Chicken Chili/Stew Recipe

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1+ lbs cooked chicken, shredded
• 3-4 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium onion, diced
• 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
• 4-5 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• salt, red pepper to taste
• olive oil

Chicken thighs work great and can be prepared in advance. Brown them slightly in olive oil then cook with liquid on high in a crock pot for 2-3 hours. You'll end up with tender cooked chicken that will shred easily with a couple of forks. Save the cooking liquid in the crock pot. If I have stock on hand I throw it into the crockpot, if not, cooking the chicken in water with a couple of bouillon cubes will turn the water into a nice broth.

If I already have cooked chicken (or turkey) on hand, start here.

Heat olive oil in a deep, heavy bottom pan (medium-high heat).

Add onions and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to carmelize.

Add garlic and spices, stir and cook approximately 1 minute until fragrant.

If I've just cooked chicken in a crock pot, I would take the chicken out and shred it on a cutting board. Remove a cup or so of broth out of the crock. Then return the chicken and add the cooked onions and spices to the crock. Use the removed broth to deglaze the frying pan and return the liquid to the crock.

If starting with previous cooked chicken. Leave the cooked onions in the deep pan and stir in some of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. You can add more broth later after everything is in the pot.

Add cannellini and pinto beans, also add canned chiles including chile liquid. Add meat if using chicken thighs. It may already be in the pot.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Use two wooden spoons or spatulas and mash some of the beans stirring the pulp into the broth which should become noticeably thicker.

*Add shredded chicken and heat for a few minutes. This step assumes you started with left-over cooked chicken or turkey white meat which didn't need to be cooked again. Chicken thigh meat works better for leaving in to simmer for longer times and will likely already be in your pot.

The chili can be served as soon as it is hot or allowed to simmer until later. It stores well in the fridge for several days.

Optionally serve with soup oyster crackers.