Southwest Chicken Chili

The weather is turning colder in most parts of the country, which means it's time for more soups and chili.

Today, I'm going to use the slow cooker.  But, you could easily make this dish on the stove top in a dutch oven pan, (with a few modifications).  This dish will easily feed 8 - 10 people, and the leftovers are wonderful for lunch the next day.

At the end - I tell you how to make this on the stove top.

You will need:
1 pound of chicken, (breast, legs, thighs - your choice,  today I am using breast meat). skinned and boneless
2 cups of tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of white kidney beans
1 15 oz can of dark kidney beans
1/2 of a medium onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Anaheim peppers, (1 red / 1 green)
1 large carrot
1 stalk of celery
salt / pepper / chili powder / cumin / oregano

Chop the celery, 1/2 onion, carrot, garlic, and peppers, (be sure to remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers).

Note:  If you want more heat in your chili, you can leave in some of the seeds.

I add the carrot so it will mellow the chili with a little sweetness, (I add it to all my different chilies).  Try it, you will like it and it's a good way to sneak extra veggies in your family's meals.

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, then sprinkle salt, pepper and chili powder over the chicken.  This is the only chance you have to season the chicken.  If you like the meat more spicy add more chili powder.

Note:  If you are not using "NO SALT" beans and tomato sauce, you may want to watch the amount of salt you add to the chili.

Add the tomato sauce to the slow cooker.

My tomato sauce is no salt - actually it is my homemade sauce from my garden tomatoes.  You can use any kind of tomato sauce you like.

Add the chopped vegetables.

Now you need to season the vegetables, so sprinkle them with salt, pepper, cumin, (this will give the chili a nice warm roasted flavor), oregano, (about 1 tablespoon), and chili powder.

Drain and rinse the beans, then add them in.

Note:  I did not rinse my beans because I am using a "Western style chili bean" which has onion, garlic and jalapeno added and I wanted to keep that flavor in my pot of chili.  Also, I went a little light on the salt, since I did not rinse my beans.

Now add the chicken.

Do NOT stir.  Just cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low for 6 -8 hours, (or high for 4-5 hours).  Until the chicken and vegetables are done.

When it is almost time to serve, you can decide on what toppings you want for your chili.

Shredded cheese, sour cream, onions, tortilla chips, black olives, the list is endless...

The chili is done, and the whole house has had the wonderful smell for most of the day.

Tonight, I am going to have my chili with some chopped green onions, a little shredded cheese, and a small spoonful of sour cream.

So yummy and warm on a chilly night.

OK - so how do you make it on the stove top?
Pretty much the same way.  First you brown your chicken in a dutch oven in 1 tablespoon of oil.  Remove the chicken.  Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan and saute the vegetables until they are partially cooked, (onions are translucent).  Add the chicken back to the pan then add the tomato sauce and the rest of the ingredients, cover with a tight fitting lid.  Cook over medium low heat for about 2 hours until the chicken and vegetables are cooked.  Then serve with your desired topping.

So let me know what changes you made to the chili, (maybe you added corn, which is really good in this chili).  And what toppings did you choose?

Enjoy!