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Spicy Ground Chicken Chili

Bowl with ground chicken chili garnished with grated cheese, spring onion and coriander.
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Made with ground chicken, beans, onion, corn, fire roasted tomatoes and chilies, this Spicy Ground Chicken Chili is EXTRA flavorful with smoky and fiery notes! It’s a meal prep and freezer meal winner and so cozy and nutritious!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium Red Onion (or white onion) – diced
  • 6 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 2–12 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any small hot red chilies – note 1), to taste – finely chopped
  • 1–4 fresh Green Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or a Jalapeño – deseeded if desired – note 1), to taste – finely chopped
  • 8 ounces (1 medium) Red Bell Pepper – cored, deseeded, diced
  • 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (plus 1.5 – 2 TBLS Adobo Sauce – note 1) – deseeded for less heat if desired – chopped
  • 2 TBLS Olive Oil
  • 480 grams / 1 pound Ground Chicken
  • 1 (411 grams / 14 ounce) can diced or crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Medium Green Chilies
  • 1 (425 grams / 14 ounce) can Chili Beans (note 2)
  • 1 (425 grams / 15 ounce) can Black Beans – drained, rinsed
  • 1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels (frozen or fresh)
  • 2 TBLS Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
  • 2 cups / 473ml Water (or low sodium chicken broth)
  • 2.5 TSP Kosher Salt (use half the amount if using iodized table salt), to taste
  • 1.5 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
  • 1 TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • 1 TSP American-style Chili Powder, to taste
  • ½ TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1.5 TSP Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet)
  • 2 TSP ground Cumin
  • 1.5 TSP dried Oregano Flakes
  • ½ TSP Garlic Powder
  • To Serve (optional toppings/sides): Corn tortilla chips (or Fritos), steamed brown or white rice, chopped coriander (cilantro), chopped spring onion (scallion/green onion), finely chopped red onion, diced/sliced avocado, grated/shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream (light/regular), lime wedges for squeezing, sliced black olives, etc.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the ingredients: Chop the red onion, garlic, fresh red and green chilies, red bell pepper and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Drain and rinse the canned black beans.
  2. Sauté the veggies and aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the red onion and red bell pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fresh red and green chilies and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Cook the ground chicken: Add the ground chicken and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, breaking the clumps with your spatula, until just cooked.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients: Add the canned fire roasted tomatoes, chili beans, black beans, sweet corn kernels, double concentrated tomato paste, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, water, remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper, ground cayenne, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano flakes, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine and allow to reach to a simmer.
  5. Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened – about 20-25 minutes.
  6. Adjust seasonings: Uncover and stir. Taste and adjust kosher salt and black pepper and add more cumin or other seasonings if needed. Continue simmering for 3-5 minutes until further thickened and your desired consistency is reached.
  7. To Serve: Ladle evenly into bowls. Top with your desired toppings and garnishes and serve immediately with your choice of sides.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Chilies: Adjust the quantity of fresh red and green chilies to taste and use 1 chipotle pepper (deseeded) and adobo sauce for less heat. You can also use a one or two jalapeños instead of fresh red and green chilies and remove the seeds for a milder chili if desired. Alternatively, use a small can of diced green chilies and omit the fresh red chilies altogether. USe less or more ground cayenne and chili powder based on your heat level preference.
  2. Canned Chili Beans: The can I used is made with pinto beans in a zesty tomato sauce with chili pepper, garlic, and onion and you don’t need to drain it. You can swap the black beans and chili beans for two cans of any beans you like though. Kidney, cannellini, great northern beans etc. would all work well. Note that the broth will have a less tomatoey flavor if switching out the chili beans. You can add 200ml /about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon tomato puree (tomato sauce) for more tomato flavor if using other beans.
  3. How to thicken the broth? Use a cornstarch or masa harina slurry to thicken the broth. If using corn starch, mix together 1 tablespoon each of corn starch and cold water to make a slurry. Stir it in after adjusting the seasonings and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes until fully thickened. If using masa harina, make a slurry with 2 tablespoons masa harina and ¼ cup cold water. Stir it in after simmering for at least 10 minutes while covered, then uncover and continue simmering until the chili reaches your desired consistency.
  4. What to serve with it (sides)? Cornbread or cornbread muffins, corn tortillas or tortilla chips, steamed white or brown rice, Mexican rice, sautéed sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries, a grilled cheese sandwich or panini, tater tots, nachos, jalapeño poppers, coleslaw are some great sides for chili. You can also serve it over hot dogs or in a sloppy joe, or over spaghetti, fettuccine or tagliatelle pasta if you like.
  5. Prep ahead. As this chicken chili is made mostly with canned or pantry products, you can make it even speedier by prepping the fresh ingredients ahead of time. Chop the onion, bell pepper, garlic and fresh chilies a day in advance and store in airtight sealed containers in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to cook it’s a simple matter of dumping ingredients into a pot, stirring and simmering before it’s on the table!
  6. Storing and meal prep. This chili will last in the fridge for 3-5 days if stored properly in sealed airtight containers. You can enjoy it for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Reheat on high in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot throughout then add your favorite toppings and garnishes.
  7. Freezing leftovers. Once cooked and completely cooled, transfer individual portions to freezer friendly sealable bags or containers and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat either in a small pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat or in a microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until hot throughout.
  8. Nutritional information. Nutritional information for optional toppings, garnishes and sides have not been accounted for as it will vary based on what and how much will be used for each serving.
  9. See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this ground chicken chili.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/spicy-ground-chicken-chili/