Southwest Chicken Chili
This creamy and flavorful southwest chicken chili is loaded with protein and veggies. A satisfying meal made with chicken, spices, and beans. This chili is gluten free/dairy free and provides the ultimate combination of comfort and flavor in every bowl.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 445kcal
Equipment
- 1 large stock pot/Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped (if you like spice, keep the seeds)
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 large leeks, white part only, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch)
- 4 cups chicken bone broth (regular chicken broth works too)
- ½ cup water
- 4 cups frozen sweet corn, thawed
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1.5 lbs. cooked and shredded chicken breasts
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, chopped veggies, and garlic to a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies begin to soften; about 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add in all the spices and tapioca starch (oregano through starch). Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (this helps to bring out the flavor of the spices).
- Add broth to veggies/spices and bring to a simmer.
- While broth/veggie mix is simmering, puree the water with 1 ½ cups of the corn in a blender. Add the pureed corn to the other ingredients in the stock pot/Dutch oven.
- Add the beans, shredded chicken, and remaining corn and mix until combined. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- There's no magic amount of chicken needed in this chili; I have found that anywhere around 1 ½ lbs. works well.
- If you're new to leeks, here are some tips:
- Before cutting, rinse each leek.
- Cut each leek where the white starts to turn green (you'll only want the bottom/base of each leek) and discard the green tops.
- Cut the root off of each leek and then cut down the middle lengthwise (so you have two long half-moon shapes). Then slice the short way into ¼" slices.
- You can discard the outside layer of the leek if it’s too tough to cut. And if you notice some dirt inside each layer of the leek you can rinse the sliced leeks. Simply place in a strainer and lightly rinse with water.
- You can simmer for longer than 30 minutes, but I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes to let all the flavors meld together.
- Leftover ideas: Try making nachos, or quesadillas, with any leftover chili.
- Recipe states 6 servings, but if they are on the smaller side you can get 8 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1317mg | Potassium: 1324mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2483IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 8mg