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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!
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!
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!
Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili.
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
- 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
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
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!
I love this recipe and I make it all the Time. Does this freeze well?! I always have leftovers but I’ve never tried freezing it yet.
Hey Sara! Yes, I have found this chili to freeze well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this once before and loved it. I want to make it again for friends but will be at work all day. Therefore, can I cook it on my lowest setting for 8 to 10 hours? My concern is when to add the broccoli rabe and other ingredients for the last 30 mins.
Hi there! Yes, you can slow cook on low all day while at work. Just add the broccoli in the beginning. It will be a bit cooked down, but honestly I do this all the time and find the chili to still be just as delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
You mention 1 oz can of beans, and 1 oz can of peppers. Do you mean 16 oz, 15 oz ?c
Hi Claudia! You need 1 (12 ounce) jar of peppers and 1 (15 ounce) can of beans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe looked so complicated to me for some reason… I think the idea of putting balsamic vinegar in a stew? Also a whole jar of roasted red peppers which I never use?? Anyway. I told myself to be brave and it was not only SO easy but tasted SO good and cozy. I shouldn’t be shocked. All your stuff is great. FYI, subbed broccoli rabe for broccoli (it’s what I had) and omitted the allspice because I didn’t have any. A+++
Hey Jenny!! Thrilled you loved this recipe SO MUCH! YEAH!! Glad you enjoyed and thank you for the sweet comment. 🙂 xxTieghan
This looks amazing! Your dishes are some of my favorites to make. So much flavor. Any ideas about making this in an Instant Pot?
HI! I would cook on manual for 12 minutes. I think that should work great, but I have not tested it…so I can’t say for sure! Please let me know how it goes. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Tieghan your recipes never disappoint! I wanted something comforting and rich with flavor – in the slow cooker for this very cold New Years Day – I had all ingredients in the pantry but chicken and Broccoli Rabe (had to substitute with broccolini…)
This recipe DELIVERED!! So so flavorful – and I would say its healthy with no added fat! I recently got your cookbook and plan to cook thru it in 2018! Thank you!
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe and that you got my book! Let me know what you make from it ? Thanks Barb!
Hey! I’d love some help with this recipe. I had this recipe in the crockpot for over 6 hours and it was very liquid/soupy. How do you get it to thicken? I wasn’t sure if I was supposed add all of the broccoli rabe, can you eat all parts or do you trip away the leaves and only eat the stalks and flowers? I found that mine was really bitter. I wanted to love this because normally I love your recipes but this one just didn’t work for me 🙁
HI! I am sorry for the trouble. To thicken this, just leave the top off the crockpot for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. I’d crank the heat up to high as well. As far as the broccoli rabe, it is kind of bitter, so it might be that you just dont have a taste for it. You can use all parts of the broccoli rabe. If you decide you dont like broccolu rabe, you can use regular broccoli. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
I probably should have read the comments before I made this but I didn’t. I was excited to try this recipe because of how beautiful the pictures looked and how hearty and savory it seemed in the description/ingredients, but like Lauren mentioned in her comment, it was quite bitter!! I made the entire recipe, so I have way too much left over. I’m not sure if the bitterness if from the broccoli rabe…or the herbs…or what…. But thank you for posting, Tieghan—it seems most people like it!
Hey Sandra! Sorry that this turned out a bit bitter for you, but I hope this doesn’t stop you from trying some other recipes on the blog!
I made this tonight but was very disappointed in it. It was way too hot from chili and pepper and too much vinegar. I did not like the rappini in it. I will not be making it again. I had to throw it out.
I’m so sorry you didn’t like it Charlene. Less pepper maybe? Some recipes aren’t for everyone as much as I wish they could be (:
This was delicious! I loved the darker broth – definitely more of a sophisticated flavor. I added some quinoa and riced califlour to make it a bit heartier. Will be making this again! Btw – I’m BF with your aunt Erin…found you by accident though and put two and two together. Congrats on all of your success!!!
Hey Sara!1 Haha, too funny that your are friends with my aunt! So happy you liked the soup! 🙂 Tell everyone back in the Land I say hey! 🙂
Dang, I think this is the first recipe I’ve tried of yours that wasn’t just phenomenal. Everything else has been super easy and some of the most tasty food I’ve made. I think it’s just way too much vinegar. Would be curious if halving the amount lead to a better final flavor.
Hi Ali,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear this was not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Saw this on my friend’s Pinterest page and was drawn in by your awesome food photography. Decided to try it for myself with just a couple modifications. I’m not vegetarian, but try to restrict how much meat I eat so instead of the 3lbs of chicken, I used 3 cans of cannellini beans and a package of tofurkey Italian sausage. If anyone reading this is leery of tofurkey products (as I was before trying it here), I assure you the flavors in this recipe are strong enough to compete with any preconceived notion of a nasty tofu taste! I also added a container of grape tomatoes, just because I had them on hand and they were a nice addition. Sundried tomatoes would probably be even better. Anyhow, loved the recipe and looking forward to checking out more from your site.
Wow sounds so amazing Tom! Thank you so much!
Just made this today, came out awesome! My wife and I really enjoyed it, Thanks so much for the recipe, will be making this again!!
So happy you two enjoyed it!! Thanks Mike!
Love the spices. I used an Italian seasoning which is tyme and oregano. I used 2 tbl spoons of that. The flavor was more ministrone but still worked but not traditionally chili flavored. Not much room in the crock to use all the broccolini so bonus I have some left. Keep these great recipies coming!!
Thanks Matt! 🙂
Will this recipe freeze before or after cooking? My sister and I are doing a bunch of freezer meals and I’m hoping I can just bag this up and put it in the crockpot when I’m going to make it. If it won’t freeze well beforehand, can I portion it out and freeze it?
HI!! It freezes great both before or after cooking, whichever you prefer! 🙂 Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
Do you think it would work to mix the ingredients then put them in a bag and freeze them before cooking? Not including the beans, broccoli and peppers.
Hey Scott!
Yes, I think that will work great!! You can either thaw the ingredients overnight in the fridge or add them directly to the crockpot and cook for 4-6 hours longer. Let me know if you have more questions. THANKS!