Chipotle Chicken Chili

Isn't it beautiful?! I have always wanted a Le Creuset 7.25 Quart French Oven. Now I have one. Yes, it was a splurge. Yes, it's orange/red. I bought this on Memorial Day weekend (sale) in the San Marcos, TX Outlet Mall (sale). This is normally $305. Yes, expensive. Since I bought it at an outlet location on Memorial Day weekend, I got it for 37% off. Yes, I paid just under $200 for this. That normally would get you a 2 Quart French Oven. So no matter the up front cost, our family can grow into this pot (which is good because I want a big family). I don't like that the orange is a fading color but my kitchen stuff is red, and I starting to transition to orange (GO POKES!) so this pot will bridge the gap.

On to the recipe....

J and I had the house to ourselves for a few days. So, we decided to cook our dinners. We've realized that we used to cook a lot when we lived by ourselves. We cooked almost every night. I had gone shopping for four meals last week but with all the picky eaters around, I was asked to skip a few since it was hot outside, they didn't feel like that, etc. How did my mom do it all those years?! I'm the picky one in our marriage so if I like it, J will definitely like it & wish I left all the ingredients in.

We both love smoky & spicy foods so I thought this recipe would be good. It was really good and not spicy at all. This is a Rachael Ray recipe from the Look & Cook Cookbook.

Oh! Quick Rachael Ray tip. She uses a garbage bowl. What you see below is actually what she sells as her garbage bowl. (notice the orange/red color in it too!)

I place a plastic grocery bag in mine so that 1) I don't have to wash the bowl when I'm done, 2) the trash can be tied up & sealed, & 3) if the kitchen trash accidentally doesn't get emptied, it doesn't stink up as fast.

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 2 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 to 3 tablespoons puréed chipotles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 shots tequila (1.5 ounces per shot)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 avocado, pitted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 avocado, pitted
• Crushed tortilla chips, for garnish

Preparation

Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add the chicken to the pot and continue cooking until golden brown, 5-6 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the veggies are tender, 4-5 minutes. 

Add the puréed chipotles, cumin, coriander, paprika and tomato paste to the pot and cook until the spices are aromatic and beginning to caramelize, about 1 minute. 

AMY SIDE NOTE: Since this recipe asked to have the chipotles pureed, I did the whole can at once. Do you have one of these?

Immersion blenders are the greatest inventions ever! They come in handy if you need to take a chunky soup into a bisque or anything (like potatoes) into a creamy texture. They also make great smoothies & you don't have to wash a whole blender, just the part without the plug (what you see on the right of the photo).

Before

During

After

END OF SIDE NOTE

Add the chicken stock, some salt and pepper to the pot and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.

While the chili is simmering, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the peppers and red onion to the skillet and cook until the veggies are tender, 4-5 minutes. 

Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the tequila. 

Return the skillet to the heat and flame the tequila to burn off most of the alcohol. 

I used a lighter because
1) the sides of my pan were too high and
2) the grates cover most of the flame height on my stove.

Do you see the purple on the sides of the pan?
That's the flame. It's hard to catch in a picture.

Add the lime juice, cilantro and some salt to the salsa. Reserve.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the avocado, buttermilk, lemon juice and chives.

Process until smooth then season with salt and pepper.

Serve up the chili topped with some of the tequila-pepper salsa and avocado ranch. 

Garnish with some crushed tortilla chips.

My bowl. So pretty.

Hubs bowl. He made sure I took a picture.
He wanted everyone to see his beautiful creation. =)

ENJOY!!!!