Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili, flavored with roasted pumpkin, chili peppers and bloomed spices. A versatile fall chili that can be made ahead of time for a gathering or a local chili cook off! It’s so good I promise you’ll win, just be sure to make it a day ahead to let the flavors marry.Â
Please note: Prep time does not include roasting time for pumpkin! Roasting will add about 70 minutes of extra time but it’s standby cooking for the most part. Just toss it in the oven and roast while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Substitutions are below.
This is comfort food at its best, and if you’re thinking it’ll taste to pumpkiny then think again! The pumpkin imparts a savory-sweet balance that rounds out this chili. Plus we also add cream cheese which creates a velvety rich texture for a winning recipe!
Even though this is the perfect fall chili, it’ll also rock any tailgate party too! Roll Tide!! Plus we give you versions for Whole30, Paleo and also give you 6 ways to tame the heat if you find it turns out too spicy!
carte du jour
How Do I Roast Pumpkin?
The video above is from our friends at Heartland Trails, thanks so much for sharing!
- Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Don’t use foil make sure you’re using parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife, cut pumpkin in half lengthwise. Then use a sharp spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape out the seeds and pulp. Reserve the seeds for roasting later.
- Brush the pumpkin flesh with oil and place flesh side down on the parchment lined baking sheet. Pierce the skin a few times with the knife to let steam escape.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a fork pierces the skin easily. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pumpkin cool for 10 minutes. Then scoop out and use for any pumpkin recipe you create.
- To purée, scoop pumpkin into a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. You may need to add 1-2 Tablespoons of water to reach the desired consistency.Â
- Store the Roasted Pumpkin or Pumpkin puree in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week and the freezer up to 1 month.
Can I Use Canned Pumpkin for Making Pumpkin Chicken Chili?
Yes! Roasted pumpkin is amazing but you can substitute a can of Organic Pumpkin Puree. Make sure that it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin filling which has pumpkin spice.
What Is a Chili Bar?
Rather than dishing up a bowl of pumpkin chili for each of your guests, set up an epic chili bar! Layout a ton of toppings, a pile of warm bowls, silverware, napkins, and a tub of icy Apple or Pumpkin IPA! Yep, more pumpkin, trust me, it rocks this Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili!
Chili Bar Party Toppings
- Diced onion
- Shredded cheese
- Pickled jalapenos
- Diced scallions
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced black olives
- Fresh sour cream (keep it on ice)
- Frito’s
- Crackers
- Salsa Verdé
- Hot Sauce
- Cornbread
- Oyster crackers
- Shredded lettuce
What Side Dishes Go with Chili?
You can serve this Pumpkin Chicken Chili on its own. But if you’re looking to round out the meal, then you can add a fresh green salad too. But Crispy Fries, Tangy Slaw, onion rings, and fluffy jasmine rice all make great additions. Paleo or Whole30 you can serve over a bowl cauliflower rice.
Do I Need to Rinse Canned Beans?
Yes, I always suggest a good rinse when using canned beans. The liquid is the water from the canning process. Which becomes thick from the starch that’s pulled from the beans. There’s also added sodium in the water and you’ll sometimes get a metallic taste from the can. So a nice wash removes the excess starch, salt and metallic flavor (if any).
How Do I Soak Dried Beans Before Cooking?
Pre-soaking beans reduces the cooking time and improves the texture of the beans too. Don’t add salt when soaking but do add a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Rinse the dried beans in a fine-meshed sieve making sure there are no stones (yes I’ve found them) or debris. Pour into a glass bowl with baking soda and cover with water by about 2-3 inches, then soak overnight. After soaking, drain the beans, flush with water and proceed with cooking directions.
Chef’s Tip: Baking soda tenderizes the beans, by adding 1/4 teaspoon to 1 pound of beans. It decreases the content of the raffinose family of sugars. Which means less gas and bloating! Woot! Be sure to rinse well after the soak.
Paleo and Whole30 Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili
If you’re following a Paleo or the Whole30 then leave the beans and cream cheese out. You can always sub coconut milk to achieve a rich creamy texture and no you can’t taste coconut at all! We’ve made it both ways depending on who we’re serving.
Can I Make Pumpkin Chicken Chili with Turkey?
Yes, for sure! Make yourself a pot of Pumpkin Turkey Chili with leftovers from Thanksgiving.
