– An Easy Spread –

Start spring with a kick! Impress your family and friends with this variation on traditional chili. This recipe uses chicken instead of beef. Because ground beef is fattier, chicken is a healthy alternative. It calls for a creamier sauce, rather than the traditional tomato base. I’ll also show you how to make a delicious and decorative avocado cream topping. You can use substitutions for this recipe to save time, such as store-bought broth, pre-cooked chicken, or canned beans. I’ll teach you the basics – making broth and boiling chicken – so that you can utilize these skills in other recipes. Also keep in mind that one night of cooking can yield three potential meals: chili, chicken salad, and chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

• One 3 lb chicken
• Southwestern chili spice packet
• 1-2 cups dried kidney beans or black beans
• 1 avocado
• Splash of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of minced fresh or dried veggies

The Start: Boiled Chicken and Broth:

Cut your chicken into parts and throw it in a pot. Cover with water. Start the heat on high. Cook on high for about thirty minutes. By this time it should be simmering. Throw in your minced veggies. I tend to use carrots, onions, garlic, and celery, but you can vary it depending on your own tastes. You can also use some spices, but don’t go overboard. I usually stick with a few sprinkles of sage (sage and chicken are best buds.) After you add those in, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another hour. While it’s cooking, you face the disgusting task of skimming the fat. Fat from the chicken parts will rise to the top of the water. Take a spoon and toss out these white clumps. Word of warning: if you overcook chicken it becomes stringy and tough. Here we face the duel task of getting the flavor into the chicken broth, while also keeping our chicken tender and edible.

The Chili

Here is where you need to multitask . While the chicken is cooking, you should also put one cup of dried beans in 1 cup of boiling water . If you’re working with dried, start them on high for 10 minutes. Then turn it on low and let simmer for at least another hour. The longer they cook, the bigger and softer they get. Make sure you check them, because if they cook too long they’ll turn to mush.By the time your broth and chicken are done, the beans should be getting soft .

Take a piece of chicken out and cut to the bone. If it’s white, juicy and the consistency looks right, then you’re good to go. Next ladle out one cup of broth and add it to the beans. Add minced fresh or dried veggies to the chili pot. You can reuse some of the veggies from your broth, or you can make a new batch. Some of my favorites include: garlic, onion, corn, carrot, chopped tomato, and okra. Personalize the dish by picking your own variation. You’ll also need to add peppers – any kind will do, but I favor Tabasco peppers because I grow them in my garden. Remember to deseed the peppers. One pepper for mild, two for hot, three for extra-hot. Let the veggies simmer for 15 minutes, then begin slowly adding in the milk. Taste test: if it’s too spicy add more milk, if it’s too mild add another pepper.

Take out a few pieces of chicken (white, dark, or both – whatever you prefer). Remove from the bone and chop in half-inch segments. Store the rest of the chicken parts in the fridge. You can use these later for chicken salad. Also strain and reserve the rest of your broth for another occasion. You can drink it by itself or use it to make a killer chicken noodle soup. Chicken broth is said to have curative properties, which makes it great pick-me-up .

The Finish: Avocado Cream

Throw your chopped chicken into the chili pot. You don’t want to cook the chicken, you just want to heat it and integrate it into the chili. It will need no longer than 10 minutes. During that 10 minutes, you can start peeling and dicing one avocado. Throw the diced pieces in a bowl and add a small squeeze of lemon. The lemon stops the avocado from discoloring, but don’t overdo it. Add in the sour cream and mix on low until it becomes fluffy.

Plating:

Ladle your chili into a bowl and place a dollop of avocado cream on top. You can serve it with chips or corn bread .

Alyssa is an MFA student at GMU in Virginia. She is a fan of bar cuisine and live music.