Hello, hello everyone! I have a recipe that is going to help you survive the next month and a half of winter. Although I live in sunny California, even I am fed up with the cold weather (55 DEGREES FEELS COLD, OKAY?) and this chili is my key to survival. If you are looking for a healthy, hearty dinner recipe, look no further. Pumpkin Chicken Chili is exactly what your heart desires!
Mild Spice, Creamy Texture
I love this Pumpkin Chicken Chili because of the warmth and subtle heat from the green chiles — the flavor is mildly spicy, but not overpowering. While the chiles add flavor, the pumpkin provides the perfect texture. You shockingly don’t even taste it (pumpkin-hating-husband approved)! Rather than contributing flavor, this ingredient simply acts as a thickening agent and gives the chili divine, low-calorie creaminess. Believe it or not, the pumpkin is really what brings the whole dish together.
Low-Calorie Comfort Food
Like all chili recipes, this Pumpkin Chicken Chili is ideal for keeping you warm during the winter months. However, unlike most chilis, this recipe is extremely light in calories, so you can eat a hearty serving of it every single day of the week and feel GREAT afterwards. Curl up on the couch with a bowl of chili and a good book, and bask in your successful fulfillment of your New Year’s healthy eating goals.
Instant Pot or Slow Cook
Like most Made by Moni recipes, the beauty of this chili is that it is SO easy to make. After cooking the ground chicken in the pan and sautéing your onions and garlic, you basically dump everything into your instant pot or crock pot, then let the pot do the rest of the work.
Pro tip: I actually prefer to slow cook this dish. The result is a creamier, thicker chili. Sometimes, when I blast it in the instant pot, it can come out a little runny. It’s barely noticeable, and tastes just as good – so if you are short for time, definitely blast the chili in the instant pot.
Toppings for Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Half the fun of cooking chili is the TOPPINGS! I typically top my Pumpkin Chicken Chili with a dollop of Greek yogurt (only 20ish calories per spoonful), and chopped jalapeños. Don’t forget to remove the seeds otherwise your chili will get way too spicy! I also recommend chopping the jalopeño as finely as you can, so they evenly distribute throughout the chili.
If you like this recipe, check out my other savory chicken dinner recipes:
One-Pot Chicken Chili | Chicken Marsala| Salsa Chicken
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Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Equipment
- Instant Pot / Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lb 99% lean ground chicken / or ground turkey
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp chili powder to taste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 15 oz cans white northern beans rinsed and drained
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Toppings
- Greek yogurt
- Jalopeño
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, cook the ground chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. Use a kitchen spatula as you do to break up the meat. Add to your crockpot/instant pot.
- In the same sauté pan you used to cook the turkey, add olive oil. Then, add chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes (until onions softened / almost translucent). Add garlic to the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add to the crockpot/instant pot.
- Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chilis, chicken broth, chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. If using the instant pot, cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, then utilize natural release.
- Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving. Enjoy!
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