Ingredients for Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili
- 2 jalapeño peppers, roasted
- 3 poblano peppers, roasted
- 4 anaheim peppers, roasted or sub 2 cans green chilis
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 2 Tablespoons bacon fat, sub vegetable oil or other
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed + peeled + chopped
- 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 large red ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cans 15 oz. diced tomatoes
- 2 cups white beans, soaked overnight or sub 2 cans beans
- 2 cups Roasted Pumpkin Puree, sub 1 15 oz. can organic pumpkin puree
- 3 cups shredded chicken, sub rotisserie chicken
- 1 8 oz package of cream cheese, sub (1) 15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- toppings of choice
Directions
Begin by roasting the chili peppers: Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice and deseed the jalapenos, Pabloanos, and Anaheim chili peppers. Drizzle with EVOO. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until the skin bubbles and brown spots appear. Remove, cool, and peel.Â
While the chilies are roasting start the Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili: Preheat a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon fat and reheat for 30 seconds, then add the onion. Cook until golden brown and caramelized about 15 minutes.
Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, nutmeg, and sea salt to the caramelized onions.
Stir and cook down for 1 minute to bloom the spices and make them aromatic.Â
Toss in the roasted jalapenos, poblanos, Anaheim peppers, and garlic. Stir and cook for another minute until the aroma of the peppers and garlic begins to lift.
Add the presoaked beans
Pour in the stock
Add the diced tomatoes, bring back to a boil and reduce heat. Cook covered on medium-low flame for about an hour. Stirring at least every 20 minutes.
Add the cream cheese and pumpkin then continue cooking for another 30 minutes over low heat or until beans are fully cooked through and flavor has developed. Then add the shredded chicken until heated through. Yes, the chili will taste better the next day after the flavors have fully blended.
Serve in warm bowls with your favorite toppings
Should You Boil Chili?
- Start cooking chili over medium-high heat. The higher heat opens flavors, caramelizes onions and blooms the spices. Be sure to use a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven or pot with a tight-fitting lid. The lid will ensure an even cook, being sure to stir gently at least every 20 minutes.
- After the ingredients are all added then bring the chili to a rolling boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Keeping the chili cooking on a low roll for 2 hours allows for maximum flavor.
- Use a flat bottomed wooden spoon to make sure you have better contact with the bottom of the Dutch Oven when stirring. If your chili is too thin (watery) after an hour of cooking, then remove the lid. Allow it to continue to cook with the lid off and continue to stir every 20 minutes. Alternately, if the chili is to thick add a little more stock and keep the lid on while you finish cooking. Remember low and slow until you reach the desired consistency.
- We add the shredded chicken in this recipe towards the end since it’s already cooked. Allowing it to cook the entire time will cause it to deteriorate and even disintegrate.
Chef’s Tip: For soups, chilies, and stews remember this equation.Â
1 Pound of Meat + 1 Pint of Stock
For each pound of meat make sure there is at least one pint of stock.Â
How Long Can I Store Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili in the Fridge?
Store Pumpkin Chicken Chili in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze Pumpkin Chicken Chili?
Yes! Cool, divide and store in airtight containers in the freezer up to 6 months. You can pull a container out for a quick meal anytime. Warm-up on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
How Do You Fix Chili That's Too Spicy?
Although this is not a spicy chili, we do realize all palates are different! These helpful heat tamers will work for any overly spicy dish!
- Add extra ingredients to reduce the spiciness, in this case more pumpkin would be ideal.Â
- Dairy, will also cool a spicy bite try adding a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Acid, a squirt of lime adds balance and tames fire too.
- Sweetener, a touch of sugar or sweetener of your choosing.
- Nut butter, believe it or not peanut butter and other nut butters help too!
- Serve with bland, starchy foods such as rice or over a baked potato.
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How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili, flavored with an assemblage of roasted pumpkin, chili peppers and bloomed spices. A versatile fall chili that can be made ahead of time for a gathering or your local chili cookoff! You'll win, I promise!
- 2 large jalapeno peppers, sliced + deseeded + roasted
- 3 large poblano peppers, sliced + seeded + roasted
- 4 large anaheim peppers, sliced + seeded + roasted or sub 2 cans green chilis
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
- 2 Tablespoons bacon fat, sub vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion, topped + skinned + diced
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 2 teaspoons Kosher sea salt, coarse grind
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed + peeled + diced
- 2 cups white beans, soaked overnight + sub 2 cans beans
- 3 cups chicken stock, sub veg stock
- 4 large red ripe tomatoes, washed + diced
- 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, diced into 1-inch cubes-full fat
- 2 cups roasted pumpkin puree, sub 1 can Organic Pumpkin puree
- 3 cups shredded chicken, sub rotisserie chicken
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Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice and deseed the jalapenos, Pabloanos, and Anaheim chili peppers. Drizzle with EVOO. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until the skin bubbles and brown spots appear. Remove, cool, and peel.Â
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Preheat a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon fat and reheat for 30 seconds, then add the onion. Cook until golden brown and caramelized about 15 minutes.
