Chipotle Chicken Chili

By melissadove

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into A Large Dice
• 1 bottle (12 Ounce Bottle) Good Beer
• 1 can (14 Ounce Can) Diced Tomatoes
• 3 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Minced (use Less If Desired)
• 1 can (14 Ounce Can) Pinto Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 can (14 Ounce Can) Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 can (14-ounce Can) Kidney Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• 1/4 cup Masa Harina
• 1 Lime, Juiced
• Sour Cream, For Serving
• Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese, For Serving
• Cilantro, For Serving
• Lime Wedges For Serving

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 85mins
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

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if you’d like to look inside!) It’s Chipotle Chicken Chili, and it’s exactly what the title says: Chicken chili with a great chipotle flavor. But what the title doesn’t say is that this chili is a dream. It’s easy to make, easily changeable (I use turkey instead of chicken on The Chew today), and so thick and luscious. It really is one of my favorite things to chow down on these days, and perfect for the cold weather we’re entering into!

Stir and cook it around for a few minutes, until the onions start to get translucent-ish.

Cut up whatever meat you’re using into cubes. This is chicken breast, but as I said, I use Turkey on The Chew…and you could also use stew meat, ground beef, ground turkey, pork, etc. You’ll just need to adjust the simmering time to fit whatever meat you’re using (i.e. beef stew meat will take a little longer to get tender.)

And stir it around until it’s starting to brown on the outside.

Next, crack open a bottle of the hard stuff! Add 3/4 of a bottle of beer. This is a good Mexican beer, but you can use whatever kind you want. And if you aren’t the beer type, just use low sodium chicken or beef broth (depending on the meat you’re using) instead!

Then pour in a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all.

And add them in to the chili.

Okay, after you’ve settled the spice issue, drain and rinse whatever kind of canned beans you like. I did a mix of kidney, pinto, and black, but you can use all of one kind if that’s what you have.

And stir it around to combine everything.

Add a tablespoon of chili powder (and again, you can start with a teaspoon and work your way up here if you’re unsure.)

Next, add about a teaspoon of salt…

And stir everything around to combine.

Cover the pot and simmer the chili for 1 hour…

My favorite way to thicken chili is to use masa harina. Masa is a corn flour used to make tortillas (I use both all-purpose flour and masa harina mixed together to make a flour/corn tortilla that I love) and you can find it in the same aisle as the chipotle peppers. Grab a small amount…

And mix it with the beer that’s left in the bottle from earlier.

That is, if you didn’t drink it already. If you drank it already, just mix the masa with a little warm water.

Mix it all together until it’s a smooth paste…

Then pour it right into the pot!

And stir everything together. Let it cook for another 10 minutes or so; the masa will thicken the chili and give it the MOST incredible corn flavor.

And by the way, I use masa to thicken whatever chili I’m making. The flavor it adds to the mix is just irreplaceable. It is heaven.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat then add the onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until onions soften. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned. Add 3/4 of the beer, reserving the rest, then cook for a couple of minutes to reduce.

Add the tomatoes, chipotles, beans, chili powder, cumin and salt. Stir to combine, then cover the pot and cook for 1 hour.

Combine the masa harina with the rest of the beer and stir to make a paste. Add this into the chili, along with the lime juice. Stir and cook for 10 more minutes or until thick.

I have the same love affair with cumin. I add it to all kinds of recipes!

I can’t wait to make this! I make your regular chili recipe and love it and the masa really does give it a nice corn flavor and thickens it nicely.

This is a cold weather recipe that I will make this weekend. Would I sound like a wimp if I start at 1/4 of a chipotle pepper and work my way up

Theresa, you can start at 1/8 of a chipotle if you want! One of my pet peeves is reading comments from folks who KNOW they don’t like a lot of spice, or cilantro, or fish or whatever but who will make a recipe exactly as written and then complain that it was too hot, too salty, to fishy, whatever. It never seems to occur to them to not add lime if they hate the taste of lime (I usually substitute lemon because very little lime goes a very long way with my taste buds) Anyway…I, myself, am not a big fan of the flavor of the chipotle pepper so I will be joining you in the 1/4 pepper (maybe even the 1/8 pepper) camp. Even though I LOVE spicy foods…up to and including chocolate with cayenne seasoning! As Ree has been known to say…”do whatever blows your skirt up”

I second the freezing suggestion! Just make sure to label it … because frozen chipotles in adobo look **just** like a million other little frozen things in ziploc bags.

I’m not big on chicken chili but this looks amazing! Add a piece of buttery cornbread and I’m ready to eat! Thanks for sharing~

I never thought a cookbook could make you cry, It brought back such wonderful memories of my own family. My husband looked over and said it must be a good book! Good luck on the chew and I’ll be making the chili Sunday.Thank you, Ree

This looks delicious! I went to make my grocery list from the 4 x 6 printables and they have listed black beans twice instead of the pintos. As you said, any combination of beans is okay so it wouldn’t really change this chili. Yummy, can’t wait! Thanks, Ree!

Might try this and omit the meat to make it veggie-friendly…Chipotle 3-bean chili. Nom nom!

Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Hi! The last thing I “cooked” was good ol’ canned tomato soup. Instead of water, I used half & half to enrich the soup and make it more of a meal in a bowl. I also added a can of corn niblets and a can of white potatoes that I diced to same size as corn, or close. A few shakes of dill, pepper and some other things that I don’t recall and we had a more decent meal than I started with, especially considering it was already 9:30 PM when I started the prep. All I know is that my husband, son and I really enjoyed it.

Ree: Thanks for the tip for adding the masa to the chili. I made one of your other chili recipes last week and added it to it. OMG….my guest bragged that it was the best chili they have eaten. I took all the credit, but did mention you (a little bit). Thanks!

I just got your new cookbook and this is what I am going to make tomorrow! This chili will be perfect for warming us up after doing yard work in this cold rainy NW WI weather!

I am going to make this tonight. It sounds so delicious.. thanks and can’t wait for the chew today!

That looks so good! I’ve been craving chili and was going to make beef chili tomorrow but may have to make this instead!

Ree, I am going to let you in on an old family chili “secret” ingredient. My mother always uses a can of refried beans to thicken her chili. She stirs it in the last 15-20 mins of cooking time, and it just enhances the flavor no matter what type of bean you use! Happy Friday:)

Sorry to ask a question everyone else probably knows — is masa harina the same as the stuff I use to make polenta? Thanks! Susanne

Hi Susanne. Polenta is made with cornmeal which is usually a coarser texture. Masa Harina is a very fine ground to make mexican food such as tortillas and tamales. You’ll find it in the ethnic foods aisle by all the mexican foods/spices. Hope this helps!

Does anyone know if masa harina needs to be tempered with the hot liquid before adding it to the pot to thicken? Usually I use corn starch or flour to thicken stew and chili; I always make a slurry with cold liquid and then add a bit of the hot liquid to warm it up so that it doesn’t become all lumpy (like mini dumplings) once it’s added to the chili. As well, normally one tbsp of corn starch thickens the same amount as three tbsps of flour; does masa harina behave more like the corn starch (needing less) or the wheat flour (needing more)? I have seen it in the store, but have never thought to use it as a thickener. Thanks for any insights.

I did try using canned chipotles in chilli once, but I didn’t know that they are quite hot, so, not wanting any leftovers and since it was such a small can… I added the entire can. Well let’s just say that no reasonable amount of additions could water down the spiciness and I learned my lesson about canned chipotles the hard way. I don’t remember what my family ate instead.

Hi Nancy….I use the masa to thicken soups and chili. It works best when the liquid is room temp or the water is warm so that when you mix it up and pour it into the hot liquid it is less likely that it will make clumps in your chili or soup. I use 3 TBSP of masa with 1/4 warm water whenever I use it. If you want a more thicker consistency just keep adding another TBSP mixed with just enough warm water to make a paste. I would say it’s like cornstarch but masa leaves a really nice subtle corn flavor. Hope this helps!

Yummy to the tummy gonna have to try to make this for the weekend

I think it’s the Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced tomatoes.. looks like it from the can. I buy Hunts all the time to make my own tomato sauce, and I’m pretty sure that’s it.

I love reading your blog, and am very happy that you’re doing what you do… teaching people to cook with healthy ingredients is so important in fostering a healthy life and more importantly a healthy future. Today I am contacting you because I too am trying to do my part in getting people to eat and live healthier. In 2008 I set on a quest to look for the ideal cooking pot, one that would give me all the nutrients from the food being cooked without adding its own ingredients or contaminants. It was a personal happening that led me to do this and all my research pointed out in one direction — Pure Clay. After several years of research and travel I set out to make my line of pure clay cooking pots and their made in the USA. I had benefited so much from cooking in these pots that I had to share it with the world.

I think I’m going to try and make this tonight.. but I want to omit the beans because I do NOT like beans.

Instead of masa harina you could chop up some corn tortillas and add it in the beginning so it cooks down to thicken just like in tortilla soup.

Wow! This looks fabulously good! Gonna have to make this very soon….Thank you, Ree:)

Watching you make this on The Chew as I type!

Whew! So glad to find out you can mix the masa with warm water….you know me all too well. Beer would definitely be gone by that point

Last day of beautiful sun here….. Can’t wait to make this for something yummy to eat during the stormy weather due her in Portland, OR! So glad I DVR The Chew. Will be watching tonigh!

This is simmering on the stove right now. Can’t wait to try it! Smells delicious!!!! Thanks for the recipe

I LOVE YOUR COOKBOOK AND YOUR COOKING SHOW, YOU MAKE COOKING EASY LOOKING. I CAN’T WAIT TO TRY YOUR CHILI, I MAY HAVE TO CUT DOWN ON THE PEPPERS. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR RECEIPES WITH US

Oh my goodness! This looks fantastic! I have got to go to the grocery for these ingredients so I can make this. I’ve been craving something like this for days – this will be perfect!

Heather of Kitchen Concoctions

The next time I make chili I’m making this recipe, sounds really good. Thanks!

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