Tequila Chicken Chili Recipe

Try This Easy Chicken Breast Chili, Which Gets a Kick From Tequila

© Norman Kolpas

Oct 25, 2008

The distinctive flavor of Mexican tequila, along with a splash of fresh lime juice, adds lively, authentic flavor to a low-fat chili recipe featuring ground chicken breast. If you want a main course that will please lovers of Mexican food or Southwestern food along with people looking for healthy recipes, give this dish a try.

Many supermarkets nowadays sell prepackaged ground chicken breast. But if the package isn't specifically labeled "chicken breast," you may in fact be getting a mixture of breast meat and higher-fat dark meat. If that's the case, you can grind the chicken easily on your own.

To make ground chicken breast, simply buy boneless skinless chicken breasts from the market. Trim off any residual fat, connective tissue, or cartilage, and cut the meat into 1-inch chunks. Then, spread them on a plate or tray and chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm them up slightly. Finally, put the chilled chunks in a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade and pulse the machine on and off until the meat is uniformly chopped as finely or coarsely as you like. (The recipe also works well with ground turkey breast.)

Tequila Chicken Chili

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium-sized yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon medium-hot pure chili powder
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried savory
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• Steamed rice, for serving
• Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Fresh lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, chili powder, cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, and ground coriander and sauté, stirring continuously, until the garlic and onions begin to soften and the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, increase the heat to high, and sauté, stirring continuously and breaking up the meat into rough chunks, until the chicken is no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, tequila, lime juice, finely chopped cilantro, fresh basil, tomato paste, oregano, dried basil and savor, salt, white pepper, bay leaves, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fairly thick but still slightly liquid, about 1 1/4 hours.
4. Sprinkle in the cornmeal, stir well, and continue simmering the chili until it thickens, about 15 minutes more. Taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasonings with a little more salt and white pepper.
5. Spoon steamed rice into shallow serving bowls and ladle the chili on top. Pass the cilantro leaves for guests to add to their bowls to taste and the lime wedges for them to squeeze over each serving.

Any leftover chili will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Or make a double batch of the recipe in a larger pot; then, let leftovers cool for a while, transfer to airtight freezer containers, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Looking for other great poultry chili recipes? Check out Chicken Breast Chili Sauté, Chicken Breast White Bean Chili, or Hearty Ground Turkey Chili!

A secret behind this chili's great flavor!

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