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Chicken Chili

A blender and a saucepan are all you’ll need to cook this peanut-thickened chili. In authentic Mexican fashion, the nuts, along with the dried chiles, garlic, cilantro, and cumin, are blended with tomatoes and chicken broth to create an earthy, spicy stew base. Pulled rotisserie chicken—a brilliant time-saver—and fiber-rich beans complete the magic. To turn this into a “meatless Monday” meal, replace the chicken with another can of beans and use a good-quality veggie broth. And always remember to wear gloves while handling chiles.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
4 dried New Mexican or guajillo chiles, stems and seeds discarded and chiles torn into pieces
1 (3/4-inch-thick) crosswise slice of medium white onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2-pound) rotisserie-cooked chicken
1 (15-ounce) can pink beans in liquid
Chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Purée the broth, tomatoes with their juice, chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro, peanuts, cumin, and salt in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes.

    Step 2

    Heat the oil in a wide 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then pour in the sauce and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, coarsely shred the chicken, discarding skin and bones.

    Step 4

    Stir the chicken and beans with their liquid into the chili, then reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with cilantro and sour cream.

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