Pumpkin Chicken and Chorizo Chili

Chili with pureed pumpkin, chicken, spicy chorizo, and fresh vegetables make this a delicious fall dinner!

Pumpkin makes everything taste better, even savory dishes. I love to use it year round, but it especially makes a welcomed appearance in many of my dinners in the fall!

Chili is one food that I’ve loved since childhood, and I love to try just about every variation possible. Chili cook-offs are like my favorite social event, and I’m not even a football fan. Something about warm spicy food makes me so ridiculously happy. Are you headed to a chili cook-off soon? You should make this one, don’t even think twice. Every chili lover will be excited about the added pumpkin, the spicy chorizo, and even the chicken. It’s just perfect and guaranteed to be a winner or contender!

This chili is Paleo friendly, no beans here. My bean hating husband jokes all the time that “real” chili does not have beans. I have several different types of chili I make, but almost all of them are “bean-less”. If this is your forte, you’ll love my chili! If not, you can easily add beans to this.

A few things about this recipe: it makes a TON. To feed my family of 4, we definitely had leftovers for at least 1 night. The husband was thrilled that he even was able to take it for lunch an extra 2 days. This chili tastes even better the next day. If you want to do well at your chili cook-off, make this the night before! The chorizo and jalapeños give this chili quite a kick. I always de-seed my jalapeños because the spice is PLENTY, but in a good way! I do not like my dishes to be so spicy that it loses it’s taste; that is not the case in this chili, it’s perfect. Your vegetables should be chopped or diced into small pieces, like in this picture:

To make this recipe as easy as possible, I throw the vegetables, chicken, and chorizo together in the pot to cook. Once the meat is cooked through, add the tomatoes, pumpkin, and spices. If you do not follow a Paleo or Gluten-Free diet, I do recommend adding a 1/2 cup of beer. To me, it always makes the chili taste absolutely fantastic!

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Pumpkin Chicken and Chorizo Chili

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8 -10 servings

Author Amy

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium sized yellow onions chopped
• 2 bell peppers any color, chopped
• 4 jalapeños de-seeded and chopped
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 lbs chorizo sausage
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 14 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 28 oz canned tomatoes*

Instructions

1. On the stovetop, heat up a large pot to medium high heat, add oil, garlic, onion, and peppers. Saute vegetables until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. While vegetables are cooking, cut the chicken breast into small chunks, about 1 1inch. Add chicken, and chorizo, lower heat to medium. If using chorizo in casing, after a few minutes, begin to break apart the sausage. Cook meat and vegetables for another 10-12 minutes, or until meat is almost cooked through.
3. Mix together spices in a small bowl: chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, and salt. Add spices to meat and vegetables. Coat the meat and vegetables evenly.
4. Add tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. Continue to stir and mix.
5. Lower heat to a simmer, and let cook for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve hot, add cilantro and green onion to garnish (optional)

Recipe Notes

If you do not follow a Gluten-Free or Paleo diet, I do recommend adding 1/2 cup dark ale beer. This gives the chili even more depth and taste!