Bring the taste of Mexico to your family with this deliciously simple slow cooker chilli. The chicken makes a great change to a beef chilli and the way that it all just falls apart makes it all the more yummy. Serve it anyway you like, in tacos, with rice or I suggest slow baking a sweet potato and a big dollop of fresh guacamole.
Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 5-6hrs
2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, cored and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1.5tsp smoked paprika
1-2tsp of either hot or mild chilli powder, depending on spice tolerance
1tbsp dried oregano
1tbsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper
1.5tbsp plain flour
200ml red wine (optional)
300ml passata
1tsp sugar
450ml chicken stock, enough so that the chicken is covered
Juice of half a lime
650g chicken breast, about 3 breasts
Freshly chopped coriander, a large handful
1 medium red or green chilli, split (optional)
400g kidney beans, drained and rinsed
In a frying pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the diced onion and pepper, cook for 5 minutes until just softening.
Once the onions and peppers begin to soften add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Now add in the paprika, chilli powder, oregano, coriander and about 1/4tsp of salt and pepper for now. Add a splash of water to the pan, this will stop the spices from sticking to the pan and allow them to cook with out burning.
After couple of minutes add the plain flour and cook out for a couple of minutes.
If you're not using the wine you can skip the next bit...
Next up turn the pan to a high heat and add the red wine, we want to cook all the alcohol out, this should take around 3 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by 2 thirds.
Once the alcohol has cooked out transfer the contents of the frying pan to your slow cooker.
Now to the slow cooker add the passata, sugar, stock and lime juice, give it all a stir around and then nestle in the chicken breasts so that they are fully covered in liquid.
Chuck in the chopped coriander and split chilli if using.
Cover with a lid and cook for 30mins on the highest setting to bring everything up to temperature and then turn it down to low for another 3.5hrs.
After this time, carefully remove the chicken breast and shred using 2 forks, don't be to fussy about this as its nice to come across a big chunks in your chilli every now and again.
Pop the shredded chicken back into the chilli and add the kidney beans. Cook on the highest setting with the lid off for around 45mins or until it has thickened. Don't have time to wait? Check out my tip at the bottom for quicker thickening.
Once you are happy with the thickness of the chilli have a taste and adjust the seasoning if required, I sometimes also like to add a bit more lime juice to freshen it all up.
Serve on a jacket potato or steamed long grain rice.... and don't forget the zingy guacamole.
If you don't have time to thicken the chilli, mix 2tbsp cornflour with 1.5tbsp water, mix well and then pour in to your chilli.
