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{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!

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili

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 @hbharvestCrockpot 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.

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 202 kcal

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

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a 6-8 quart crockpot pot, add the chicken, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, allspice, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Next add the tomato paste, chicken broth and balsamic vinegar. Give everything a gentle stir to combine. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or 4-6 hours on high) stirring once or twice if possible.
  • During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir the broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers and cannellini beans together in a bowl and add to the crockpot. Crank the heat up to high, cover and let cook 20-30 minutes longer.
  • Lightly shred the chicken with two forks, it should just fall apart. Stir in the parmesan and parsley.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with parmesan + crusty bread for dipping.

Notes

*If you prefer, you may add the broccoli rabe in the beginning of the cooking, but just know it will be cooked down a bit more. It’s still delicious this way, it just has a little less firmness to it. **You can also serve the chili over polenta or pasta for an extra hearty meal
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Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

But really, whatever you do, don’t forget to add the cheese + a carb to this chili. It’s Sunday and they really are a MUST!

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Comments

  1. I’ve got this cooking right now. For the roasted red peppers, I assume you drain the water/oil they are packed in? Or do you add that into the crock pot as well?

  2. Saw this and knew I had to make it, had some of my family’s favorite ingredients in it! I made it tonight and wanted to share to help other readers…The prep on this was so easy all I had to clean besides the crockpot was a cutting board and a knife. I cooked it on low 5 hours and then high 1 hour and everything was cooked perfectly. As other readers noted the chili did taste a bit sour (which I think could have been remedied by just cooking it longer but I personally did not have the time). So to counteract that I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar and a couple dashes of salt and it tasted absolutely perfect! So I would just reccommend to add a bit of sugar for those that may think its too sour 🙂

  3. Stumbled across this and planning on making it next week. I am just cooking for one, so if I cut in half will that work or any substitutions that need to be made? thanks

    1. Hey Mary! Cutting it in half will work great! You can probably cook it 1-2 hours less, but you don’t have to do that. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!

      1. I made this last night and it was awesome!! I cut to 1 lb of chicken but kept the whole can of beans, and cut most of the other stuff in half, to fit in my 4 qt crock pot. Really delicious and filling lunch for the week. Thanks!

  4. Tieghan,

    I’m making this tonight, but didn’t realize the ingredients don’t all fit in my crockpot! It’s already started, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to fit the rabe, and I also couldn’t squeeze in about 3/4 cup of chicken broth unless it reduces. Do you have any recommendations? Maybe transfer to a large pot or split between a pot and the crockpot for the last 30 min?

    Thanks!

    1. Hey Annie! Ugh, sorry it is not all fitting! Yeah, I would just transfer it to a post at the end of cooking to add the broccoli rabe. I would cook it over medium heat. Let me know if you have other questions.
      Thanks!

  5. I made this last night and have to say it is absolutely amazing and something I will be doing again. I used spinach instead of broccoli rabe, next time I may try kale. I posted a few pictures on social media and have been sharing your link. So glad I stumbled upon this recipe, thank you!

  6. I made this Sunday and we ate it last night and was also very disappointed. Between the vinegar and tomato paste, this was way too sour and bitter tasting to the point that it was tummy upsetting. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I think maybe subbing in a mixture of red wine vinegar and cooking wine for the half cup of balsamic vinegar may be a better way to go. Definitely not making this again :/

  7. Hi! Do you think it would work if I added all of the ingredients at the same time (including the peppers, broccoli rabe, and beans) and left it to cook for 8 hours, or would the ingredients get too soggy? Thanks!

    1. Hey Kira, that is fine. They will not be soggy, but they will bot be crisp either. I personally think it is fine, but it is really personal preference. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

    1. Hi Emily, I am sorry I dont provide that as I have found most calculators are not accurate. I do believe it can be calculated online. Sorry I could not help. Thanks and hope you lave the recipe!!

  8. I made this tonight and LOVED it! I haven’t made anything in my crockpot in a while because I felt like all of my recipes tasted the same. This one was so unique and delicious! It is definitely going into the regular rotation. Thank you!

  9. OMG! I made this last night and we loved!!!! It. My boyfriend said he wouldn’t mind if I made this once a week. The flavor is to die for. I’m skeptical about making recipes I find on the Internet, usually they look better than they taste. This looked and taste delicious. Simply wonderful! Hats off.

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    1. Hmm, I am sure you can. Just brown the chicken on the stove before you add it to the crockpot. Hope you love this!

  10. Made the recipe pretty much as described. Had 3.5 lbs of chicken thighs. Cooked low for 5 hrs. Removed from crock, placed in another pot, refrigerated over night. Removal of minimal fat was easy. Added three cans of rinsed Cannelini beans, huge head of Rabe and a larger jar of roasted peppers.
    Needed a fair amount of salt and did add some Ancho Chilli powder during the slow cook of the chicken thighs.
    Delicious, great flavors. Will be another great chicken chilli dish in our home

  11. This sounds yummy. Kale is mentioned in your intro, but not listed. Do you have a recommended amount? Thanks for your great recipes; just discovered you today!

  12. Paleo here … I usually sub out the beans for cubed sweet potatoes but wondering how it would turn out sans cheese?