This simple chili recipe comes together really quickly and tastes delicious!
When we headed to our local Sprout’s grocery store on Friday, I had absolutely no plans to buy chile peppers. But as I was browsing the produce department, I spotted the most beautiful red jalapeño’s and just had to buy them. The green ones are always available, but you rarely see the red ones at the store. At least, I don’t anyway. The Anaheim chile peppers were also looking exceptionally good that day, so I grabbed a couple of those as well. Peppers are one thing that I have a hard time passing up when they look and smell SO good. I just love the intoxicating smell of fresh peppers, don’t you?
This Weeknight Chicken and Black Bean Chili is super easy to make and is perfect for those nights where you need to get dinner on the table fast. We’re using canned beans here, which is a huge help. For this recipe, I added the beans as well as the liquid from the can. The starchy liquid adds such a delicious thickness to the chili. I used the Westbrae brand of beans, which are low sodium and come in BPA-free cans. That was another score at Sprouts because they had a buy one get one free sale on them!
Anaheim chile peppers tend to be mild in heat level, but that can vary depending on where they’re grown. You could always substitute a green bell pepper (which is even milder) if you wanted to. I left the ribs and most of the seeds of the jalapeño’s out of this chili, but you can adjust this based on your preference.
A nice hunk of homemade cornbread was the perfect accompaniment to this bowl of chili. I simply popped it into the oven while I was working on the chili and they were done in about the same time. Not too shabby for a weeknight (or weekend) meal!
Weeknight Chicken and Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 1 lb . ground chicken
- 1 medium white onion , diced
- 2 Anaheim peppers , diced
- 2 small (or 1 large) jalapeno, minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- sea salt to taste
- 2 (14.5 oz ) cans of black beans, liquid included
- 1 (14.5 oz ) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup of water
- juice of half a large lime
- Optional garnishes:
- sour cream
- scallions
Instructions
- In a 4-quart soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and let cook, breaking it up with a spoon as it browns. Add the onion and peppers, and let cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the seasonings and toss to coat.
- Stir in the tomatoes, beans, and water, reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, then serve topped with sour cream.
