Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken breast cut into 1″ chunks (roughly 2 1/2lbs)
- 1 cup onion
- 1 cup celery
- 1 cup carrots
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, mostly drained
- 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper**
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin**
- 1 tablespoon paprika**
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce)
- blue cheese crumbles for topping
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare veggies: chop onions, celery and carrots. Mince garlic. Drain most of the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes, doing this will help to keep the chili thicker. Pour black beans into a strainer, rinse well. Toss all veggies into slow cooker.
When working with veggies and meat, always prepare veggies first and work with the meat last – or use two different cutting boards. Even though you’re tossing all of the ingredients into the slow cooker uncooked, it’s just a good habit to be in.
Prepare chicken by trimming any fat and then cutting into 1 inch chunks. Because my chicken breasts were on the thicker side, I sliced mine in half to make them thinner. If you’re not up for that, you can always beat them down with a meat mallet to reduce their thickness. Toss chicken into the slow cooker. Pour broth into the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, cayenne pepper, cumin and paprika. Remember to used the reduced amounts of spices if looking for a less spicy version. If you’re up for some heat, without being too over the top – go with the full amount. Stir well to break up chicken and spread the spices throughout. Reserve buffalo sauce and blue cheese.
Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
After the time is up, stir in 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce. Break apart any chicken that is stuck together. Divide among bowls, top with blue cheese crumbles if desired.
If saving any or all for later, spoon meat and veggies into a container with some liquid. I opted to not save all of the liquid so the actual chili is a bit thicker, you do want some though.
Store in an airtight container for up to several days or freeze for up to several months. If freezing, remember to leave some room for expansion and as always… label the container well. In this case the name of the dish and the date you’re freezing should go on the label. Nothing is worse than playing the mystery freezer meat/food game.