Sunday, November 6, 2011

Chicken Chili Cheers!

It's cold, windy and gray here this morning. And you know what that means ...

Chili time! And chili is infinitely adaptable. I've given you the ingredients I used this time first, but suggested alternatives so you can adjust it to what you like and what's in your pantry.

Chicken Chili
1 small onion, chopped
2 T minced garlic
Olive oil
2 cans white beans (I had Canellini in my pantry), drained and rinsed
2 chicken breasts, cooked (Or, whatever chicken you have ... or turkey ... heck, the stuff I used today was roasted "Italian" style with garlic, oregano and basil ... this is chili, after all, any leftovers work!)
1 can low sodium chicken stock
1 can Niblet corn
1 can fire roasted tomatoes or 1small jar of salsa verde
1-3 pickled jalapenos, diced ... or chipotles ... or fresh jalapenos or serranos
1t to 2T cumin (I like cumin, so I use a lot. Start small and adjust to your own taste.)
1t to 1T chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot, soften the onion in olive oil. Add the garlic when they are translucent and sweet. Let it cook through before adding the beans, chicken, stock, corn, tomatoes/salsa, jalapenos. I usually reserve 1/2 of one can of beans and mash them up before putting them in the pot. It makes the whole thing thicker. Add seasonings, adjust salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with corn bread or a crusty baguette and a green salad. You could even throw some kale or spinach in this if you were trying to kick up the vitamins. Or you could probably substitute oven-roasted mushrooms for the chicken. Remember, it's just chili. Toss in whatever you want!

1 comment:

Miss Daisy said...

P.S. Jim says this is too spicy for him. It's not spicy at all in my book. It's cumin-y, though. Note to self ... Jim isn't as fond of cumin as I am. Oh well. More for me.