Zero Point Chicken Chili

Zero Point Chicken Chili

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Zero Point Chicken Chili

When considering this recipe all I could think was does the world really need another chili recipe? Once I made it, tasted it, and punched the points into my app I decided the answer is a resounding yes. I actually chatted up the folks at the WW hotline to confirm I had indeed created a Zero Point Chicken Chili. It’s great as a steaming bowl of chili and I also scooped up a spoonful with a slotted spoon to make a tasty burrito. Perhaps one of my favorite ways of serving it is Chicken Chili Nachos. Read on to learn the secret to Zero Point Chicken Chili.

Game Day Game Plan

Granted I am more of a college football fan, so I would say it’s easy to have chili on a cold weekend without football on the TV, but maybe not nearly as much fun to have football without chili! I love a hearty pot of chili. Making a big batch and enjoying it on game day is an easy and delicious way to entertain. I put out bowls of sour cream or yogurt, grated cheese, scallions, and a bottle of hot sauce.

That and a crispy bag of tortilla chips would be enough once upon a time, but even on game day, well, especially on game day — I want to make sure I get my vegetables in on the play. Make sure there’s a big green salad on the table, too. The best game plan for game day is to make sure half of your plate is a salad with a handful of chips and a good scoop or two of chili. (Heads up that beans cook differently and there may be more or less liquid. I use a ladle for a bowl of chili and a slotted spoon for nachos.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Baked Tortilla Chips

Lays Baked Tostito chips scoops are a Standard Operating Procedure in my kitchen for snacking, but sometimes make a batch of baked tortilla chips, especially if I have a package of corn tortillas that need eating up. They are super easy. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist both sides of the tortillas with nonstick spray. Stack the tortillas and cut the pile into sixths to make chips. Spread the chips out in a single layer on two large baking sheets and season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating the baking sheets once, about 12 to 15 minutes.

chipotle en adobo

Chipotle en Adobo

Chipotle en Adobo adds a hit of hot, smoky flavor to dishes. They are a go-to in my kitchen. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños and adobo is a tangy red sauce. You can use just the chipotles for intense smoky chile heat or just the sauce if you want a sour-sweet flavor and a slightly less fiery smoky heat.

Do I Need to Soak the Beans?

I sometimes forget to soak dried beans overnight. I sometimes resort to the quick, hour-long method of bringing the water and dried beans to a boil, then setting them aside for an hour or so before starting the process of actually making the dish. Still, depending on the age of the beans, this “Hail Mary” can take up to several hours to cook. If you have an instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker you can drastically cut the time down.

The best eating plans include a lot of high protein, low-fat foods. Protein gives your body energy and helps to build muscle instead of fat. A robust chili like this one is both lean and filling. I hope you enjoy and thanks so much for reading! 

Bon Appétit, Y’all

Virginia Willis

Zero Point Chicken Chili

ZERO POINT CHICKEN CHILI

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken recipes, chili, ZERO POINTS

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried black beans
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 28- ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 chipotle en adobo
  • 3 cups vegetable stock more if needed
  • 2 pounds 99% fat free ground chicken
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Soak the beans overnight or quick soak the beans. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Set aside for one hour. Drain.
  • Combine soaked beans, onion, garlic, spices, tomato, and chipotle. Add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Yes, salt your beans!) Cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour or more, depending on the age of the beans.
  • Once the beans are tender, add the chicken and stir to combine. Cook until the chicken is white and no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve.

If you are interested in hosting me for a speaking engagement, event, cooking class, or a book signing, let me know! Send an email to jona@virginiawillis.com and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.

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Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

Virginia Willis

Georgia-born French-trained Chef Virginia Willis’ biography includes making chocolate chip cookies with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, foraging for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvesting capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, and hunting for truffles in France. She is talent and chef-instructor for the digital streaming platform Food Network Kitchen. Her segments feature authentic and innovative Southern cooking. She was the celebrity chef at the Mansion at Churchill Downs for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Virginia has spoken at SXSW, cooked for the James Beard Foundation, and beguiled celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Morgan Freeman, and Jane Fonda with her cooking — but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen. Recently, her work has been inspired by her weight loss success story, Virginia has lost 65# and kept it off for over 2 1/2 years! “If a French-trained, Southern chef can do it, you can, too.” She is the author of Fresh Start; Secrets of the Southern Table; Lighten Up, Y’all; Bon Appétit, Y’all; Basic to Brilliant, Y’all; Okra; and Grits. Lighten Up, Y’all won a James Beard Foundation Award of Excellence in the Focus on Health Category. Lighten Up, Y’all as well as her first cookbook, Bon Appétit, Y’all, were finalists in the Best American Cookbook for the International Association of Cookbook Awards and were also named by the Georgia Center of the Book as “Books Georgians Should Read.” She is the former TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living, Bobby Flay, and Nathalie Dupree; has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants; and traveled the world producing food stories – from making cheese in California to escargot farming in France. She has appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, CBS This Morning, Fox Family and Friends, Martha Stewart Living, and as a judge on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. She’s been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, People Magazine, Eater, and Food52 and has contributed to Eating Well, GRLSQUASH, Culture, Garden & Gun, and Bon Appétit, and more. The Chicago Tribune praised her as one of “Seven Food Writers You Need to Know.” Her legion of fans loves her down-to-earth attitude, approachable spirit, and traveling exploits. Her culinary consulting company, Virginia Willis Culinary Enterprises, Inc specializes in content creation, recipe development, culinary editorial and production services, cookbook writing, media training, spokesperson and brand representation, and public speaking. Virginia is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force, the Atlanta Community Food Bank Advisory Board, as well as the Community Farmers Market Advisory Board. She is a food and hunger advocate for No Kid Hungry and a premier member of the No Kid Hungry Atlanta Society. She a member of The James Beard Foundation, Chef’s Collaborative, Georgia Organics, and Southern Foodways Alliance.

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