Chicken & Sweet Potato Chili

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) or you could use 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
4 cups or so chicken stock
1 1/2 pound chicken breast, about 2 large
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 6 cups), I used white sweet potatoes - I prefer their texture in something like this.
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt

METHOD
Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the oil and when it shimmers, tip in the onions and the diced bell pepper. Stir to coat with the oil and let cook for about 2 minutes until they soften a little. Turn down the heat to medium and add the garlic, spices and the chipotle and stir to coat. Continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and sweet potatoes and give everything a stir to combine. Nestle the chicken breasts down into the stock and potatoes. The stock should not quite cover all the ingredients. Crank the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.

Once the stock is boiling, reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the chicken breasts from the chili and let rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes, until they are cool enough to handle. The chili can continue to simmer on low. Using your hands, shred the chicken breasts into nice bite-size, rustic chunks. (You don't have to do this step, although I really like the way it looks in the finished product. If you prefer, you can just cut the raw chicken into large chunks before you add it to the chili.)

Return the shredded chicken to the chili and add the beans. Continue to cook uncovered for about 10 more minutes, until the beans are heated though and it has thickened a little. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve, ladle into bowls, spoon a dollop of sour cream or yogurt in the center, grind over a little black pepper, and scatter with the sliced scallions.

One warning, try not to cook this too long. Some soups and chilis do benefit from long cooking times, but this one not so much. The potatoes will break down too much and the whole thing can then just turn into a mush. Having said that, this chili is better the next day. The flavors have a chance to meld and permeate the chicken and sweet potatoes.

Serves 6.









Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MROBINET.