- Today I woke up on my own, without being summoned by miss Hadley, at about 6 am. (we went to bed at 10 last night! aren't we lucky?)
- Today I tweezed my eyebrows and cleaned the bathroom instead of going back to bed. (finally. those 2 things get skipped a lot.)
- Today I will read Mockingjay, but try not to go too fast. because then it's all over!
- Today I will roast a chicken for dinner. We have to have "the chicken dinner" at least once a week. mm.
- Today pilates might be done.
- Today I need to write down the recipe for the biscuits we had last night.
- Today Grant will come home instead of coaching basketball. yaaaaay!
- Today we will dvr/watch the presidential debate together. and make lots of comments about it. Does anyone else think the news is fun? I am so into it.
- Today there's a high of -1 degree. That's the high. I will be wearing a scarf and stocking cap in my house. Forget washing my hair.
- Today for lunch I am having green chicken chili. I definitely know that.
We love love love this chili! I had almost finished my bowl pictured here, so it looks pretty thin, but it's actually really hearty. You will find me eating this for lunch or a snack several times a week. I make a pot whenever I can, which is every time I make a batch of broth.
(the weekly process: roast a chicken, make chicken broth from the leftovers, make chicken chili with the broth, repeat.)
It's hot and simple and deliciously spicy. Spicy in a chilies kind of way, not a hot sauce way. It suits winter perfectly, and I like that it makes my nose run. We love it with sprouted lentils (method explained next post), which is sort of weird for a chili, but you can use beans if you prefer. Lentils make a nice texture I think, and they have such a mild flavor that the chilies really shine.
Lentil Chicken Chili
2 T. butter or oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2-4 anaheim or poblano chilies
1-2 jalapeño peppers
1 T. sea salt
1 tsp. cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 cups homemade chicken broth* (I pour in enough to fill my pot 1/2 full)
1 lb. bag of dry beans or lentils, soaked or sprouted (how to sprout lentils)
3 chicken breasts (I pop mine in the pot still frozen)
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and chilies when the oil is hot, and cook for a few minutes until the onion is tender. Add the salt, cumin, and garlic and stir for a minute more. Pour in the broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Add lentils and chicken breasts when it's boiling, turn the heat to low, and let simmer 40 minutes or as long as you like. Snatch chicken breasts out, shred, and return to the pot. Ladle into bowls and enjoy while it's steamy. (It's even good room temperature, too.)
I like to split and scoop an avocado as I eat mine. Be sure to add some cilantro or monterey jack cheese for topping if you like. And I always pour in sour cream, yogurt, kefir, or coconut milk to make it extra creamy and tangy.
Yep, it's going to look sort of foggy green/brown. Just embrace it. Dig in and you will love.
*To make super easy homemade broth: Pick all the meat off of a whole roasted chicken. Place chicken bones in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim off any scum, and turn down to low. Let simmer overnight. In the morning, strain and store it in the fridge until you're ready to make soup.
7 comments:
I've never made green chili before but it sounds worthwhile!
This looks so great... wondering if the little ones would eat this. Hmmm....
I love poblano peppers - this looks great! I also have to smile at you wearing your hat and scarf in the house...because I do that too!
This sounds delicious and I am very interested in trying sprouted lentils. I'll let you know when we make this how it turns out! Btw do you have problems eating spicy foods while nursing? My daughter Anna was very colicky and I had removed a lot of things from my diet before I was able to pinpoint what is was that was not agreeing with her!
Laura V.
yummy... I would love to try lentils in chili. Can't wait to try this one.
I keep a gallon sized zip-lock "stock bag" in my freezer. I put carrot ends, celery bits, onion tops and leftover chicken bones (from meals that aren't from a whole one) in there... Then toss the whole bag in the slow-cooker after I make a whole chicken or when it is full.
Low overnight and the next day... yummy broth. No batch is ever the same... but it is all yummy.
Yum! Your green chicken chili was the last meal I had before my juice cleanse! So amazing, especially with the avocado!
I make a white bean chili that is similar to this, but I'm going to try the sprouted lentils! Sounds great! And I have never cooked a whole chicken before but now I'm dying to roast a chicken, make broth, and soup. Very cool! Thanks for the great ideas.