Good Weather for Chili

It's winter and, in theory, a great time for soups and stews and lots of warm dinner dishes. I mean really, do you want to eat a piping hot bowl of Italian Wedding soup in July? Sometimes I will when its rainy and cooler but mostly I leave the super hot dishes to keep me warm when the snow flies. Besides, you can double or triple your batch and freeze individual portions that you can pop out for lunch or on a night you don't feel like cooking. 

I love chili which is a little strange as I'm not a huge beans fan. I've only recently started eating black beans and only in small doses. You'll typically see me eat a large helping of chili and leave the beans on the plate! For this recipe, there are no worries in that department - it's bean free!

Smoky Chicken Zucchini Corn Chili

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. oil    1 lb. chicken     1 small onion     2 medium zucchini     1 pkg chili seasoning
28 oz. diced tomatoes           2 c. corn            1 tsp. chipolte chili powder     1 tbsp. worcestershire 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown your chicken.
2. Add onion and zucchini - cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in undrained tomatoes, corn, chili powder, worcestershire and chili seasoning.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Reduce and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

I love chipolte chili powder seasoning. It adds a zesty, smoky taste to any dish. You don't have to use a lot of it to get a nice flavor but you can add more if you like your stuff really hot! I tend to stay on the mild side but, as a rule, I find I can tolerate heat if it's got a good flavor behind it. 

As always, have fun!