Add a hint of smoke to a classic chicken chili using chipotle peppers and sweet potatoes to create a perfectly balanced smoky chicken chili.
I feel like it’s been forever since I shared a new recipe here, time is just flying by these days and getting away from me. This smoky chicken chili is a recipe I was working on a couple of months ago but with this cold weather snap we’ve had in Toronto, I finally perfected it and it’s finally the right time to share it with you. This is the kind of recipe to have simmering on the stove for a comforting meal this weekend. The smokiness in this chili comes from chipotle chili peppers which are a smoke-dried jalapeño pepper. Chipotles are one of my favourite ingredients to use in recipes because they add a complex flavour that you can’t otherwise achieve. You can also try them in my chipotle chicken sandwiches. Recipes are all about balance, so I’ve used some sweet potato in this chili to balance out the spice and smoky flavour from the chipotle peppers. Plus, I just really love using sweet potatoes in any chili recipe.
You see, my kitchen was pretty quiet over the holidays, but I’m slowly getting back in the swing of things. As you all know, 2015 is chugging along. And life, as always, is chugging along as well. I’ve had things on pause, or some kind of slow-motion over the past little while, but as Stephen Chbosky wrote in The Perks of Being A Wallflower (one of my favourite books) “Life doesn’t stop for anybody.” Boom. So true. Let’s keep things going and moving, as hard as it is sometimes when all you want to do is run away from all responsibility.
Classes are starting up again. Classes for my last semester of university. I can’t believe it. It’s been a journey, with its fair share of ups and downs, and I know this semester will be no different. But I feel as though I’m sort of ready for it. I’m ready for it to start and I’m ready for it to finish. It took a while, but right now, I’m at a place in my life where I am ready to be done and I’m ready to close that undergraduate chapter. If you would have asked me this question two months ago, my answer would have been completely different. But I am starting to feel this new, excited energy about things, which I didn’t have before. Maybe it’s because I keep repeating my mantra for 2015 to myself “Just do the next right thing.” You should give it a try, it makes things, changes, struggles a little bit easier, simpler and less overwhelming.
Smoky chicken chili recipe breakdown
Add some spice and flavour to a comforting healthy chili packed with chicken and sweet potatoes with a hint of chipotle peppers.
Smoky Chicken Chili
PrintInstructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, saute until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add garlic, spices and salt. Cook another minute or until fragrant.
- Add pickled jalapenos and chipotle peppers. Stir another minute.
- Add diced chicken, cook for 4-5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Add diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially cover for 18-20 minutes.
Notes
Let me know if you give this smoky chicken chili a try in the comments below.
Danielle
This sounds delicious, healthy and easy! What a great addition to my weekday healthy eating plan :-)
Lou
Thank you Danielle! Let me know if you give it a try. :)
Elisa
Howdy! I found this recipe through one of your guest posts on Carly’s blog. The overall flavor was FANTASTIC! I used basil instead of oregano. Also, the sweet potatoes came out a bit crunchy, but I didn’t want to cook it longer and compromise the texture of the chicken, which came out ROCKIN’ in the allotted time. By the way, this goes well with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on the side, lol! This is certainly an easy weekend night recipe to make as a college student with a friend!
Lou
Hi Elisa, I’m so happy to hear that you tried this recipe and found my site from Carly’s! Sorry to hear your sweet potatoes were a little on the crunchy, perhaps cutting them a little smaller next time would help? Thanks for your comment, let me know if you try any other recipe. Keep up the cooking and good luck this semester :)
Sallie
This looks really good – can’t wait to try it. One question: it looks like there are beans (in the picture), but I’m not seeing them in the recipe?
Lou
Hi Sallie, thank you! You are so right, I seem to have forgotten the can of beans in the recipe. I have fixed it now. Thanks for pointing that out. Let me know if you give it a try!
Sallie
Tried it this weekend – and have received SO many compliments! (It took all my willpower not to just keep it all for myself and actually share some.) I used leftover chicken and threw in a handful of dark chocolate chips at the end (because EVERYTHING is better with chocolate, and I love how it goes with chipotle.) Yummiest chili EVER. I even had a chili-hater singing it’s praises. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Lou
I’m so glad you loved it Sallie! Thank you for coming back and letting me know – and I agree, chocolate makes everything better! I need to try that trick next time.
KalynsKitchen
Loving the use of pickled jalapenos in this, brilliant. (And congrats on making it to the final semester!)
Lou
Thank you Kalyn! I love using pickled jalapenos in chilis, I find that they add a nice, subtle tanginess to the dish.