Chicken Chili
I realize there are so many recipes I make weekly, but yet don’t even realize I haven’t shared them with you on my blog!
One such recipe is my chicken chili, or turkey chili. I adapted this recipe from my Uncle Jim’s turkey chili recipe. Aside from my dad, my Uncle Jim is one of the greatest home chefs I know. Everything he makes is out-of-this-world delicious, and prepared with Alton-Brown-like precision and care. Cooking is his science and art, and I so much admire all the hard work he puts into every meal he makes for his family. From homemade breads and pastas, to scratch-made vegetable korma and fresh-from-the-farm strawberry ice cream, his cooking is the real deal. It’s always a treat to be invited over for dinner! And I always get excited about the dishes he brings to holiday gatherings!
The secret to this chili is the unique blend of spices and herbs. Uncle Jim uses whole spices, toasts them up and then hand-grinds them in his mortal and pestle, so naturally I follow suit. By all means, you certainly don’t have to toast and grind your own spices. The pre-ground spices work perfectly well in all recipes, but, I will say there is something special about purchasing whole spices and toasting them to bring out their natural oils and further develop their robust flavors.
I make alternate back and forth using chicken and turkey for this recipe, and because I find pre-ground meat at the grocery store to be unnecessarily over-priced, I grind up my own chicken or turkey in my food processor. A few whirls around the blade does the trick to chop the meat up enough so that it’s stick chunky and not paste-like. Again, you are more than welcome to use pre-ground chicken or turkey, but if you do choose to grind your own, make sure you don’t over-process it in the food processor, or else you will have meat paste….and well, no meat paste was ever good for anything.
So here it is, my famous chicken chili recipe, kudos to my Uncle Jim!
Chicken Chili
1 lb. chicken breast or turkey breast, ground
2-3 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. cumin seed, or 1 tsp. ground cumin
5-6 cardamom pods, or 1/2 – 1 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tsp. fennel seed, or 1 tsp. ground fennel
2 tsp. coriander seed, or 1 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 salt, more as needed
1 chipotle in adobo, minced, with the sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (recommend Muir Glen brand)
1 cup fire roasted corn (recommend Trader Joe’s brand)
2-3 cups chicken stock, or as needed
1 lime, zest and juice
Toppings:
diced avocado
chopped scallions
fresh cilantro
cheddar cheese
In a large pot or Dutch oven (i.e. Le Creuset pot), heat half of the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and allow the veggies to cook down. Sprinkle in some of the salt (the salt helps draw the moisture out of the veggies and allows them to break down further). Remove the veggies from the pot and then add in the rest of the avocado oil. Begin browning the meat by adding in the ground chicken (or turkey) and break up with a spatula or wooden spoon. If using whole spices, add the whole seeds (cumin, fennel, cardamom, and coriander) to a small, dry saute pan and gently toast until they begin to smell aromatic. Remove from the heat. Remove the cardamom seeds from their outer pods and then combine all the seeds together. Grind by hand using a mortar and pestle until the spices are completely ground. Add in all of the spices, except for the chipotle pepper. Once the ground meat is all broken up and well-coated in the spices, add the cooked veggies back in. Stir to combine. Add in the fire roasted tomatoes, canned beans, fire roasted corn, chipotle pepper, and chicken stock. Stir again and bring the chili to a low simmer. Allow the chili to cook for at least 30 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the zest and juice of the lime. Serve with a choice of toppings: diced avocado, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, and/or cheddar cheese.
** you could also make this in a crock pot! Just brown the meat and veggies and then add everything into the crockpot!**
