Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili.

Name: Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili.
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 390 min
Total time: 400 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds boneless (skinless chicken thighs or breasts); 1 small sweet onion (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced or grated); 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; ¼ teaspoon allspice; ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1 dried bay leaf; 1 teaspoon salt + pepper (or to taste); 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste; 4 cups low sodium chicken broth; ½ cup balsamic vinegar; 1 large bunch broccoli rabe (ends trimmed + roughly chopped); 1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers (sliced, ); 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans (drained + rinsed); 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving); ½ cup chopped parsley (plus more for serving)

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October 11, 2015

Posted in Chicken, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Slow Cooker, Soups

{Today I am partnering with Andy Boy Broccoli Rabe to bring you this hearty Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili. I am so excited to be using their delicious Broccoli Rabe in this recipe!}

Have I mentioned how excited I am that it’s soup season? This Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili is so easy (ummm helloooo crockpot!) and has sooo much flavor!

I wish I was able to hit a magical pause button so that I could have a good 2-3 extra months of this amazing fall and holiday season. I know things are about to start getting really crazy, but I don’t care, I still love it!

I can honestly feel the excitement in the air and I am PUMPED.

But like I said, things are about to start to get crazy, and that means we all need some go-to meals that are healthy and easy to prepare. I mean, I know that Halloween candy is delicious and all, but let’s be real, we can’t live solely on candy. Besides, you all know how much I love my veggies. No I promise, I really, really LOVE veggies. I think I’ve said this before, but did you know that literally every night I have a big bowl of roasted veggies with dinner, like every stinkin night!

No joke.

This’s partly because I am a semi repetitive person with almost everything I do, but mostly because I adore roasted veggies. My current favorites are butternut + acorn squash, pumpkin (duh), brussels sprouts and broccoli… and/or BROCCOLI RABE!

So you see, I don’t just live on sugar, carbs, chocolate, cheese and butter. I mean, I mostly do….but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my vegetables!

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Sooo, I made us a hearty, but healthy chili, full of one of my favorite autumn veggies, broccoli rabe. This chili is the perfect dinner to warm up to on a cold autumn night, and it couldn’t be simpler. Just throw everything into the crockpot, turn it on, walk away for six or so hours and come home to a house smelling like your Italian grandma’s…or maybe what you would imagine your Italian grandma’s house would smell like… if you had an Italian grandma.

Loaded with lean chicken, cannellini beans, tomatoes and broccoli rabe this bowl of chili is about as healthy and wholesome as it gets… but it doesn’t feel that way.

Just serve this chili with a side of crusty bread and plenty of freshly grated parmesan. You’ll have yourself a complete meal with NO complaining, and all tummies happy!

Yeah!!

Another way to serve this chili is over a bed of buttery polenta, it’s pretty amazing. Or you could also boil some pasta and go that route too. Personally, my favorite is to serve the chili over polenta alongside garlic bread for soaking up any extra sauce.

I really could not think of a better Sunday night dinner!

FUN FACT: Did you know that Sunday night dinners are my absolute favorite in the fall. Something about them makes me feel so happy inside. When I was a kid, Sunday night was the one night of the week my parents really tried to get it together and have a nice family dinner. They would either make Chicken Noodle Casserole, Pot Roast, Chili, London Broil, Chicken + Rice or a Roasted Chicken. Simple meals, but ones that the whole family would actually sit down at the table, eat and really talk to each other… and we’d even eat at a decent hour (which meant somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30). My oldest brother Creighton would come home (this was after he had moved out and was in college) and we’d all just eat and be together. The kitchen would be warm from the oven, due to mom baking bread or cookies, and all us kids would come rushing in for dinner. It was nothing fancy, and it was always a bit chaotic, but I still loved it.

Thinking about it now though, the fact that I liked Sunday night dinners is SO odd, because at the same time, I also HATED Sundays with a passion. Knowing that it was back to school the next morning was overwhelming for me. Friday and Saturday where my favorites… Sunday + Monday, not so much! Ugh, SO happy I am outta school.

NEW GOAL: Bring back Sunday night dinners this fall. If not every Sunday night, at least every few weeks. You guys too! Let’s do it? Mmm, K???

We can all start with this easy broccoli rabe chili, sound good?

Awesome, let’s do this!

3.72 from 334 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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