I love chili, but I’ve always associated chili with ground beef or venison—red meat. A few years ago, my mother came up with this amazing recipe for chicken chili, and I can honestly say, it has quickly become my favorite.
What you’ll need:
3 large pablanos
3 C. coarsely chopped onions
8 oz chorizo
1 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 skinless boneless chicken breasts
16 oz jarred or fresh salsa verde
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1-2 tsp. cayenne
3 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 cans (29 oz) black beans (drained)
First, roast the pablanos over a flame until the entire pepper is blackened/blistered. I do this on my stove, laying them on the grate and then flipping them.
Let them cool and then gently scrape off black/blistered skin with paring knife or spoon. Cut them open, remove seeds. It is okay to rinse the peppers with water if desired. A bit of black left on the pepper is not a big deal.
Puree roasted/peeled pablano in blender with salsa verde and set the puree aside.
Brown chorizo in a pan and add onions and garlic. Sauté.
Move to a large pot, and add crushed tomatoes and 1 can water. Then add pablano/salsa puree mixture and stir well.
Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne and chicken breasts (leave these whole for now—you will shred them after they cook).
Simmer on low heat (uncovered) for approximately 3 hours, stirring often as the bottom will settle and burn if left alone too long. After chili has thickened and reduced, remove chicken from pot and shred using 2 forks.
Taste chili and add more cayenne if desired. Return chicken to pot, add drained black beans, stir well and continue simmering for about another hour or so.
This can also be cooked in a crock pot after the chorizo, onions and garlic are cooked/sautéed. If you cook it in a crock pot/slow cooker cook covered on high for about 8hrs. Remove the chicken, shred it, return to crock pot, and add drained black beans. Taste chili and add more cayenne if desired. Tilt or remove the crock pot lid so chili will thicken while cooking. Cook an additional 1-2 hrs.
This makes a lot of delicious chili!! It freezes very well.