This Roasted Vegetable White Chicken Chili is creamy deliciousness that'll warm you right up when the weather gets cold! It's also gluten-free, dairy-free, 21 Day Fix approved and Weight Watchers friendly!
How's the weather where you are? Here in northern Kentucky (as I'm writing this) it's really been cooling off these last few days and it makes me want to do absolutely nothing other than curl up with a blanket, a good book and a cup of tea.
Anyone else suddenly become a SERIOUS tea drinker when the weather starts to turn? I'm telling you, I have probably a little too much fun browsing the tea aisle this time of year. I recently counted 12 different kinds in my cabinet. It's a disease, my friends.
The other obvious thing that everybody craves this time of year is soup! I certainly do. Any and every kind. When it comes to soup, stews and chilis, I do not discriminate. I'm lucky enough that my husband and the girls are all down for it, too, so we make and eat all of the above pretty often.
This particular bowl of comfort is brought to you by my love of roasted vegetables. They add such a wonderful smoky-richness to this dish. But, the secret weapon here, the thing that makes this chili nice and creamy, is cauliflower.
Honestly, is there anything more useful or versatile in all the land? I can't think of anything. For instance, my Individual Potato Gratins with Cauliflower Sauce, Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers, 21 Day Fix Broccoli Mac & Cheese, and Pecorino Mashed Cauliflower with Sherry-Rosemary Mushrooms are proof that it can be used in so many ways. Oh, and how about the famed Cauliflower Pizza Crust? That stuff is amazing! If you've never tried it, you should give it a go. It really does work and it tastes pretty fantastic, too.
This chili is really easy to make, thanks in part to a little help from the store. I used a rotisserie chicken from the deli in my local grocery store for this recipe which significantly cuts down on prep time. Do I prefer to make my own chicken? Of course. But every once in a while, a girl's gotta give herself a break and this is a great way to do that. Not to mention that they're pretty light on the pocketbook.
Here's a little tip from me to you, though: it's SO MUCH EASIER to pull the meat off while it's still warm. I really can't stress that enough. Can you get it off either way? Definitely, but save yourself the extra hassle and shred that chicken while it's warm. You'll thank me later.
Originally I was going to call this a soup, but as I was eating it, I realized that no, this is definitely a chili. It has beans, it's thick and it's loaded with tasty southwestern flavors. Speaking of how thick it is, my fam likes their soups and such on the thicker side, so feel free to add a little extra broth or water to yours to loosen it up a bit if you'd like. I won't even know. Oh... and don't forget the cornbread!
Due to my serious enjoyment of this fall weather, I'm on the hunt for something new to read. Have any of you read anything lately that you loved? I'd love to hear about it, I'm completely open to recommendations 🙂
Enjoy <3
Don't forget to save this Roasted Vegetable White Chicken Chili with Avocado to Pinterest! ⇓
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
📖 Recipe
Roasted Vegetable White Chicken Chili with Avocado
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken (or any cooked chicken that you have on hand)
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups roughly chopped cauliflower florets
- 2 green bell peppers, cut into large chunks (they'll get cut up smaller later)
- 1 large white onion, cut into large chunks like the peppers
- 2 ears of corn (or one cup of corn off the cob, frozen is fine, just add them at the end and heat through!)
- 2 jalapenos, halved and seeded (optional, just if you want it spicy)
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ Tbs chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 small - medium avocados
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Bring the chicken broth and the cauliflower to a boil in a large covered pot. Boil until cauliflower is VERY soft. They should feel like potatoes ready to be mashed when you stick a fork in them. Once cauliflower is soft, put mixture into blender and blend until smooth (this will take a couple of batches). Return to pot. Note: anytime you put something hot into a blender, take the center out of the lid and cover it with a clean towel or you could have a real mess on your hands!
- Meanwhile, on a large baking sheet (or two) put the peppers, onions, corn and jalapenos (I used a piece of tin foil to keep the jalapenos separated from everything else). The broth that I used, though low sodium, still tasted kind of salty to me for some reason, so I didn't season my vegetables at all. However, if you feel like you veggies need a little s & p, go for it. Roast veggies for about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until they soften and gain some charred spots.
