I freakin’ LOVE chili! I love that it’s warm and filling. I love its versatility. I love that it tastes better with time. And I love that it allows me to cook in my kick-ass Dutch oven. One of my favorite things to make is chicken chili. Not the white kind but the red kind. I’ve been playing with my recipe for years and I’ve finally found the one that I love. My husband agrees, he is the official taste tester for WOYP (What’s on Your Plate).
It’s important to note that I use red chili powder and flakes from New Mexico because they have more of the kick that I crave and I love adding flavors that are from my home state. I also like a bit of Adobo Sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, it adds a great smokey hot flavor.
Ingredients:
4-6 Bone-in Chicken Thighs, skin left on
2 TBSP. Olive oil
1 small Red Onion, rough chop
1 TBSP. Red Chile powder
1 TSP. Red Chile flakes
2 TSP. Oregano
1 TBSP. Garlic powder
1 TSP. Salt
1 TSP. Cumin
1 Chipotle Pepper, chopped
1-2 TSP. Adobo Sauce (the sauce from the chipotle peppers)
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed each of Black Beans, Cannellini Beans, and Garbanzo Beans.
1 15 oz. can of Diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz. can of Tomato Sauce
1 small can of Tomato Paste
1 1/2 C. Organic Chicken broth or Chicken Bone Broth
3/4 bottle of a Stout Beer, it can be Newcastle Brown Ale, Guinness Stout, just don’t use a Pale ale it won’t yield the same result.
Instructions:
Prepare chicken thighs by patting them dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle salt, pepper, and a little oregano in a Dutch oven or deep pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Once olive oil is shimmering add chicken thighs, skin side down. Brown for 3-5 minutes. Flip and Brown on the other side. Once browned cover and finish cooking, about 12 minutes or until done. When cooking is complete remove thighs from the pan, and set them on a plate to cool. Once the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and then remove from bone by either shredding or roughly chopping it into bite-sized pieces.
Using the same pan add onion, chili powder, chili flakes, oregano, garlic powder, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce. Brown until onion is soft and the herbs and spices are fragrant. Next, add garlic, and saute for about 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic.
Add sweet potato chunks, cooking for 5-7 minutes. Once sweet potatoes are slightly softened add shredded or chopped chicken, tomato products, beans, beer, and broth.
On medium-high heat bring the chili to a boil, cover, and simmer at a low temp. Cook for at least 30-45 minutes. Remember the longer you let it cook the better it will taste. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. I like to top mine with Avocado. My husband likes sour cream. We agree that Fritos, tortilla chips, or cornbread are a necessary addition, not to mention some chopped greens and tomatoes. This also freezes well.
FOOD.FITNESS.FUN 