Chicken Chili

If I start a petition would you sign it? I have decided to petition God to see if we could have 2 seasons of Fall this year. Not really sure how that would work, maybe we could shorten winter and summer by half, or maybe just skip Spring. Either way I am sure God could work some kind of deal out with us. What say you?

Today was Fall, and it was lovely. The sun was shining, and there was a constant gentle breeze. It was cool enough that I got to break out my cardigan collection, so happy about that. I even avoided the gym. I mean come on, with days like these you really shouldn't be inside for any reason at all. When the weather cools off my meal patterns change completely. My dinners become lighter in order to make room for all the additional breads, and treats that are the essence of Fall for me. These lighter dinners are usually soups or stews. One of the many things I love about soups and stews is that I am very satisfied by the end of the meal, but I also feel like I had a healthy dinner. Perfect way to end a day! When I lived on the East Coast one of my favorite past times was coming home from a night of skiing to a nice hot cup of soup. I don't know if it was because the soup was so good, or I was so hungry, or because I was grateful to have made it alive through another trip on the slopes...either way it was such a cozy feeling that made me happy. : )

The first time I made this soup I was living outside of Philly working as a Nanny/Cook for a family of three. I think I made enough of this soup to feed a small army. We were eating chicken Chili for days upon days. Needless to say, I had to wait a while before I dared make it again...and when I did I cut the recipe down by at least half. Here is my adaptation of Ina Garten's Chicken Chili, this recipe will make enough for 4-6 people...depending upon the size of the people eating.

Chicken Chili
adapted from Ina Garten

In large stockpot brown the following over medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
in 2 TBS olive oil

Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Heat 2 more TBS of olive oil and saute the following until soft and caramelized, about 5 -7 minutes.

1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced

Return chicken to pot with vegetables. Add the following to the pot:

1-28oz can diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed white beans
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups chicken broth (omit if you like a thicker chili)

Simmer for 10 minutes and enjoy! You can go all out with the toppings if you like, here are a few ideas:

cheese, crushed tortilla chips, avocado chunks, cilantro, and sour cream