Chicken Chili for a snowy night!

It’s one of those nights in Atlanta, Georgia – cold, windy and snow flurries throughout the day. And while our northern neighbors would probably not feel sorry for us and our mild winters, we still want something to warm us at the end of the day. This chicken chili recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, the Silver Palate Good Times. Actually I love all the Silver Palate cookbooks and am getting very close to having tried all of the recipes. They rarely disappoint.

Note: this chili does not include beans. If you are dying to have beans in your chili, toss in a can of drained and rinsed navy or cannelloni beans.

Chicken Chili

(Adapted from Silver Palate Good Times)

6 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, seeded, cored and diced

3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

Optional – add 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

3 TBSP chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

pinch ground cinnamon

2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4 halves), cut into 1 inch cubes

1 28 oz. can tomatoes in puree, chopped

1 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced

1 cup beer

¼ cup grated unsweetened chocolate

salt, to taste

garnish with your choice: sour cream, shredded monterey jack and/or cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, diced avocados, chopped cilantro

Heat half of the olive oil (3 TBSP) in a large pot or dutch oven over high heat.

Add the chopped onion and 5 cloves of minced garlic, and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the 2 red peppers and 4 minced jalapeno peppers (and 1-2 chipotle peppers, if desired – adds more spice and depth to the chili), and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in the 3 TBSP chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander and ~ 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate large skillet, brown the chicken in batches in the remaining olive oil, until cooked through – takes at least 10 minutes per batch.