Chicken and Red Bean Chili

By Diana Rattray, The Spruce Eats

 

This tasty, well-seasoned chili recipe is made with chicken breast, vegetables, and canned red beans. It shows that you don't need to use red meat to make a hearty chili bursting with veggies such as bell peppers and onions. You can serve this chili for lunch, dinner, or as part of a game day spread.


Total: 35 mins
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Yield: 8 servings

 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken (boneless chicken breasts or thighs, diced)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
• 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (14-ounce) cans red beans (small red beans or kidney beans)
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes (diced)
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (4-ounce) can green chili peppers (chopped, mild)
• 1 cup chicken stock (preferably unsalted)
• Optional: 1 teaspoon sugar
• Optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

 

 

Steps to Make It

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or kettle over high heat. Add the chicken to the hot oil and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked and tender. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken to bowl; refrigerate it until you are ready to add it back to the chili.
• Add butter to the same pan over medium heat; cook the green and red peppers, onion, and garlic until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chili powder and cumin; stir to blend and cook for 1 minute. Stir in kidney beans with their liquid, tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, green chili peppers, and chicken stock. Add the sugar and cayenne pepper, if using. Bring the chili to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken back to the pot and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and add kosher salt and ground black pepper, as desired.
• This recipe keeps it simple by using canned kidney beans or canned small red beans. If you have dried beans, cook them following the package directions—they might need a lengthy soak, so plan accordingly.
• Feel free to scale the recipe down by half, or scale it up for a crowd.
• Ladle the chili into bowls and garnish as desired. You can top the chili with sour cream, chopped green onions, cilantro, or shredded cheese if you like. It goes great with cornbread or crackers on the side.
• Enjoy your meal!