Spicy Chicken Kale Chili

A one pot chili filled with shredded chicken, kale, all sorts of peppers, onions, garlic, kidney beans, and spices. This spicy chicken kale chili is spicy, savory, and so delicious.

Happy Halloween!

What are you doing this weekend? Any trick-or-treating? Any parties? Any costumes? I’d love to hear from you!

I don’t usually do anything for Halloween. Maybe it’s because my sisters and I never dressed up as kids so as we grew up, Halloween isn’t as big of a deal.  I’m actually much more excited about the start of the Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel. Please tell me someone feels the same way so we can talk about these movies in the weeks to come. I pretty much spend every weekend up to Christmas anticipating the release of a brand new Hallmark Original Christmas movie each weekend. I don’t care how predictable these movies are. They all have happy endings. And that’s really all I’m looking for in Christmas movies. Because who doesn’t want that nice warm feeling during the holidays? Does anyone else do that? Or is it just me? This only applies to movies. lol. I get tired of Christmas songs fast.

Let’s get back to fall for a bit.

This chili! Oh. My. God.

This chili is my latest favorite comfort food. At least, until the next one comes along. And so that you know, there’s more on the way. =)

One of my favorite things about chili is that there’s soo much flavor. There are so many spices that go into one pot of chili that there’s always a little surprise for your palate. The smokiness, the tartness, the spiciness, the sweetness. Seriously. Sooo good.

I’m absolutely a fanatic about spicy food. Like obsessed. One day, I’ll tell you how bad this obsession, perhaps addiction, goes. There’s something about spicy food that outshines every other flavor profile for me. But, I do know that that’s not true for everyone else. So you’re definitely free to change up this recipe to fit your taste buds. For a less spicy taste, I’d say, omit the jalapeno and crushed red peppers. But I really want you to keep the chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce because it gives your bowl of chili a smoky barbeque like taste.

I also love that this spicy chili is made in one pot so there’s no huge mess to clean up. That’s my type of meal. =)

In a medium to large pot, add olive oil over medium heat and allow it warm up for about a minute. Once the olive oil is hot, add the minced garlic and cook them for about a minute or so until the garlic turns a golden brown and very aromatic. Next, add the diced onions, and cook them until they’ve softened. If the olive oil has evaporated and the pot appears dry, you can add two tablespoons of the chicken broth to prevent the garlic and onions from becoming burnt.

Once the garlic and onions are aromatic, toss in the diced jalapeno and sliced green bell pepper. Cook these until they’ve become tender.

Add the tomato paste, kidney beans, and the chicken broth. Stir to evenly incorporate the ingredients.

Add the spices. Drain the chipotle peppers and reserve one tablespoon of the adobo sauce. Add the chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce to the pot. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Allow the chili to simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until all the ingredients have softened and the flavors have developed.

Now, add the shredded chicken and the kale. You want to add these at the end so that they don’t become overcooked. You can use leftover rotisserie chicken or make your own shredded chicken. I like cooking my chicken breast using this method. It’s super easy, always moist, and no fuss. You can also use other types of meat. Traditionally, I think chili is made with beef, but since I don’t eat beef, I went with chicken.

Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes to allow the chicken and kale to absorb the flavor of the chili.

Serve the spicy chili over rice or with bread.

Enjoy!

Come join me and other food bloggers at Fiesta Friday!

Spicy Chicken Kale Chili

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

A one pot chili filled with shredded chicken, kale, all sorts of peppers, onions, garlic, kidney beans, and spices. This spicy chicken kale chili is spicy, savory, and so delicious.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ large onion (or small onion), sliced
• 1 medium sized jalapeno, diced
• 1 medium sized green bell pepper (or yellow or red)
• 1 - 7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, drained
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 1 – 12 oz tomato paste
• 1 - 14 oz can kidney beans
• 2 ¼ cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chile powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon all spice
• ½ teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1 – 1 ½ cup shredded chicken
• 2 cups bite size kale

Directions:

1. In a medium to large pot, add olive oil over medium heat and allow it warm up for about a minute. Once the olive oil is hot, add the minced garlic and cook them for about a minute or so until the garlic turns a golden brown and very aromatic.
2. Next, add the diced onions, and cook them until they’ve softened. If the olive oil has evaporated and the pot appears dry, add two tablespoons of the chicken broth to prevent the garlic and onions from becoming burnt.
3. Once the garlic and onions are aromatic, toss in diced jalapeno and sliced green bell pepper. Cook these until they’ve become tender.
4. Drain the chipotle peppers and reserve one tablespoon of the adobo sauce. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, kidney beans, chicken broth, and spices to the pot. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Allow the chili to simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until all the ingredients have softened and the flavors have time to develop.
5. At the very end, add the shredded chicken and the kale.
6. Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes to allow the chicken and kale to absorb the flavors of the chili.
7. Serve the spicy chili over rice or with bread.

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