White Bean and Chicken Chili

Since it's the start of winter in Australia, I thought I'd cook up a nice hearty and warming meal... This one is a White Bean and Chicken Chili, from my favourite chef Giada De Laurentiis (the double "ii" is not a typo, that's how it's spelled, who knew?) She is probably one of favourite chefs, because her cooking is simple and tasty.  

I really enjoyed this chili, although, my husband had a different opinion... he thought there was way to much cumin. I however, found the flavours to work really well together, I loved the combination of cumin and chicken. I followed the recipe as is, however, I did grind my own chicken breast and boiled fresh cannellini beans. I find using fresh ingredients really makes a difference when cooking. But, if you don't have the time you can always use the canned beans and prepared ground chicken. 

If you decide to use fresh beans, you want to soak your beans overnight in some water. Then boil the beans in slightly salted water for about 2 hours. Beans should be soft but not too soft that they fall apart. I can eat beans just like this straight form the pot... my 3 year old also loves beans this way. 

Hope you all enjoy this warming meal, just in time for winter... and those of you in America just wait until November :)

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A different twist to the normal red bean and meat chili

The ground chicken breast

Don't cry over chopped onions :) Good knife skills, don't you think 

The fresh beans that were soaked overnight then boiled in salted water for about 2 hours! Trust me when I say these taste so much better than canned beans.

Swiss Chard, AKA silverbeet in Australia

Sweat down the onions and then add your garlic, a marriage made in heaven 

Brown the chicken along with the spices

My chicken is cooking... Looks like scrambled eggs, huh?

Add in your swiss chard and remaining ingredients

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Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis 

2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs chicken, ground
1 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls fennel seeds
1 tbls dried oregano
2 tsp chili powder
3 tbls flour
2 (15 oz cans) cannellini beans or other white bean, drained and rinsed
1 bunch of swiss chard, about 1 lb, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 chopped fresh parsley

• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.