I am so not a food blogger. But I do like to cook. And I certainly like to eat. I just get all stressed with the idea of daily cooking.
What meat?
What veggie?
If it’s low carb, will I like it?
If it’s high carb, will my husband eat it?
If it’s a Tuesday, what mood is my 5 year old in?
Ah, yes. The life of a mediocre cook. One thing is for sure. I’m not always the most creative cook. I can be. But not when I’m under pressure to come up with something to eat in 2 hours.
But on Sunday, I got creative. I was talking to my neighbor outside who said she was making chili. Sounds about right for a cool Sunday afternoon when the Ravens are playing. And even though I could care less about football, I liked the sound of chili.
So I took a look at what I had in the house and I made my very own recipe. AND it actually tasted really good. So here’s my attempt to share.
My Very Own Southwest Chicken Chili
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
salt
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans chicken broth*
1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 15.5 oz. can of black beans
1 15-5 oz. can of pinto beans
1 10 oz. package of frozen corn
1 tsp. chili powder
Now for the directions: (Hey – this is like a real recipe!)
Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with water. Add salt and a bay leaf to the water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the chicken (because it’s going to be HOT at this point).
Get a big cooking pot (like a stock pot) and add the chicken, onions, garlic, and tomatoes (undrained).
Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pot. Add the frozen corn. Toss in some chili powder.
Bring to a boil and simmer until it smells good enough to eat.
* I suggest using a lid. I didn’t and boiled off most of the chicken broth and ended up adding a lot more liquid. But maybe that was the trick to make it so flavorful. I concentrated the chicken broth! Oh, and I don’t actually use chicken broth. I use a chicken stock base that you add to boiling water. It actually has better flavor.
When you’re ready to serve, throw some of that in a bowl and you’re ready to go.
And get this, MY 5 YEAR OLD ATE IT TOO! I attribute that to the fact that I went low on spice and gave him tortille chips and he used it more like a dip.
As for my husband? Well, nothing is good enough for him unless it’s burning a hole in his belly. So I expected him to add something to kick up the spice but he surprised me when he tested all of the following:
I sampled his concoctions and the clear winner for me was the Ancho Chile seasoning, which added a little spice, a little smokiness, and kicked up the richness of it.
While I made this to thwart any attempts to have to go to the grocery store, I’d ideally serve this topped with a little shredded Monterey Jack cheese, avocado slices, and a healthy dollop of sour cream.
And that concludes my creative cooking for a while.
2 comments
1) Looks delish! 2) I adore Penzeys. It makes me happy just to walk through there.
I love comfort foods! This looks so good.