Black Bean Chicken Chili (aka the greatest chili ever)

Okay so maybe I exaggerate a bit, but this chili is really good. I have never been a fan of kidney beans and because of that I usually either don't make chili or make bean-less chili...which is just not really chili.

Anyways, so I came across this recipe, from the Homemaking Homesteader, for black bean chicken chili. I had to scale it down a bit because it is just me and my husband eating it and there is really only so much chili you can eat before it goes bad ;). Also I am more a fan of using canned veggies because I don't have the time to soak fresh beans/corn/etc.

So all this being said, I have made this recipe about 3 times so far and it is so good I crave it. I love the chicken in it instead of the greasy beef. And I think the corn gives it a sweet crunch that pairs perfectly with the spicy chili-ness. And I think it is pretty healthy as far as chili goes.

This Monday I was having a chili craving, and so I came home to make it. Turns out I only had one can of black beans...and being my lazy self I didn't want to go out again to get another can. So I rummaged around in the pantry and found a can of black eyed peas that I think my husband bought while I was out of town.

Now I am not a black eyed pea eater, not sure if every family does this, but my family growing up had this tradition that you cook a big pot of black eyed peas on New Years and you eat them for money, or luck, or something like that. My parents always made me eat at least one pea every year.

But the can of black eyed peas was really the only other thing I had. And I reasoned that black eyed peas pretty much take on the taste of whatever they are in, so I tossed it in.....and it was.......GREAT. I have to say, if I ever have to eat black eyed peas, this would be how I would choose to eat them :) You really couldn't taste it much that they were in there. If anything it gave it a more homey taste (in a good way). Two days later and there is none left, which I feel makes it a success :)

So here is the "real" recipe I usually use. Last time I had some zucchini so I tossed it in too, this time I also didn't have the onion....both times it was good. I think that is what I like most about this recipe, it is adaptable. And not very exact on measurements :)

Black Bean Chicken Chili (adapted from the Homemaking Homesteader)
2 cans black beans (or a can of black beans and black eyed peas)
1 can rotel
1/2 cup (or 1/2 a can) corn
1/2 onion chopped
1 Tsp minced garlic (or you can use garlic power if you wish) Chicken (I usually use 2 chicken breasts for the amts listed above)
1 Tsp - 2 Tsp Chili Powder (start with one Tsp and then build up as needed)
1 Tsp (ish) hot sauce

Cook black beans on medium. Dice onion. Cut chicken into one inch pieces. Cook Chicken, onions (and zucchini if you have), and garlic in a skillet until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken/garlic/onion mixture, rotel, and corn to beans. Also add chili powder (taste before adding too much) and hot sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to heat everything thoroughly.

TWD - Lenox Almond Biscotti

So this is my FIRST EVER Tuesdays with Dorie post!! I am so excited to join the ranks of the other hundreds of bakers that vow to bake a recipe a week (most of the time) from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours. I just got my book in last week and I couldn't wait to get started. I hope that though this constant baking that I become a little more of a natural at baking and not have to rely so much on recipes to do anything ;) This week Gretchen of Canela & Comino chose Lenox Almond Biscotti, if you would like the recipe please go to her site, or buy the book (I just drool looking through the pages :) .

I am a Biscotti fan (especially covered in chocolately goodness), but never in my wildest dreams did I think that this was something that I could make on my own. Dorie gives such excellent directions though, it really was relatively easy.

Since it is my first stab at a Dorie recipe, I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter. The only real change, if you can even call it that, is that I used crushed almonds. I bought whole almonds thinking that I could slice them myself....but it is pretty much impossible to slice almonds. So I gave up and used my KitchenAid chopper to get the job done. I likes the smaller pieces in the finished product.

The picture below was taken before I realized that I forgot to put parchment paper under the biscotti. Luckily I realized it before the first bake.


One thing that I didn't expect was how much the dough would spread once I put them in the oven. I kinda hand to smoosh (sp?) it with my fingers so they wouldn't meet in the middle.


Also, as many people commented on the TWD website, I was unable to get my biscotti to stand up. I think it was probably mainly due to my uneven cookie sheet.... It would have been so cute to "stand them up like a marching band" as Dorie suggests. But nevertheless, the Biscotti were fabulous :) I found myself wishing it wasn't 10:30pm and a cup of coffee would not keep me up.


And here are some pictures of the final product. I loved the almond flavor of the biscotti. They held up well in the coffee and really were great. Now that I know how easy they are to make I will definitely be making them again. I really wanted to dip them in chocolate, but I was tired when the biscotti finally got done baking so the chocolate dipping didn't happen. Next time I will do the chocolate....there really is nothing better than chocolate dipped biscotti.




Come back next week for Pumpkin Muffins (oh I can't wait!!).