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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 noticed it says tomatoes in the writing leading up to the recipe. But no where in the recipe does it call for tomatoes, just tomato paste. Am I missing something?
Hey Nina,
You’re just going to use the tomato paste here:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This was so delicious!! We cooked ours in the instant pot on high for 10 minutes and it was perfect.
Hi Holly,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
For the instant pot do you add the Rabe, peppers and beans after the 10 minutes?
I would probably add everything together, I’ve not tested this recipe in the instant pot:) xx
Wonderful! For a change, I read “many” of the comments. I reduced the vinegar, increased the chili and subbed the rabe with lacinato kale. Served with egg noodles for first dinner, tonight, trying with polenta. Next time I may prepare half and try vegetarian suggestion I read in comments from several years back. Bottom line, “loved” and thrilled it freezes well. Thank you!
Hey Cher,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Hi, what would the cooking time be for this recipe in an InstantPot please? Thanks for all of your AMAZING recipes!
Hey Melissa,
I would do 10 minutes on high pressure. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thanks so much, Tieghan. I will let you know how it comes out. Thanks for all you do!
So delicious! My husband said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made…and after 30 years of marriage that is really saying something! Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us. I make so many of your recipes, and I can always count on them being scrumptious.
Hi Melissa,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
So good! It was very cozy and healthy as well. We made it on a chilly night in the slow cooker and it hit the spot. I forgot the beans but that didn’t take anything away. For those saying that the brocolli rabe was too bitter…. well yeah, that’s the flavor of the vegetable? Substitute if you don’t like it. I loved the brocolli rabe but we cook it often so knew what to expect.
In the future, I would use less balsamic, but more chilli powder and chilli flakes (not super spicy). Very filling but I wish we’d had some good bread to go with! Maybe for leftovers.
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Tasty and a unique flavor, however the broccoli rabe is quite bitter and overpowering. I’m wondering if it needs to be cooked down more, and am hoping it tastes better tomorrow. I’m not much of a traditional chili person but this is more intriguing to me and I can bring myself to eat several bowls this week!
While I typically love parm on most Italian dishes, I don’t think it added to this…but again, maybe because the bitterness of the broccoli rabe is overpowering at the moment. I added on the chili flakes at the end since I plan to serve this to my toddler, just mentioning this in case others want to omit as well.
I didn’t have time to make cornbread but plan to do that for leftovers tomorrow as the sweetness will also help balance out the bitterness in case it doesn’t cook down.
Hi Kelly! I’m so sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, thank you for the feedback! xTieghan
Your hope is realized. Have a love for amazing food and the courage to try something new! Started a pot lot at work every Friday using some of your amazing recipes. My Team and I very much appreciate you and what you have shared!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate this 🙂 xTieghan
Great healthy chili option that is not another white bean chicken chili. Great depth of flavor and spice. Balsamic was brilliant as it brought a tiny bit of sweetness and a nice dark color to a chicken chili. We loved it and will make again for A football party. Thank you!
Hey Jeanne,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
Hi! I’m so excited about this recipe. I’ve got a dude in my household, however, who isn’t gonna love the sliced red peppers. Is there a substitute or two you’d recommend? Sundried tomatoes will be a sharp no from the selfsame dude.
Hey Ariadne,
You could skip the peppers and use another veggie that you like. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Question about the broccoli rabe ends…
What am I including in the crockpot? Leaves and florets? Just florets?
So excited to try this. It is cooking away in the crockpot as I type this. Hoping that I see a response in time…(or in thyme).
Hey Bill,
I include the whole broccoli rabe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So good! Couldn’t find broccoli rabe so used baby broccoli instead and it was delish! To modify for our smaller crockpot I used only 4 oz of tomato paste and 2 big chicken breasts but kept everything else the same! Made plenty for two nights worth of dinners for 2 big eaters! (***put back in crockpot to warm day 2 w/ some beef stock we had to use up and a little more tomato paste and it was delicious the next day!)
Hey Gabriella,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
The flavor combination of Italian ingredients with chili powder is not that appealing. Maybe reduce the chili powder or eliminate and it would be a good Italian style stew…
Hi Meredith! I am sorry about that! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Suppose you don’t have a crockpot
Hey Regina,
You could do this on the stove top as well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I just made this for probably the third time in a couple years and I followed the recipe exactly this time. In past I used broccolini.
The broccoli rabe definitely enhances this chili! It is so awesome- flavorful and filling! I need to put it on regular rotation vs once a year!
Thank you Teigan!!
I think so too! I am really glad you have been loving this recipe, Barb! Thank you! xTieghan
I have this going in my slow cooker and it smells amazing! Sub kale for broccoli rabe because I can never find it. I also have your poblano chili from the new cookbook going on my stove! Have snuck tastes of both so far and they’re amazing!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Hannah! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan