Black Bean Chipotle Chili

Made with either ground turkey or beef, this simple to prepare chili has the most wonderful smoky flavor. The recipe as written will give a gentle kick, but you can certainly adjust the heat accordingly.

Very satisfying!

Start by sauteing a diced onion in a little oil.

When the onions start to look translucent, it's time to add the minced garlic.

Saute a few minutes longer until the heavenly aroma from the onions and garlic drives you crazy!

Now we add the ground turkey or beef. Today I'm using beef.

Season with salt and pepper and brown the meat until cooked through.

I'm using lean ground beef, but there still a bit of fat in the pan after the meat is cooked. I like to dab the excess fat from the pan with a paper towel before proceeding.

Okay, now it's time to add more flavor. You'll need some cumin, chili powder, and just one chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce.

When it comes to peppers, they say the heat is in the seeds. Since I'll be feeding this to the kids, I scraped the seeds out of my chipotle pepper before I minced it.

Add the minced chipotle, cumin, and chili powder to the ground turkey or beef. Cook for a minute or two before adding the chicken stock, beans, tomatoes, corn, parsley, and chipotle flavored tabasco. Simmer until heated through.

Serve with your favorite toppings.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili with Chipotle

serves 8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey or lean beef

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 canned chipotle pepper, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

• 14 ounces chicken broth

• (2) 16 ounce cans black beans, one drained, one with the juice

• 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained

• (2) 14.5 ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes

• 16 ounces frozen corn (canned will work in a pinch, drain)

• several dashes of Chipotle Tabasco

Directions

1. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and saute for a few minutes until fragrant.

2. Add ground turkey or beef, brown until completely cooked through.

3. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper; saute for a few minutes.

4. Add chicken stock, parsley, beans, tomatoes, corn, and Tabasco. Simmer until heated through. Serve with your favorite toppings - sour cream, cilantro, cheese, olives, etc.

Note

• Leftover canned chipotles can be chopped up and frozen with the adobo sauce that they're packed in. Just portion them into ice cube trays and pop a cube into your next batch of chili, soup, or stew.  Leftovers can be frozen and reheated in a crock pot on low for 4 hours.

White Chicken Chili

This chili post was requested by a friend (hi Janet!). It's a wonderful week night meal relying on dried herbs, leftover chicken, canned beans, and prepackaged chicken stock. Of course you can spiff it up by using homemade chicken stock and dried beans that you've cooked yourself. So, without further adieu, let's get started.

For this batch, I used cooked chicken thighs that I purchased at Costco for less than $2 per pound. Leftover chicken works equally well, doesn't matter if it's light or dark meat.

Next we saute the onions. Mmmm... the aroma of onions cooking drives me crazy!

Time to add the flavor - black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and oregano.

Sauteing the herbs with the onions gives them a flavor boost.

Don't be alarmed when you see browned bits form on the bottom of your pan, just don't let them burn.

Time to add the chicken stock and reserved chicken...

And the beans (and optional green chilies). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in dried parsley.

Just before serving, stir in sour cream and heavy cream.

Garnish and serve. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds diced chicken, about 3 cups (white or dark, cooked or not, whatever you have)

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder - not garlic salt)

• 2 (two) 15.5-ounce cans Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or any light colored bean - great northern, pinto, black eyed peas)

• 4 cups homemade chicken stock (low sodium if using canned)

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more if you like it hot)

• 8 ounces sour cream (low fat is fine. Plain yogurt can also be used)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

• Optional: if you like it spicy, add a 4-ounce can of diced green chilies

• Garnish: sour cream, shredded cheese (pepper jack, cheddar, etc), chopped scallions, chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over med-high heat.

2. If using leftover chicken, skip this first step. If using uncooked chicken, lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper and saute in the heated oil until browned (no need to cook completely at this stage).

3. Remove chicken; reserve.

4. In the same pan, saute onions until slightly browned; add salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, oregano, and cumin.

5. Continue to cook for a few minutes to "bloom" the flavor of the herbs.

6. Add chicken stock, chicken, beans, and optional green chilies to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, heavy cream, and parsley. Garnish and serve.

Note

• 1 pound cooked dried beans is equal to about 4 cans.