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Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, nutmeg, and sea salt to the caramelized onions.
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Stir and cook down for 1 minute to bloom the spices and make them aromatic.
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Toss in the roasted jalapenos, poblanos, anaheim peppers, and garlic. Stir and cook for another minute until the aroma of the peppers and garlic begins to lift.
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Add the beans
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Pour in the stock
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Add the diced tomatoes, bring back to a boil and reduce heat. Cook covered on medium-low flame for about an hour. Stirring at least every 20 minutes.
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Add the cream cheese and pumpkin then continue cooking for another 30 minutes over low heat or until beans are fully cooked through and flavor has developed. Then add the shredded chicken until heated through. Yes, the chili will taste better the next day after the flavors have fully blended.
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Serve in warm bowls with your favorite toppings
- Prep time will vary, get your ingredients in order for expident cooking!
- Using the substitue ingredients as noted will cut down prep time.Â
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge 3-5 days.
- Cool, divide and store in airtight containers in the freezer up to 6 months. You can pull a container out for a quick meal anytime. Warm-up on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
If you’re looking for a bright end of summer soup then don’t miss out on our Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup……
and our Broccoli Bistro Soup is an easy and pleasing bowl almost any time of the year!Â
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24 comments
Pumpkin in chili sounds amazing! I also love the use of all the peppers here. Bring on the spice! 🙂
Thanks so much, Erika! It’s actually a really tame chili due to roasting the chilies which makes them milder. You can always turn up the heat with red pepper flakes or adding more chilies and their seeds too.
I absolutely LOVE chili and this recipe looks like a keeper. Can’t wait to try this one sometime during the chilly season ahead 😀
Chilly season coming on fast, Colleen! Thanks so much for visiting and be sure to let us know how your version turns out! 🙂
I love your Chef’s Tip – it so true you have to use all your senses when cooking.
It’s 100% true, Harriet and needed with every single dish it’s how people learn to cook on their own. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Chili is among my favorite meals at any time, but adding pumpkin can only add it to the next level. The colors are just gorgeous, too (as always). I’ve never been confident that the beans would cook completely when added uncooked, as you have here, and always parboil in addition to long soaking. Maybe I need to be more adventurous. 😉
Get your adventure on Beth! A nice long presoak overnight (no salt) and a bit of baking soda make for a bean that’s ready to cook. They’re easily done within 2 hours and most are perfect in about 6-90 minutes. Low and slow, even cooking results in beans that have a nice tooth and are not mush. Thank you so much for your compliments and for visiting us as always 🙂
This was so delicious! My family loved it and my husband even wants to have some for breakfast. Definitely adding this to my fall menu lineup!
Wonderful, Tricia! So glad that your family loved it and thank you so much for taking the time to share a photo and the darling video of your grandson eating too. You made my day 🙂
All I want right now is a bowl of this chili with some moist cornbread! Looks so delicious!!
Thanks so much, Ai! Yes! Warm cornbread with a schmear of butter 😛
Thanks, I pinned this for later!
Great, thanks Diane!
This chili looks and sounds fabulous! I love that you roast all the peppers beforehand. Roasting really makes them more flavourful and sweeter!
Roasting really does make everything taste so much better, Jacqueline! It also mellows the heat for folks who like a tamer chili 🙂
This sounds like a perfect & delicious comfort food for the Fall season! I just made some cornbread, so I may have to give this a try!
Great, thanks so much, Simone! Please be sure to share your recipe creation with us when you make it 🙂
I always soak the dried beans overnight, old habits inherited from my grandparents. This roasted pumpkin chicken chili sounds so amazing:). I’m definitely making it a bit later in Fall on a cooler weekend. The pictures look fabulous and the step by step are so clear to follow.
Hi, Sonila! Soaked beans are so much better than canned they hold a nice bite and don’t get mushy or dissolve. Please be sure to share your results with us when you whip up a batch, thanks so much for visiting 🙂
This recipe sounds perfect for the weather we have. I love how beautifully you explained the recipe and the chef tips which is indeed useful.
So glad that the tips are helpful too, Lathiya! We appreciate your visiting and checking out our recipe 🙂
I love that you are using whole pumpkin here instead of just opening the can. I make chili with sweet potatoes all the time but will have to give this a try!
Real pumpkin really makes a difference, Kari! 🙂