White Bean & Chicken Chili with Healthy Cornbread

This is a really great alternative to regular beef chili. Ground chicken is much lower in fat and the white beans are a nice change from red kidney beans. I'll be honest, the healthy cornbread is a little dry and I would much rather have regular cornbread but if you're counting calories, this recipe is good. I got the chili recipe from FoodNetwork and the cornbread recipe from Allrecipes.


White Bean & Chicken Chili
Prep Time: 8 min   Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min   Total Time: 1 hr 23 min

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans,Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

My Modifications

I couldn't find swiss chard but found rainbow chard in the organic section of the produce isle. It was on the pricey side and in hind sight, I think spinach would work just fine. If you use spinach, I would add it towards the end of cooking rather than before the hour long simmer because spinach is much more delicate than swiss chard. I cut this recipe in half and still had a lot leftover.

Healthy Cornbread

Prep TIme: 10 min   Cook Time: 25 min   Total Time: 35 min

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, soda and salt. Stir in yogurt and eggs. Do not over mix, stir only until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until center of the bread springs back when gently pressed.

I didn't make any modifications to this recipe. Just note that the batter is very thick.


Enjoy!