Chicken Chili

Have you ever had those moments when you’re scouring all across the interwebs for a recipe that can use up what you have left in the fridge because you weren’t able to get to the grocery store?  Or you just flat out didn’t want to go to the grocery store?

There are two things in this world that I have a hard time with: cold weather, and taking kids through a crowded grocery store.  I’ve always had a hard time with the colder, sup-polar temperatures.  It’s never been my thing.  It’s partly a “hate the cold thing” and partly a logistical nightmare.   Between in and out of carseats, in and out of carts, making sure everyone wasn’t touching stuff, battling the hoards of other shoppers, and saying ‘I’m sorry but we’re not buying that this week’ for the bazillionth time.  It really was a bad combination for my patience.

So in an effort to extend the time between my sub-polar grocery expeditions and save my patience, I started trying out new recipes.  It was really a desperate combination of breaking up the monotony of the same meals we seemed to be having, and using up what we had on hand.  Because after all, if I didn’t have to bundle up the kidlets and brave the temps to go to town, I wasn’t going to.  That’s how I came across chicken chili.

I had never had chicken chili before, much less heard of it.  To me, chili was that beefy, beany, hearty tomato based stuff I became a fan of in college because it was on Wendy’s dollar menu, and commuting was expensive.  But chicken chili was brand new.

Even though it was a new recipe, I could tell it was going to be a winner with some minor tweaking.  The first few times the kids were really not a fan of it.  But I didn’t expect much less because they were really young, and they didn’t touch the beefy, beany chili that Hubs and I make.  I simply solved this problem by serving a small bowl of the chicken chili on the side of some shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream.

But as the kids got older, it’s become a favorite of theirs.  It was literally a gateway to getting my picky clan to try out new recipes that could stretch our food budget even further.  From introducing this, they now eat things like chicken enchiladas, chicken taco bowls, and a whole slew of other recipes that, once upon a time, I didn’t think I’d be able to get them to even taste.  I’m really grateful too.  Because this recipe has become a go to help break up the hum-drum of our winter recipes.

But over the years I’ve found that this recipe is really flexible and forgiving.  I make it in my dutch oven* {I have one similar to this}, making it an effortless one pot meal.  There have been times I haven’t had 2 cups of chicken leftover; I make up for it with some more beans.  If I don’t have any of the ingredients on hand, like the green chilis, I’ll omit them.  If I’m making a smaller batch, I’ll serve it with some rice.   Lady Bug’s personal favorite to go with this chicken chili is some tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.  I’ve even served it with some leftover Italian bread that we buttered and dipped into the chili.  It’s truly a flexible meal based on your needs.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons oil {I used avocado, but I’ve used olive oil and butter in the past}
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pepper, diced
• 2 cups shredded chicken {I love using leftovers from a roast chicken for this, but cooking chicken in the slow cooker is really easy too}
• 1 can green chili’s
• 4 – 6 cups chicken broth {I use homemade or reconstitute chicken base in a pinch}
• 2 cups Navy Beans {I used beans that I’ve prepped ahead of time, but you can use 2 cans of beans if you’d like}
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried, minced onions {I know I have onions on here already, but for some reason the taste just isn’t the same without dried onions too}
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onion and pepper in oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.
3. Bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Serve warm.  We prefer to serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Serves 6 – 8.