- Once this happens, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Once they're cool enough to handle, chop the peppers, jalapenos and onions into bite sized pieces. Using a chefs knife, cut the kernels off of the ears of corn. (I always stick a corn holder on one end to make it easier to hold onto).
- To the pot of creamy broth, add the shredded chicken, corn, peppers, onions, jalapenos (if using, or you could add them to individual bowls), beans and seasonings and heat through. When ready to serve, stir in the cilantro. To each bowl, add ¼ of a small - medium avocado, diced.
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: ⅔ RED, ½ YELLOW, ¾ GREEN, ½ BLUE
Weight Watchers Personal Points Link: Roasted Vegetable White Chicken Chili with Avocado
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 cup soup plus ¼ of an avocadoAmount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 12g
Donna Gillespie says
I havea couple of questions re this recipe. What is the temperature for roasting? And do you sprinkle a little oil over the veggies to crisp them up? My veggies were done but never charred. Thanks, Donna
Stephanie says
Hi! It's 400 degrees to roast the veggies. I don't use any oil in this (it might be that your oven wasn't hot enough?), but you can always give it a spray if you prefer!
Erika Witt says
Wow this recipe turned out great! The spice blend was perfect, I love smoked paprika and it really makes this chili. I used frozen riced cauliflower instead of fresh and it worked out well. I did have trouble blending the hot chicken broth/cauliflower mixture - definitely have to do it in small batches as stated in the recipe. I wouldn’t change anything about this recipe and will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Stephanie says
I'm so thrilled you loved it!! You reminded me that I haven't made it in a while and need to!!
Chrissy says
I really enjoyed making this recipe and my chicken chili came out good.
Stephanie says
I'm so glad! I love making this one too!!
Becci says
I'm really new at the 21 Fix It plan but I wondered if you had any more nutrional info on this chicken recipe. Sodium, sugar, etc. Trying to put info into MyFitnessPal. Thanks for the Roasted Vegetable Chicken Chili recipe. Just made it for dinner and it's so good!!
Stephanie says
Sorry, I don't. I think there's a tool on my fitness pal's website that'll let you put in all of the ingredients and it'll give you that info though. Hope that helps!
Lauren says
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Stephanie says
Hmm... well, I'd say that you could cook the broth and cauliflower together in a crockpot, then blend them up using either an immersion blender or a regular one and then make the rest as directed. It would be a convenient way to make a really large batch, especially if you have an immersion blender, though it would really save you any prep time. Hope this helps!
Keri says
This looks great! Am I missing the step where the chicken is added?
Stephanie says
How on Earth did I do that?! Hahaha... thank you so much for bringing it to my attention! All fixed! The chicken goes into the pot at the same time as the veggies go in 🙂
amanda says
GIRL!
Cauliflower as a thickener in chili?! Brilliant. You, my dear, are brilliant! I love love love cauliflower. My fridge is literally flowing over with broccoli and cauliflower from the market shop this weekend. Now I need to use it to thicken my soups :D.
I also obsess over tea this time of year. Seriously. I don't touch the stuff in the spring or summer. EVER. But the second it starts to cool? Come to mama green, ginger, orange pekoe, maple, you name it. It's mine 😉 ALSO I need a good book to read too! I'm trying desperately to find one to just curl up on the couch with while stews and soups and chilis simmer away in the good ol' crockpot. I LOVED The Girl on the Train. Have you read it? If not... DO IT. Have any suggestions for me?
Stephanie says
Thanks, Amanda! And no, I haven't read the Girl on The Train, but I'm so on it! I just looked at it and it looks like it's supposed to be similar to Gone Girl, which I loved. If you enjoy a good murder-mystery, The Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo is one of my favorites. The first book is called, "Sworn to Silence." The name sounds kind of kitschy but it's well written and really interesting 🙂