Crock Pot chili chicken is a healthy, hearty chicken chili that uses cauliflower instead of beans, giving it rich flavor and texture without the carbs!
Confession #62 – The year 2015 has been a lot of things for me. It is the year my daughter started kindergarten, the year I started this blog, and the year I became a stay at home mom.
It’s also, without a doubt, the year of cauliflower.
Do you measure your year in food?
I remember when my husband and I declared 2009 the year of black beans.
And last year was the year of zucchini (thanks to The Veggetti).
But 2015 will go down as the year that cauliflower became my new kitchen’s MVP (most valuable produce).
Are these normal thoughts?
At least we are not having the year of the Twinkie. I think I had a year of Twinkies in my twenties.
Damn, I miss my metabolism.
Anyway, I have been throwing cauliflower in all different types of dishes to get a little extra GREEN in our lives. Since beans are considered a YELLOW on the fix, I wanted to see how cauliflower would be with chili flavoring.
Freaking delicious is the answer. And, texture-wise, pretty similar to beans in this dish.
The end results was a slow cooker chili chicken of sorts. Something you could make into a burrito bowl, a taco, a wrap. So yummy and chock full of healthy vegetables. I loved having extra YELLOW so I could eat mine with some organic tortilla chips! I also topped mine with a sprinkle of corn, some shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro and guacamole.
What are your favorite chili toppings?
It’s cauliflower for the win. Again!
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
A healthy, hearty chicken chili that uses cauliflower instead of beans, giving it rich flavor and texture without the carbs!
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower florets, diced up small
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28-ounce can organic tomato puree
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup of hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast
Garnishes
- fresh cilantro
- Toppings of your choice: cheese, more cilantro, greens, beans, guacamole, Greek yogurt, olives, corn tortilla chips
Instructions
- Add everything except the garnishes and toppings to Crock Pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on lowest setting for 6-8 hours.Shred chicken and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add fresh cilantro and toppings of choice, and enjoy!
Notes
Yield: 4 servings
Each 1 1/2 cup serving would be 2 GREEN 1 RED plus toppings
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Meghan Murman says
I can’t wait to try this! By hot sauce do you mean Tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot?
Nancylynn says
I used Frank’s!
Meghan says
Perfect! My husband and son put it on everything!!
Nicole Zweitzig says
I am not really a fan of hot sauce, how strong is the hot sauce flavor? Totally in agreement that this is the year of cauliflower!
Nancylynn says
Not very strong – I just felt like it needed more flavor. You leave it out and taste, adjust, etc. Might be good to just use my salt-free taco seasoning instead!
Nicole Zweitzig says
The taco seasoning has been on my “want to make” list for a while! Maybe over winter break! I have a mason jar ready for it!!
Jenny says
I’m looking forward to trying this, it’s slightly out of my comfort zone. Just wondering – any thoughts it this could be made in the instant pot? 🙂
Nancylynn says
Yes – it totally could! Let me work on the directions today!
Jessica says
Looking to see if you were able to successfully make this recipe in the Instapot. Thank you!
Nancylynn says
Yes! I just threw everything in and set it for 15 minutes! The cauliflower is very soft when it’s done…but it’s still good. I also want to try it with cauliflower rice!
Cindy Witkow says
I didn’t think to do that but I used the IP as a crockpot. Totally worked set for 8 hours and then keep warm
Christina says
Could I steam the cauliflower separately and then add it at the end to avoid the “too soft” issue? Want to make this tonight but forgot to put it in the crock pot this morning 🙁
Nancylynn says
YES!
Cindy Witkow says
Oh yum! So first off, I thought instapot and realized slow cooker but thankfully my IP does both! Second, the prep time was more like 20 mins. A little more than I wanted to deal with at 7am, but whatevs. Third, came home to a full dinner. Kid won’t eat it but that’s ok. Giant portion (he said, “don’t eat all that,” and I said, “um I think I will!”). Lastly, cool note: after it was done I took chicken out and while shredding i put the IP to high pressure for 5 mins to soften the cauliflower a bit more. No harm no foul!
Awesome! Wish I could attach pic. Sending to IG now. Thanks again!
★★★★
Nancylynn says
This is wonderful and super helpful, Cindy!! Thank you for taking the time to post all of this and also sharing on IG…means so much. Very happy you enjoyed this dish!
Natalie Alvarez says
Made this today and SO GOOD! I didn’t want to wait until dinner time to eat this chili so I cooked it for 3 hours on high and then took the fully cooked chicken out to shred and add it back in. Then, I let it hang out on warm until I was ready for lunch (maybe 30-45 min). Topped it with tortilla strips, cheese, and avocado. So so good! I totally forgot there was cauliflower in it! Lol your recipes NEVER disappoint!
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
Natalie!!!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to comment and for trying this recipe out! I am so happy you enjoyed it! And the whole goal is to forget about the cauliflower, so yay!