Monday, December 5, 2011

Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili

Sounds weird right? I sure thought so but I was also intrigued by the wholesome foods and proteins found in this delicious chili. Recipe was found in the Taste of Home magazine January 2012

Prep: 35 Min | Cook: 1 1/2 hours  |  Yield: 10 Servings
** See notes I managed to shorten this cook time down to 1 hour and in my opinion it yields way more than 10 servings. 1 ladle and I was full! Great for freezing and eating again later.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 lbs.), cut up **
2 cans (141/2 oz. each) plus 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a Dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken, 2 cans broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, bring remaining broth to a boil. Add Quinoa. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Set aside.
3. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Strain broth, reserving vegetables; skim fat from broth. Return vegetables and broth to the Dutch oven; add teh sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes and cooked quinoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones; cut into bite-size pieces. Discard bones. Stir chicken into chili; heat through.

JENNIE'S SHORTCUTS:
I used 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast instead of cooking a whole chicken. The three breasts cooked in about 30 minutes This also means that in step 3 - the whole straining and skimming off the fat you really don't need to do. Saves on clean up and time! Next time I plan to also microwave the sweet potatoes after I chop them up in order to give them a boost on the cooking time - may make the 2nd part of step 3 go quicker as well.