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10.08.20

Butternut Squash Chicken Chili {Paleo, Whole30}

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Whole 30 No Added Sugar

This hearty and super tasty butternut squash chicken chili is fast and easy plus packed with flavor, protein and veggies.  It’s a healthy one pot paleo meal you’ll enjoy during the cold months that the whole family will love!  It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free and paleo.

If you’re a fan of my slow cooker white chicken chili with white sweet potatoes, this new butternut squash chicken chili is going to become a new favorite!

It’s fast (as far as chilis go!) and super easy, made in one pot on the stove and that’s it!  The butternut squash gives the chili a delicious sweetness and the sweet/savory/spice flavor combination is incredible!

This chili is also very low in carbs, Whole30 compliant, and can be served with lots of different garnishes to suit anyone’s taste.  It’s a great recipe to make on a Sunday to have the leftovers all week for lunch!

What You Need to Make Butternut Squash Chicken Chili

This recipe uses cooked and shredded chicken breasts, but you can absolutely use any leftover chicken you have, or purchase an already-cooked rotisserie chicken.

If you’re doing the Whole30 and not cooking the chicken yourself, make sure you check out the ingredients before purchasing.

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare the chili:

  • boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • ghee or avocado oil
  • medium butternut squash, cut into 3/4” cubes
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • yellow onion, diced
  • garlic, minced
  • red bell pepper, diced
  • green bell pepper, diced
  • fresh jalapeños
  • ground cumin
  • dried oregano
  • chili powder
  • chipotle chili powder
  • diced green chiles
  • chicken bone broth
  • fresh cilantro
  • fresh lime juice
  • nutritional yeast – optional
  • Garnish:  “sour cream” coconut cream (see below**) avocado slices, more cilantro

How to Make Butternut Squash Chicken Chili

If your chicken needs to be cooked and shredded, do this first* and set aside (see the recipe notes for my method!)  Prepare all ingredients before beginning.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the ghee or oil.  Add the butternut squash and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper.  Sauté, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown and soften.  

Add in the diced onion and sauté for about a minute until translucent. Then, add in the garlic, peppers, jalapeño and spices, stir and sauté for 3 minutes, until fragrant and softened.

Add in the green chilis, and broth, stir and bring to a boil.  Stir in the shredded chicken, nutritional yeast cilantro and lime juice and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

My Favorite Garnishes for Butternut Squash Chicken Chili

I love serving this chili with coconut “sour cream” (see below for how to prepare.) This is the only sour cream I know of that’s Whole30 compliant and it adds wonderful flavor and creaminess to the chili!

You also can’t go wrong with sliced avocado – and you can also make a super simple guacamole for even more flavor!

After the sour cream and avocado, additional cilantro is great and sliced jalapeño is perfect if you want things extra spicy.  You can also try serving the chili over sautéed cauliflower rice for extra veggies and flavor.

How to Make Whole30 Compliant Sour Cream

To make Whole30 compliant sour cream with coconut cream, mix 1/2 cup of thick, cold coconut cream with 2 tsp lemon or lime juice and 1/8 tsp fine sea salt.

If you don’t have access to coconut CREAM but you have a can of full fat coconut milk, simply chill the can overnight and just use the thick part of the separated milk.

I like to use the 365 brand (Whole Foods) of coconut cream for this as it’s very thick and creamy and blends well.  Feel free to adjust the salt and lemon to taste.

I hope you’re ready for a delicious meal that’s bound to become a go-to during the colder months!  Grab your favorite soup pot and start chopping your ingredients – let’s go!

Butternut Squash Chicken Chili {Paleo, Whole30}

This hearty and super tasty butternut squash chicken chili is fast and easy plus packed with flavor, protein and veggies.  It’s a healthy one pot paleo meal you’ll enjoy during the cold months that the whole family will love!  It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free and paleo. #paleo #whole30 #cleaneating #chili #onepot

Butternut Squash Chicken Chili {Paleo, Whole30}

This hearty and super tasty butternut squash chicken chili is fast and easy plus packed with flavor, protein and veggies. It’s a healthy one pot paleo meal you’ll enjoy during the cold months that the whole family will love! It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free and paleo.
Author: Michele Rosen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Print this Recipe
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review
4.39 from 52 votes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded*
  • 2 Tbsp ghee or avocado oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash cut into 3/4” cubes (about 4 cups)
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh jalapeños finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles
  • 3 cups chicken bone broth
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • Garnish: “sour cream” coconut cream see notes** avocado slices, cilantro

Instructions

  1. If your chicken needs to be cooked and shredded, do this first* and set aside. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the ghee or oil. Add the butternut squash and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown and soften.
  3. Add in the diced onion and sauté for about a minute until translucent. Then, add in the garlic, peppers, jalapeño and spices, stir and sauté for 3 minutes, until fragrant and softened.

  4. Add in the green chilis, and broth , stir and bring to a boil. Stir in the shredded chicken, nutritional yeast cilantro and lime juice and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with coconut “sour cream” (see notes) sliced avocado, additional cilantro and sliced jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Notes:

*if you don’t already have cooked chicken, season your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through, then shred before using. You can also use a rotisserie chicken, just check ingredients for Whole30 compliance if needed.

