This Italian chicken chili is deliciously warm, comforting, thick, and filled with Italian flavors! Honestly, it reminds me of lasagna in a bowl (minus the noodles). This chicken chili has tons of veggies (tomatoes, tomato sauce, spinach, and broccoli) and is packed with fiber and protein filled beans as well as chicken. Adding ricotta cheese gives this soup a creamy and cheesy taste, but also adds more protein and gives a lasagna vibe!
I LOVE thick soups (so I much prefer chilis and stews to brothy soups) as I find them frankly to taste better and be more filling. Also, this Italian chicken chili is made in the crock-pot so it’s completely hands-off and so simple to make!! I am so excited to share this new savory recipe with you, and I can’t wait for you to try it yourself and hear what you think! ?
Recently I had a friend asking for soup/chili recipes now that the weather is getting colder and fall is here. Not to be self-promoting, but of course I had to share some of the soup/chili recipes from the blog! Here’s a little round up in case you haven’t tried these recipes yet or are looking for more meal inspiration:
Soup and Chili Recipes
White Chicken Chili (SO GOOD).
Roasted Tomato Soup (love using garden tomatoes for this!)
Butternut Squash Turkey Chili (to be honest, I completely forgot I had this recipe on the blog! I have so many recipes it’s sometimes hard to keep track haha).
Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Stew (my most recent favorite!!)
Pumpkin Soup (can’t wait to make this again this fall season!)
Super Simple Classic Chili (a classic, and my husband’s personal favorite!)
While I was looking back at some recipes on the blog for meal inspiration, I came across these Italian baked beans. I honestly haven’t made that recipe in WAY too long!! This recipe was inspired by that recipe, along with this recipe. However, I obviously wanted to make my own recipe per my preferences and use chicken, less liquid for a heartier stew and thicker texture, add broccoli and spinach, etc.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this crock-pot Italian Chicken Chili!
Ingredients and Substitution Ideas
Chicken
I used boneless skinless chicken breast, but you can use dark meat chicken too! One thing I love about this recipe is that you can simply put the raw chicken in the crock pot without cooking it ahead of time. If you want to cook this chili on the stove top, you can use already-cooked chicken and simply add all ingredients to a large stock pot on the stove, and simmer until thickened! I personally haven’t tried this, but I’m guessing it would work out fine. ? You could also substitute the chicken for turkey.
Onion and Garlic
I chose to do a quick extra step here and sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil before adding to the crock pot. Not absolutely necessary, but does result in a better overall flavor in the final product in my opinion.
Seasonings
I used pretty staple seasonings to season this chili! While fresh herbs/spices would be great, that is definitely not something I typically have on hand. This Italian chicken chili is seasoned simply with salt, pepper, oregano, and Italian seasoning!
Beans
I personally think white beans (I used Great Northern beans, another great option is cannellini beans) go best with this Italian chicken chili. However, other ideas include pinto beans or chickpeas.
Tomatoes
Instead of using broth as a base in this chili, I loved using more veggies! Not only does this add more servings of vegetables, honestly it resulted in a much more delicious, flavorful, and thicker chili that we loved! I used diced canned tomatoes and a small can of tomato sauce for the base of this soup. The diced tomatoes definitely cook down in the crock pot too!
Balsamic Vinegar
This might seem like an odd thing to add to a chili, but TRUST ME. Adding just a bit of good quality balsamic vinegar really brightens up this soup and adds the perfect complexity and balance of flavors. It really brings everything together. I’ve recently discovered the huge difference that a high quality balsamic vinegar compared to a cheaper variety can make. It’s huge!! A higher quality (typically more expensive) balsamic vinegar is aged longer, and has a much thicker consistency and sweeter taste. Highly worth the investment if you ask me! Plus a little bit goes a LONG way, and it will last a very long time in your pantry. I personally would have added ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, but only added 2 tbsp as I didn’t want to risk my husband tasting it TOO much (he doesn’t like balsamic vinegar. However, he couldn’t distinctively taste it in this chili).
Broccoli and Spinach
I used both frozen broccoli and frozen spinach in this Italian chicken chili! I love adding these extra veggies; they pair so well with the other ingredients. Using frozen is convenient and since the veggies cook down (especially the spinach!) anyways, it’s possibly even easier than using fresh veggies (plus easier to keep them on hand in the freezer without spoiling too quickly!). Keeping some extra frozen veggies on hand in the freezer ensures you can make this soup anytime ?
Cheese
I LOVED adding ricotta cheese to this soup to make it creamy!!! This also adds some protein too. As shown in the pictures, I liked serving this chili with an extra dollop of ricotta cheese before serving. Another great option is adding parmesan cheese either directly in the soup or on top before serving.
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 1-2 onions, diced (about 1-2 cups-based on preference)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 can white beans
- 2 cans (or 28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 ounces each) cans tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 12 ounces (3/4 lb) broccoli (I used frozen)
- 9-10 ounces frozen spinach
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, optional
- Sauté onion in olive oil; then add garlic and cook a couple minutes longer.
- Add onion and garlic to crock pot with all ingredients except last 5 (balsamic vinegar, broccoli, spinach, and cheeses). Those will be added later.
- Cook on low 7-8 hours or high about 4-5 hours.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving at the end of the cooking time, add in balsamic vinegar, broccoli, and spinach. I partially defrosted the broccoli and spinach first in the microwave.
- Then stir in ricotta cheese and optional parmesan cheese.
- Cook covered on high for about 30 minutes until vegetables are cooked and cheese is melted!
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