Bean and Chicken Ranchero Chili

I found the most delicious sounding recipe on the Picky Palate food blog, and I just knew we had to give it a try. I fully intended on roasting the Anaheim chilies, but I ran out of time. Next time I will definitely roast the Anaheims or I may try Poblano peppers. Poblanos would give the chili a really nice zing. Either way I will roast the peppers. I also added corn to my chili, which was a really yummy addition. Next time when I roast the chilies on the grill, I will throw the corn onto some foil and roast the corn as well. You can also make this chili completely vegetarian by not adding the chicken. So here’s my version of Bean and Chicken Ranchero Chili.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 Anaheim chilies or Poblano Peppers, roasted and finely chopped
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 6 c. chicken broth
• 3 15 oz cans of beans, drained (I used 2 cans of Navy beans and 1 can of kidney beans, because that’s what I had in the pantry)
• 2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast
• 2 heaping tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. dried Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix (Hidden Valley)
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ½ c. sour cream
• ¼ c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Serve with: Cilantro Crema, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, Chipotle Tobasco sauce, avocado, or mix 1 to 2 chipotles with the sour cream for a Chipotle Crema

Directions:

1. Roast the Anaheims or Poblanos in the broiler or the grill until all sides are darkened. Remove peppers and put in a ziploc bag, zip the bag and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove peppers, and remove the skins, stems, and seeds, and chop. Put some frozen corn on a piece of foil and either roast under the broiler or on the grill until the corn begins to darken.
2. Place olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onions softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic for 1 minute; then add the cumin and Ranch dressing mix to toast the spices, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped chilies, corn, broth, beans, chicken, salt and pepper. Simmer on med-low for 20 minutes.
3. Mix sour cream with the cilantro. Serve chili with a dollop of Cilantro Crema on top.
4. I also made some cornbread to go with the chili…D’Lish!

Bean and Chicken Ranchero Chili: