Chilli Con Chicken

 Hi, this recipe is from the  BBC GoodFood magazine, October 202 issue 'Comfort food'  on page 54 by Esther Clark. You can also see it online here, where you can also access the nutrition and a lovely chicken empanadas recipe for the leftovers. Another use for leftovers could be: on top of jacket potatoes or in a wrap or taco, you could even serve it with pasta as a sort of bolognaise twist. The chilli was so warming and delicious with just the right amount of spice, it had a really delicate taste and I was a bit sceptical about the cinnamon but it worked really well. For mine, I made the chilli in the morning and left out the final 10-15mins of stirring, this meant that the flavours all moulded together during the day, and the final thickening could happen while I heated it up. Enjoy!!

Dietary Info:
-Unsuitable for Vegans {You can substitute the chicken for tofu chunks, what the cluck chunks, any vege meat substitute would work fine, even lentils or chickpeas could be fine or check out my vegan chilli recipe here, here and here. Also, use dairy-free sour cream or plain soya yogurt.}
-Unsuitable Vegetarians {See above}
-Dairy-Free {Substitute the plain sour cream for a dairy-free version or a soya/almond/oat  plain/Greek yogurt}
-No Nuts
-Contains Gluten {You can serve it with cauliflower rice or use some gluten-free tortilla chips, most brands are gluten-free but some use wheat and corn flour, so just double check}

Prep: 15mins
Cook: 1hr
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
-2 tbsp olive oil {I used extra virgin}
-1 onion, sliced
-2 mixed peppers, sliced (use red, yellow or orange peppers)
-2 large garlic cloves, crushed
-1 small bunch of coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
-1/2tbsp ground coriander
-1tbsp ground cumin
-1-2tsp chipotle paste {I used sriracha}
-400g can chopped tomatoes
-1tbsp tomato purée
-300ml chicken stock
-1 small cinnamon stick
-4 chicken thighs, bone-in {I used chicken breasts}
-400g can black beans
-400g can kidney beans, drained
-1tbsp red wine vinegar
-20g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) {I left this out}
To serve:
-cooked rice or tortilla chips {I served with rice}
-guacamole and soured cream (optional)

Method:
1:Heat the oil in a casserole dish {I used a deep wok, but it makes a lot so next time, I will use a casserole dish} over a medium heat, and fry the onion and peppers for 10-12 mins, or until softened. Add the garlic, coriander stalks, ground coriander, cumin and chipotle paste, and fry for 2 mins more. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato pureé and stock, then add the cinnamon stick. Nestle the chicken thighs into the mixture, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 mins or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the casserole and transfer to a chopping board, then shred the meat off the bone using two forks.
2:Return the shredded chicken to the pan, then tip in the black beans along with the liquid from the can, the drained kidney beans, vinegar and chocolate. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients and melt the chocolate, then turn the heat up to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 mins, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
3:Remove the cinnamon stick, season to taste and stir though most, or all of the coriander leaves (you can reserve a few leaves to scatter over at the end, if you like). Serve the chilli with rice or tortilla chips, topped with guacamole and soured cream, if using, and scatter over any remaining coriander.