Soup #7 / Chocolate Chicken Chili

You will need: 
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs boneless chicken meat (dark or light), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp hot chili powder (per the recipe...I used only 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes - or two large tomatoes, diced
1 can (15oz) of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 5-6qt crock pot

How to make it:
In a large deep skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and saute until they are white and opaque all around, not necessarily all the way cooked, but about half way there. If you're not sure, I'd say cook more rather than less, better to be safe than sorry. Transfer the meat to the crock pot.

Add the onion to the skillet and saute about 3 minutes, until tender. Add in the garlic, cumin, oregano, thyme, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring to mix everything in well and coat the onion evenly. Allow to cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth and tomatoes and continue to stir until the mixture starts to boil. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the beans and mix. 

Place the crock pot on high and cook for 3-4 hours, or on warm for 6-8 hours. 

When it's ready, set the cooker on warm and add the chocolate and cilantro. Stir until the chocolate melts. Serve right away or keep on warm for up to 2 hours. 

Enjoy!

The verdict: This was a tasty treat, and something different. The flavor was tasty, but in our opinion it needed to kicked up a notch... see what we'd do differently.

What we'd do differently: I followed the recipe almost exactly except for only adding 1 tsp of the chili - and I definitely could have used the whole thing. E and I also definitely think that this soup would be a lot better with more beans and some corn, making it a traditional chili. Maybe some more white beans and some red kidney beans for good measure. Black beans would be good too. I also made this soup after coming home from a busy night at work, and was chopping chicken a little sloppily.  I think the chicken would be best in smaller chunks, or even shredded. Like all the soups we've had, this one got better as it sat for a while and as we enjoyed it for the next few days. It's best flavor came out when we added a bit of melted cheese on top and a few drops of hot sauce for good measure.   Definitely something we would try again!  

XO