Chicken Chili

Living in Texas made me fall in love with southern cuisine. It is wholesome, satiating and immensely gratifying. One of the staples with any typical Texan family is Chili. It's a bean and ground meat stew that could be a side or an entree. Any good chili is made of flavorful meat, well cooked, soft beans and just a mild spice level. To achieve this I used the popular kitchen gadget, Instant Pot. I'm sure the same results can be attained by using a regular pressure cooker or a slow cooker or by just blowing in a deep vessel. The cook time will, obviously, vary. I have also used canned beans, because they are easy to cook. If you would like to soak and the pressure cook the beans, feel free to do so. For the meat, I used ground chicken, but it can be substituted with ground turkey or ground beef.

This recipe is also a popular favorite for followers of the Weight watchers freestyle diet plan. It is a zero or 1 point recipe, depending on the meat used.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Red kidney beans - 2 cans (drained)
• Black beans - 1 can
• Diced tomatoes - 1 can
• Onion - 1 medium (diced)
• Salt - to taste
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Dried oregano - 1 Tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 1 Tbsp
• Ground chicken - 16 oz
• Water - 4 cups
• Shredded cheese - 3 to 4 oz (for garnish)

Method:

• Saute the onions till pinkish and then add the ground meat.
• Saute till the meat is lightly cooked and add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese.
• If using the Instant Pot, close the lid, seal and set on Chili mode. If using the slow cooker, I recommend an hour or 2 of cooking time. A regular pressure cooker would probably need about 3 or 4 whistles.
• After the cooking is done, open and adjust the water level to your taste by boiling for 5 minutes to thicken.
• Serve hot, garnished with cheese or tortilla strips.