I was searching for a chicken chili recipe and couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, so I came up with this recipe. I really love this chili! It tastes great and it’s healthy, too! It’s a little different from your typical chili…with chicken instead of beef, and lots of tasty ingredients like onion, garlic, tomatoes, corn, black beans, and fresh cilantro. I think this recipe could work with ground beef, too, if you prefer that over chicken. This chili is so nice and thick… it’s thick enough to serve over rice if you want. And it’s great when you top this bowl of chili with a heaping helping of fresh cilantro and shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese…yum!

Here’s the recipe…hope you like it!

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN CHILI by NancyCreative

Makes 4 servings

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (1 lb.) package boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, uncooked and cut into chunks (about 1/2″ or a little smaller)
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lime juice, fresh-squeezed or bottled
• 1 (15 oz.) can corn, well-drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• dash of salt, if desired
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, for garnish
• finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

In a large saucepan (a 4-quart size works well), heat olive or canola oil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion, garlic, and chicken chunks in oil for 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center (if you’re having trouble cutting the chicken before you cook it, you can cook it first and then cut it into chunks).

Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, and lime juice; stir until mixture is well blended. Add corn, black beans, and green chiles, stirring until blended. Next, add ground cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt if desired, stirring until blended. Then stir in 2 Tablespoons of the chopped fresh cilantro, stirring until it’s well blended in the chili mixture.

Heat chili to boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in bowls and garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro and shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese.

You can also serve this chili over rice if you’d like to. It makes a great meal on a chilly day!