Jalapeno Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

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• 1½ lbs. chicken breasts
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
• 2 (14 ounces) cans fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, undrained
• 1 (14 ounces) can black beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons ground flax meal
• cilantro and Cotija cheese for topping

 

 Instructions:

Poach the chicken: Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil and add the raw chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken continue to cook in the broth for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, let cool, and shred with two forks. Reserve 2 cups of broth. Keep chicken in the fridge until ready to use (I did this a day in advance and just stored my chicken and broth together in the fridge).

Saute the veggies: Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and saute until tender. Add the chili powder, salt, and sweet potatoes. Saute until the sweet potatoes are lightly browned.

Let it cook: Add the fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, shredded chicken and reserved broth. Stir and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Keep over medium heat for 45 minutes without stirring (see notes).

Make it saucy: After 45 minutes, uncover and you’ll see a bunch of chicken and veggies with hardly any liquid. Perfect. Add 2 cups of water (or less, as needed) and stir to combine. Add the flax and stir again – this helps it thicken up and gives it a warm, nutty flavor.

Eat: Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with cilantro and Cotija cheese.