** To make Whole30 compliant sour cream with coconut cream, mix 1/2 cup of thick, cold coconut cream with 2 tsp lemon or lime juice and 1/8 tsp fine sea salt. I like to use the 365 brand (Whole Foods) for this as it’s very thick and creamy. Feel free to adjust the salt and lemon to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal
Carbohydrates: 16g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 64mg
Sodium: 144mg
Potassium: 794mg
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 4g
Vitamin A: 10609IU
Vitamin C: 55mg
Calcium: 67mg
Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PaleoRunningMomma on Instagram and hashtag it #PaleoRunningMomma

Shop Products and Ingredients:

Want More Whole30 Soup and Chili Recipes?  Try One of These!

Instant Pot Beef and Bacon Chili

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Zuppa Toscana

Stuffed Pepper Soup 

Chicken and “Rice” Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Paleo Running Momma!

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About Michele

More than a little into running and paleo recipes (yoga now too!) but I'm not here to rain on your grains (or anything else) so come along for the ride! I do a little too much of everything (except cleaning), and I enjoy laughing at myself. As long as I'm the one making the jokes, that is. Just kidding. So bring me your angst, your appetite and your frying pan and climb aboard!

Reader Interactions

Reader Reviews & Comments

  1. Kim Hebing says

    October 8, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    Hi Michelle, Love your recipes! Thank you! Have you tried this in an instant pot? Do you think it would work with the squash? Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Okiegirl05 says

    October 8, 2020 at 9:28 pm

    I love the idea of add butternut squash! But my family would likely pick it out. Do you think I could purée it & put it in this? Also, we don’t do anything spicy. Could we leave out the jalepeno?

    Reply
  3. Nora Bross says

    October 11, 2020 at 11:23 am

    Hi! Looks very yummy. Any ideas on how we could use an insta pot instead?

    Reply
  4. Tanya says

    October 11, 2020 at 9:24 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today. It is so good! Added kite hill sour cream and avocado.

    Reply
  5. Kylee Skall says

    October 11, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    This was so so good! I never review recipes but thought I had to let you know I appreciated this 🙂

    Reply
  6. Brooke says

    October 13, 2020 at 12:32 am

    Another hit. The kids liked it! The chili itself was great, but adding the paleo sour cream took it up a notch. Delicious!

    Reply
  7. Cathie Buntjer says

    October 13, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    5 stars
    So good! I didn’t think I had enough squash so I added some carrots. But then it ended up too thick so I added more broth. Oh well, flavor is really good.

    Reply
  8. Julie Calvo says

    October 16, 2020 at 1:03 pm

    2 stars
    this was fabulous! Thank you so much! I added an exta cup of squash and of broth. I thickened it up with arrowroot. Loved it!

    Reply
  9. Debbe L Treece says

    October 17, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    5 stars
    This was a yummy, comforting chili! My husband loved it and he usually doesn’t like anything out of the ordinary. I will be making this again. Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Annelise L says

    October 18, 2020 at 11:57 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it!! So tasty and hearty. Will definitely make again!!

    Reply
  11. Amanda says

    October 24, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Is it possible to do this in instant pot if I don’t have a Dutch oven?!

    Reply
  12. Janine Snyder says

    October 26, 2020 at 6:02 pm

    5 stars
    I made this in a InstantPot! Sauteed onions, peppers, spices. Added broth (only 2 cups), raw cubed squash, 1.5 pound of chix tenders, chilis. Cooked on high pressure for 30 min. (My chix was a little bit frozen in places still.) Manually released pressure. Utterly Delicious. 30 min made the chix just fall apart and shred beautifully. The squash kind of disintegrated but I liked that because it gave it a thick, hearty consistency. You could probably make this in 20 min on high pressure. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  13. temple run says

    November 27, 2020 at 4:37 am

    4 stars
    The cakes are so fresh, the recipe you made is so great and you have really clever hands, I really like the way you decorate them.

    Reply
  14. Hilary says

    December 8, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    I was surprised at how good this tasted! I did not have jalapeño but did have a Serrano pepper. I was afraid to add the nutritional yeast flakes to be honest but it brought it all together.

    Reply
  15. Darel Aranovski says

    December 10, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Great thank you

    Reply
  16. Tami says

    January 20, 2021 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    This reminded me of a slightly sweeter sopa de pollo from my favorite Mexican restaurant pre-Paleo and I’m soooo happy with it! Thank you for this deliciousness!

    Reply
  17. Michelle Bagshaw says

    February 4, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    One word…AMAZING! Just made this and got up from my seat to review. The BEST chicken based chili or any chili I have e made in a very long time. Absolutely fantastic! Worth the effort. Thank you!!

    Reply
  18. Destiny says

    March 29, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    Can you freeze this and it still be good?.

    Reply
    • Michele says

      March 29, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      Yes that should work.

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi! I’m so happy you stopped by! My name is Michele and I’m a Paleo eater and recipe creator, runner, mom of 3, and the gal behind Paleo Running Momma! Over here you’ll find real-food, clean eating family favorites that you’ll be excited to share with your loved ones. I hope you stay awhile, eat, savor, and enjoy!

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