Healthy Chicken Chilli

Just in time for the cooler weather, I want to share a protein rich, low fat, full of fiber, and super flavorful recipe with you. 

This Chicken Chilli recipe is great in so many ways - doesn't take much prep, super healthy, cooks in less than 30 minutes, and can be frozen for future meals. I love making this for a quick weeknight dinner or for when friends come over.

If you don't like ground chicken, you can absolutely use ground turkey. My favorite flavors in this dish are the cilantro and lime juice. They add a freshness to the spicy heat of each bite. 

I always drain my canned beans before using them in a recipe - just to get rid of the sodium gunk (sorry, couldn't think of a better word). After I strain them , I usually also rinse them a bit and then take half of the beans into another bowl to mash them. This adds thickness to the chilli. If you like your chilli really thick, add some cornstarch into a small bowl of cold water, mix it, and pour it into your simmering chilli. 

I'm really not an expert on measurements - especially when it comes to seasonings. So, what I provide in the ingredients list is really more of a baseline and you can add more or less to taste :) What I really enjoy about the dish is spicy undertones of the green chillis, mixed with the freshness of the lime juice that I always drizzle on top of each bowl right before I serve it. 

And here it is - the finished product of deliciousness - Guten Appetit!

Love, Lena 

Chicken Chilli

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Spanish or White Chopped Onion

2 chopped Cloves of Garlic

1 pound Ground Chicken (may be substituted with Ground Turkey)

2 cans Cannellini Beans (drained)

1 carton (32 fluid ounces) of Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1 4 ounce can of Green Chillis (may be substituted with 1 chopped jalapeno)

4 tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

Juice of 1.5 Limes, save half of a Lime for garnish

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Preparation:

Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces. Heat the olive oil in a tall pot and saute onions until translucent. Add ground chicken and cook the meat until you don't see anymore pink. Then add the garlic, green chillis, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir everything together for about a minute.

Add the broth into the pot and bring it to a boil. In the meantime, chop the cilantro and drain the beans. Place half of the beans into a bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Once the broth comes to a boil, add all of the whole and mashed beans, cilantro, and lime juice - save a little cilantro for garnish.

At this point, let everyhting simmer together for about 15 minutes. Taste the chilli to see if you need to add more seasoning. Everyone's taste buds are different, so you may need more salt and pepper. 

Fill into small bowls, sprinkle with more cilantro, drizzle some more lime juice over the chilli - and you're done!

Serving Suggestions:

- bake some slices of whole wheat bread in the oven to dip into the chilli

- add some cooked rice on the bottom of your bowl

- garnish with some sour cream or greek yogurt

- sprinkle some cheese on top

- or do all of the above :)