This was an easy chili with a few of my own adjustments and was full of flavor. I am not one for ground chicken, I don't like how it cooks down, so I went with a rotisserie chicken from the store. I took all the meat off of the bone and used it more as shredded chicken. I also chose to omit the fennel from the spice mixture. While I am open to new things I didn't have any fennel in the spice cabinet and I couldn't figure out how that would go with chili, so instead I doubled the amount of chili powder. I also chose to omit the flour, I think there was enough in the chili to make it nice and chunky. I used one can of white beans and one can of mixed beans to change it up. The final change I made was to use a bag of frozen spinach vs. Swiss chard.
What goes better with chili than cornbread? I would say nothing except for any other variety of cornbread. I bought a box of Jiffy cornbread mix, that box looks like it has been on the shelf since the 1950's! I decided to spice things up a bit, so I added corn, diced jalapenos and cheddar cheese. It turned out just perfectly. I would say this combination was a winner.
Recipe:
White Bean and Chicken Chili, by Giada De Laurentiis
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.