Tasty Tuesday ~ Chicken Chili

This was one of those "little of this and little of that" concoctions that turned out awesome! It's ideal for a winter weekend. I used a few healthier options to make it "January" friendly. :) The kitchen smelled great, the teens went back for more, the leftovers were delish, and it didn't make much mess. Perfect!

Before I give you the chili recipe, here are a couple of ingredients for a wonderful spiritual walk in 2011 ...

•  Scripture Dig is spending January focusing on spiritual disciplines. Today is one of my days!
• If you're reading the One Year Bible, some of our church staff are working together to provide a short devotional blog to accompany each day. It's a great time to jump in and subscribe to the Devo Blog.

Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped small
1 1/2 lb. ground chicken (Inspired by a sale $1.99/lb, but healthier than beef)
2 T. olive oil
15 oz light kidney beans
15 oz black beans (Both beans rinsed and drained)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I used the Italian blend with some spices)
2 t. minced garlic (The kind that's in a jar)
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. taco mix (Lower sodium variety)
2 cans (Use the empty bean cans) of water

In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. After a few minutes, add the ground chicken, and cook through. Before you add anything else, chop up (Just use your stirring spoon in the pan) the ground chicken to small pieces. Because it's chicken, I didn't drain it at this point. Add the spices and mixes and stir well. Add the beans. Add the 2 cans of water. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, at a slight "bubble" for about 30 minutes. Turn it back to a very low simmer, covered, for another 45 minutes.

If you want to use beef instead, you may just need to drain the meat before you add spices, etc. We ate this with tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl, then chili on top, then shredded cheese (your favorite variety) and a blob of low-fat sour cream. Awesome for a winter day! 

I love this recipe because: 

• I can keep everything but the chicken and the onion in the pantry to have on hand. 
• This only takes one pan to make the meal.
• You can make it, start to finish, in 1 1/2 hours.
• Kids can learn to make this easy recipe.

Enjoy!


Tomorrow is a very important anniversary and coincides with a special day in my January "Be" series. I hope you'll join me!