Chicken chilli

 

Chicken chilli

Like chilli con carne, this chicken chilli is all about the mix of fragrant spices and heat, subtly mellowed with a touch of chocolate added at the end. Also it’s a brilliant one-pot meal and tastes even better the next day, so it’s a good dish to make ahead.

Each serving provides 696 kcal, 35g protein, 91g carbohydrates (of which 11g sugars), 18g fat (of which 6g saturates), 15g fibre and 1.5g salt.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil or lard
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼–1 tsp chilli powder, to taste
• 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
• bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• 4 chicken thighs, skin removed and boneless, cut into chunks
• 2 x 400g tins kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 250g/9oz passata
• 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock (or use 250g/9oz more passata)
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 2–3 squares dark chocolate
• freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• 300g/10½oz rice, cooked according to packet instructions
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 4 tbsp soured cream

Recipe tips

Method

1. Heat the oil or lard in a saucepan and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

2. Add the garlic, oregano, bay leaf, cumin, chilli powder, paprika and coriander stalks and continue to cook on a low heat for a minute.

3. Add the chicken, beans, passata, stock, cider vinegar and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chocolate and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with rice, sliced avocado and a dollop of soured cream.