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Chipotle Chicken Chili

From the book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett

Serves

Introduction

Substitute two 15-ounce cans of any variety of cooked legume — black bean, soybean, red kidney bean — for the dried beans if you’re short on time. But do try the anasazi-bean version at least once; it will be worth the extra effort. This ancient bean variety has a beautiful speckled appearance and a hint of sweetness not found in other dried beans.

Ingredients

	1½	cups dried anasazi beans, soaked overnight
	1	cup dried white kidney beans (cannellini), soaked overnight
	2	Tbsp. canola oil
	2	garlic cloves, chopped
	1	bay leaf
	1	Tbsp. paprika
	1	Tbsp. chili powder
	1	Tbsp. dried oregano
	1	tsp. cumin seed
	1	tsp. ground cumin
	2	cups white onion, coarsely chopped
	2	cups green pepper, coarsely chopped
	4	cups water
	1	chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
	1	(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
	1	(28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped with liquid
	1	cup cooked or canned hominy, drained
	8	raw chicken tenders (about 12 ounces), cut into 2-inch pieces
	¼	cup fresh cilantro, chopped
	~	Coarse salt to taste
	~	Chopped white onion and chopped fresh cilantro, mixed together (optional)

Steps

Soak the beans overnight. (Or use the quick-soak method: Place the beans in a stockpot and cover with water. Bring the mixture to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain the beans and proceed to step 2.)
Heat the canola oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and the next six ingredients (bay leaf through cumin). Sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the onion and green pepper; sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, water, and chipotle pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the beans are soft but still somewhat firm. Add the diced and chopped tomatoes and their liquid. Stir in the hominy, chicken, and cilantro and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Add salt to taste and garnish with a mixture of chopped raw onion and cilantro, if desired. Serve hot.

Notes

If you use canned beans, reduce the amount of water to 2 cups and decrease the cooking time to 30 minutes.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are large, dried, and smoked jalapeño peppers rehydrated in a tomato-vinegar-based sauce. They lend a wonderful smoky flavor and a small amount of heat to this chili. You’ll find them in the Mexican-food section of the supermarket.

Leave out the chicken if you’d like a vegetarian chili.

Leftovers will freeze well; freeze chili without chopped raw onion-cilantro garnish.