Tomatoes | Regular diced tomatoes work, but add a pinch of smoked paprika for that same depth. |
| Chili Seasoning | Use a packet for convenience or mix up your own blend (chili powder, cumin, cayenne, garlic, onion powder). |
| Carrots | Sub with parsnips or extra squash. They add sweetness and bulk. |
| Chicken Stock | Veggie stock works if making this meatless. For thicker chili, reduce the stock slightly. |
How To Make Butternut Squash Chili (Tips)
- Use a 6-quart slow cooker since this recipe makes a full pot of chili.
- Cook on high heat so the quinoa “pops” and cooks through properly.
- Cut the chicken into small chunks so it cooks at the same rate as the veggies and quinoa.
- Go for fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky, rich flavor without any extra work.
- Chop squash into even cubes (about ½ inch) so it softens evenly in the slow cooker.
Featured Comment
“Thank you for sharing this recipe – I made it yesterday and it’s so delicious!! So good that my husband and I stood over the slow cooker eating straight from it with spoons!”
– Jessica
Quick Tip
This butternut squash chili is mild, especially with toppings like cheese, sour cream, or avocado. For less heat, skip the cayenne and cut back the chili powder. If using a seasoning packet, choose a mild blend.
Storage
- Fridge: Store butternut squash chili in an airtight container for 4–5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in containers or bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove or microwave.
More Butternut Squash Recipes:
Butternut Squash Chili
Equipment
- 6-quart Crock-Pot 6-quart
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped, see note 1
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet mild chili seasoning mix see note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (16-ounce) can chili beans
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn undrained
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1-1/4 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, see note 3
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons lime juice optional
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Toppings as desired see note 4
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Trim excess fat from the chicken and cut it into 2-inch chunks. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and set it aside.
- If your slow cooker has a sauté function, use that; otherwise, heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and squash, and sauté until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. Sauté for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in diced tomatoes without draining, mixing well and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer this mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add chili beans, corn, black beans, chicken thighs, quinoa, and chicken stock to the Crock-Pot. Stir thoroughly, ensuring the chicken is submerged in the liquid. Cook on high for 3–4 hours, or until chicken shreds easily (see note 5).
- Once cooked, remove the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred the chicken using two forks, then return it to the slow cooker. For a heartier texture, you can also mash some of the squash.
- Add in the cilantro and lime juice if using. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and add desired toppings. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
Variations
- Want more heat? Add in some diced jalapeños, a can of fire-roasted diced green chilies, and/or increase the cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Thicker chili. While the quinoa does continue to absorb liquid and thicken this chili as it sits, it’s not super thick. For an ultra-thick chili, use 4 cups chicken stock.
Hey! I shared this recipe in a blog post today, hope you don’t mind:
http://thebestcrepes.com/5-crock-pot-recipes-to-simplify-dinner/
Feel free to share!
Nutrition facts about these recipes would be very helpful. Needed for health reasons in fact. Please. Thank you.
Sodium can very a lot by brand or if use no salt added beans, corn ,tomatoes or broth. I’m trying it tonight with no salt added beans and broth .
Soup looks stunning, but I hate kidney beans. Any other suggestion?
Thank you for sharing
Kind regards
Sabine
You can substitute a different kind of bean you like – perhaps black beans?
I would def. use black beans. I think this recipe begs for them. To the writer who thought it was bland,, maybe addin a spicy salsa instead of the tomatoes might help in addition to adjusting spiced to taste. Just a thought. I’m planning to make this tomorrow. Would ground beef or sausage, pre-cooked work in this recipe as well?
We’ve actually made this with black beans too and it was awesome!! Definitely add in a can if you like them 🙂 And yes, I think ground beef would be delicious in this! Not sure about ground sausage from a flavor perspective, but it may work!
Does it need to be on high for 3 hours or could it cook longer (6 hours) on low?
I recommend just doing the high setting. At a low setting the quinoa ends up absorbing tons more liquid and becomes less “firm.” If you don’t mind having more of a stew and a slightly different textured quinoa, the low setting will be fine.
I did it on low for about 7-8 hours. It definitely turned out more stew like. I put the quinoa in right away in the morning, but you could also throw it in towards the end if you wanted it firmer/less stew like. I also think that if we had eaten it about 6 hours in it would’ve been more soup like, based on what I saw when I shredded the chicken. The chicken turned out so tender this way though! The soup (or stew!) was delicious.
Excited to make this tomorrow! Do I leave the chicken whole or cut it up before I put it in?
If your chicken breasts are small you don’t need to cut them up, but I generally will cut up the breasts into 2-4 large pieces to help it cook quicker and in time with the other ingredients 🙂 Hope you love this!!
I love this soup. I made it tonight. I put a can of rotel in the place of diced tomatoes, it was delish. I will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this soup! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
This is officially my most favorite crock pot soup. Amazing!
Awe that makes my day!! So great to hear 🙂 Thanks K!
Did u make it and rate it 5 stars
This sounds hearty delicious! Love it
Did u make it and rate it 5 stars?
I’m so happy that it is finally soup season again (well, almost!) and this one looks awesome!! I love the quinoa and the squash in here – makes it such a hearty but healthy dinner!!
I would have to substitute the chicken for something else (or take it out altogether), but i DEFINITELY am pinning this to make later. I love butternut squash and adding kidney beans to chili for protein. Delicious 🙂