On any given winter day in my house, if I ask the innocent question cooks across the earth are asking — i.e. What should we have for dinner tonight? — I can pretty much always count on Andy suggesting some kind of healthy, simple seafood [1]; I would bet the house on Abby requesting — please, Mom, puh-leeeeeeze, I’ll kiss you 99 trillion zillion times — Trader Joe’s frozen pork or chicken shumai (infinitely more exciting for her than the homemade kind [2]); and for Phoebe to suggest chili. It doesn’t matter what kind of chili — vegetarian, beef, white, chicken, spicy, mild — she has had a love affair with the dish ever since we gave her a bowl of the turkey version [3] (plus toppings, of course!) when she was about four or five. And so this past Saturday morning — after a long week off from school, a week where she lounged around patiently reading all the Babysitter’s Club [4] books she got for her birthday, a week where her sister had Taylor’s Swift’s “Umbrella” on repeat for all our waking hours, a week where her mom promised her a trip to the ice rink every day staring Monday but somehow failed to make it happen — when I asked the dinner question, I knew exactly what the answer had to be.
Chicken Chili with Corn and Black Beans
Doesn’t it make you wistful seeing corn in here? Don’t get sad! Get a bag of Trader Joe’s organic frozen kernels! I’m always amazed at how sweet they are. Phoebe stirred them in with her new Sharpie-monogrammed wooden spoon.
Saute one large onion (chopped on a cutting board [5]) and 2 cloves of garlic (minced) in olive oil. Add 4 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, a dash of oregano, thyme, cayenne, 1 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Nestle in three large chicken breasts, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and shred using two forks. (There is no precise science to this, nor should there be!) Add back to the pot along with a cup of black beans, and a generous handful of frozen corn. Serve over rice (or not) with toppings such as mashed avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, or chopped cilantro.
This post has been sponsored by Butcher Block Co.’s cutting boards [6].