Laura’s chipotle chicken chili

I get a weird thrill out of composing meals using only items we already have in the house. Part of it is feeling victorious that I’m avoiding a trip to the store and part of it is figuring out what things pair well together. I like to look through Pinterest and magazines for ideas on what to cook and then I try to come up with a recipe myself.

(Or I order pizza for dinner.)

A few weeks ago I bought a ton of chicken breasts and spicy Italian sausages that were on sale, and I froze them into smaller portions (2-3 pieces per bag). I also recently organized my pantry and realized we had a LOT of pasta and canned goods. I made sausage and veggie soup and shrimp tacos last week, so I had plenty of bits of various produce left over to use for meals this week. On Sunday I made a pasta dish using spicy Italian sausage over a mix of of penne and rigatoni. (I had small amounts of both pastas in the pantry.) I used this recipe for inspiration and it was delicious! My version of alfredo was good but not great, so I’m going to tweak it a bit more before I share it with y’all.

ABOUT THE CHILI: you guys, I made it up! And it is one killer chili, if I may say so. It’s great on its own, but the toppings knock it out of the park. (I recently discovered Trader Joe’s “no guilt” guacamole and now I want to stir it into everything I make.) This chili is an easy meal to tweak to your own preferences or to change up depending on what you have on hand. I’ve used salsa before to replace the onions, cilantro and diced tomatoes, and I’ve also done a mix of white and black beans.

If you find yourself with leftover chipotles in adobo sauce, freeze them in a ziploc and pull them out for shrimp tacos or another batch of chili!

yay for leftovers! whoops, crumbs on the table. photography fail.

Laura’s chipotle chicken chili 
serves 4-6 (makes roughly six cups)
active time: 10-15 minutes
total time, start to finish: depends on crock-pot setting (see instructions for cooking without a crock-pot)

for the chili:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 thighs would probably work just as well)
• 1/2 small white or yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes (**plain, NOT seasoned**)
• 1 can great northern beans
• 2 Tbsp of diced chipotle peppers (pull them out of the adobo sauce and dice on a cutting board)
• 4 Tbsp of the adobo sauce that the peppers come in
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch (see directions below for use)

toppings:

• we used: crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole
• also try: more cilantro, lime wedges, pico de gallo, jalapeño slices, banana pepper slices

1. Combine all chili ingredients in a crock-pot and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 6-8. (It’s totally fine if your chicken is frozen when you put it in the crock-pot, but it needs to cook for at least 4 hours on high or 7-8 on low. You’ll know to cook it longer if it feels rubbery.)

2. 20-30 minutes before serving, move the chicken breasts to a cutting board and remove one tablespoon of the chili liquid and place in a small bowl in the fridge.

3. Shred chicken with a fork or dice into small chunks. (I did a mix of both.) Return the chicken to the crock-pot and check the flavor to see if you need to add any more seasoning.

4. Whisk the cornstarch into the cooled chili liquid and then add it back into the pot. Stir around and let thicken while you get toppings together/set the table/whatever.

5. Try not to eat the entire pot of chili in one night.

If you don’t own a crock-pot, sauté the onion in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the chicken (dice it first) and let it cook, then stir in all of the other chili ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cover for 30-60 minutes. Use the same cornstarch method as mentioned above.