Super delicious and tasty chicken chili stewed with red beans. This will be the best Mexican chicken chili recipe you’ve ever tried.
I often think that making chili at home is a hassle, but I realize I was wrong this whole time after getting to try this amazing (and probably the best) Mexican chicken chili with beans recipe.
Lets celebrate the new year and the end of this unforgettable 2020 with this recipe. I barely fall in love with first-time-trying recipe but this chili is an exception. This is what people call love at first sight.
What exactly is chili?
Don’t be confused this Mexican chili with the regular chili (vegetable). To be honest, I was a little bit confused when I saw chili on the menu of Chipotle many many years ago. My thought was “Why the hell did they want to sell chili on the menu?”.
Then it turned out the chili they were selling had nothing to do with the chili in my mind. Such a laugh out loud moment.
So what exactly is chili as in Mexican chili?
Chili (chili con carne) is a ragout of ground or diced/shredded meat cooked with onions, chili peppers, cumin and other spices. Sometimes it contains beans (like in this this recipe).
What is ragout?
Ragout is a general term that refers to white or brown stews, in which the meat is cooked before liquid is added. Ragout in French means ‘to bring back the appetite’.
That said this chili is belonged to stewing method.
So what is the difference between stewing and braising?
Stewing is a combination cooking methods. The procedure for stewing (which mentioned below) is somewhat identical. However, the meat used in stewing is usually smaller or bite-sized.
Procedure for making this Mexican chicken chili with beans
This procedure can be used for any other stewing recipe.
- Selecting meats to stew – I used chicken breast in this recipe. If you prefer dark meat of chicken instead, feel free to switch. Regardless of what type of chicken meat you use, remember to trim the meat of excess fat and silver skin and cut into 2 inches cubes or shred.
- Seasoning chicken breast – This chili gets much of its flavor from its cooking liquid so it is important to season the meat and add enough vegetables, herbs, and spices during the cooking process.
- Picking the right temperature – For this to be the best Mexican chili recipe you’ve ever made, the chicken breasts need to be cooked at high temperature first. Then once the cooking liquid is added, lower the heat to proper temperature. Do not allow the chili to boil especially if you cover the pot.
- This chicken chili benefit from low-temperature cooking. So make sure to adjust the heat low enough to simmer the pot rather than to boil.
- Determining doneness – chicken chili is done when the meats are fork tender. You can test them by removing a piece of meat to a plate and using the fork to cut through it.
- Any vegetables (in this recipe is red kidney beans) that intentionally cooked with the meat, should be added at a proper time to prevent them from overcooking.
Ingredients used in this Mexican chicken chili with beans recipe
- Chicken breasts – shredded or cut into 2 in cubes
- White onion – chopped into medium size dice
- Garlic – minced
- Bay leaves – add a few bay leaves to the pot to enhance the taste of chicken chili
- Ground cayenne red pepper – as mentioned above, this is the essential ingredient in the recipe. Mexican chili is supposed to taste spicy and delicious. So you must have chili powder in the chili. I prefer using cayenne pepper in this recipe.
- Other spices – beside ground red pepper, cumin and coriander are the two spices that help to bring the taste of this chicken chili to the fullest.
- Canned tomatoes – I used canned diced tomatoes in this recipe.
- Kidney beans – you can use any kind of kidney beans you prefer. To save time and easier to incorporate to the recipe, I used canned red kidney beans.
What to serve this chili with?
You can serve this Mexican chicken chili with cornbread, corn chips or soft rolls. Garnish chili with cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese or chopped scallion. Don’t forget a wedge of lime on the side.
Want to experience this chicken chili recipe in the most lavish way? How about make your own soft rolls, eh? This honey dinner roll is a must-try recipe with very detailed steps by steps instruction. Or use this how-to guide to make your no-knead brioche rolls effortless.
Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating in a comment section or upload an image and tag me on Pinterest or Instagram!
Mexican chicken chili with beans
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts trim excess fat, shredded or cut into 2 in cubes
- 1 medium white onions medium dice
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp ground cayenne red pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 12 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can red kidney beans rinsed
- 4.5 c chicken stock or water
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish & side
- cilantro leaves
- sour cream
- lime cut into wedges
- home-made soft rolls see notes
Instructions
- In a medium cooking pot and on medium high heat, sauté the onions in enough oil until tender. Then add minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add chicken breast and stir occasionally. Cook until the meats are lightly brown, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add ground cayenne, cumin, coriander, light brown sugar and sauté for another minute. Make sure to coat the chicken meats completely and evenly with all the spices.
- Add bay leaves, canned tomatoes and cooking liquid. Bring the pot to almost boiling point, then lower the heat to simmer, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Stir in kidney beans and simmer until the beans are all tender, approximately 15 minutes. If you want to thicken your chili, you can cook for another extra 15 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves before serving. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper at this point if necessary.
- Serve chili hot with cornbread, corn chips or home-made soft rolls. Garnish chili with cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese or chopped scallion.
Notes
- Make your own soft rolls: This honey dinner roll is a must-try recipe with very detailed steps by steps instruction. Or use this how-to guide to make your no-knead brioche rolls effortless.
- This chicken chili benefits from low-temperature cooking. So make sure to adjust the heat low enough to simmer the pot rather than to boil. Do not allow the chili to boil especially if you cover the pot.
- How to know if chicken chili is done? It is done when the meats are fork tender. You can test them by removing a piece of meat to a plate and using the fork to cut through it.
- Any vegetables (in this recipe is red kidney beans) that intentionally cooked with the meat, should be added at a proper time to prevent them from overcooking.
Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating in a comment section or upload an image and tag me on Pinterest or Instagram!
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