Chicken, Red Pepper, and White Bean Chili
By: Ginny
Published: Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - 5:39am

Ingredients




3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 chicken breasts, finely diced
15 ounce can stewed tomato quarters and juice (canned diced tomatoes work, too)
4 ounce can diced green chilies, drained (optional)
2 cans Cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans)
5 cups of chicken stock (or broth)
3/4 teaspoon ground cumim
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
salt, to taste
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped (reserve a few whole leaves for garnish)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (for garnish)

Preparation

1 In a stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. 2 Add the onion and saute until it's soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.  (Try not to let the onion brown...turn down the heat if you have to.) 3 Toss in the minced garlic and cook for another 4 minutes or so. 4 Add the red bell pepper and cook for about 5-10 minutes. 5 Reduce heat to low and cover. 6 In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 7 Saute diced chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  (Check a piece for "doneness"--no pink meat should be hiding in the middle.) 8 Add in the tomatoes and juice and the green chilies (if using). 9 Bring to a feisty simmer. 10 Add in the beans. 11 Return to a simmer. 12 Add chicken stock to the stockpot. 13 Pour in the chicken/tomato/bean mixture. 14 Add cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and ground cloves to the pot. 15 Taste it. 16 Add salt if needed. 17 Simmer over low heat for about 30-45 minutes. 18 Add the chopped parsley 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.  Garnish each bowl with shredded cheese and a few whole parsley leaves.