I looooove me some fall Sundays. It always means FOOTBALL and FOOD in this house! Being that this is opening weekend for my very favorite pro team, the mighty New York Giants, I wanted to whip up something extra special.
Much to husband’s dismay, I decided to get creative. Usually, that means lots of extra cleanup for him. And today was no different. But this recipe is a winner!
I wrote earlier this week about the importance of vegetables in our daily diet. So, I wanted to take a classic game day dish, and show you how to veggie it up. This recipe has all the goods. Hearty chicken. A virtual rainbow of veggies. And the delicate dance of creamy heat that only the best chili has. Let’s take a look.
Creamy Roasted Corn Chicken Chili with Pumpkin
Recipe by: Lauren Koch, RDN
https://familyfoodnag.com
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb Chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (split)
- 3 large ears of corn, husked
- Small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 2-15oz cans Cannellini Beans, drained
- 15oz can black beans, drained
- 1 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 1-15oz can pumpkin
- 1-15oz can chili seasoned diced tomatoes
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix
- 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed
- 1-2 Tbsp hot sauce of choice
- Marinade for chicken: half the olive oil, splash lemon juice, 1/2 minced garlic, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, splash hot sauce.
Directions:
- Marinade chicken for 30min- 1hr (covered) in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick spray. Roast thighs for 18-20 minutes until done.
- While chicken is in oven, roast ears of corn on a medium-hot grill until evenly browned, as in the photo above.
- Once cooled, shred or dice chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Using a large chef’s knife, cut kernels off roasted corn cobs.
- Chop pepper into 1/2″ pieces.
- Chop onion into 1/4″ pieces.
- Heat the second tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion & remaining garlic, and cook until tender.
- Add the chicken, corn, pepper, drained beans, pumpkin, broth, tomatoes, and ranch mix. Stir until blended, and bring to boil.
- Turn heat down to a simmer. Add cubed cream cheese, and allow to melt before stirring in. Add 1-2 tbsp of hot sauce to taste.
- Leave to simmer on low heat for at least an hour to thicken, and allow flavors to blend.
- Garnish with light sour cream or plain greek yogurt and avocado. Serve with whole grain tortilla chips.
To lighten up this recipe, you can replace the cream cheese with reduced fat sour cream or yogurt. Either way, you’re getting a whole lot of valuable fiber, protein, and micronutrients while cheering on your favorite team.
Now, if you don’t mind, I have a game to get ready for tonight 🙂
GO BIG BLUE!
XOXO,
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