Receta Red River Chicken Chili...
I've long bored you with my dreams of going to Italy - as up till now the mister and I have only taken imaginary trips - annually - for TEN YEARS. Last night, after spending some quality time with his good friend Jack, the mister came home and asked how long we had been married. I'm always up for a game of IDIOT, so I played along and told him...then he said, "Well, IF we've been married that long and IF I still loved you, then MAYBE we should go to Italy this year." IF? IF? MAYBE? No one is better at the IDIOT game than the mister. He went on to say, "Let's just go this year and then we can die." He knows how to get a girls' heart racing, doesn't he? I almost got up and got the guide books - all 23 of them - almost. But then he turned on the TV and began flipping the channels so I knew the time for talking had come to an end.
While the mister toyed with my dreams of Italy, I toyed with his stomach...he loves chili, but chili does not love him, if you know what I mean. And the winner of the IDIOT game deserved a special dinner! So he got chili...and this has to be my all-time favorite chili to make and eat, it's easy, fast, flavorful and it's different, too, for three reasons:
1. It contains beets...giving it a redder-than-red color (which would be perfect for Valentine's Day except that I don't think beans and Valentine's mix!) and the beets lend a bit of sweetness, which "beets" having to add sugar to cut the acidity from the tomatoes.
2. It also contains Chipotle Chile Powder, which I have fallen in love with. I was asked to create a recipe for Challenge Butter, using McCormick's Chipotle Chile Powder, and soon discovered it's not only more spicy than regular chili powder but it has a smokiness that really lends itself to chili. The recipe I created, Cheese-Steak Calzones. is dang good, too, if you ask me.
3. It's made with chicken - no beef allowed - but it's not a "white chili" - deception is so fun!
On the Dang Meter, this one's a 4...it's dang, dang, dang, dang good - and worth whatever amount of Tums or Rolaids you might have to eat!
- Red River Chicken Chili - Me
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chile powder
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz.) sliced beets, undrained
- 1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream to garnish, if desired
In a Dutch oven, heat oil until hot and then add chicken pieces and cook until browned on all sides. Add in seasonings, stirring to coat chicken. Add in onion and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until onion just begins to soften. Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add in tomatoes, beets (if you don't want large slices of beets, cut them into smaller pieces before adding them to the pot), kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans and water. Stir to combine. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6 to 8. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.
One year ago: Ozark Mountains Ham and Beans
Two years ago: Quilt For Samuel James