Chicken and Black Bean Chili with Cornbread

Catherine,

So W has been working out quite a bit, so I decided to make a healthy and protein loaded dinner. Per usual, I did some pretty silly things. The last time I made cornbread, I made an 8x8 pan, but this time I wanted the full 9x13. So obviously, I doubled the recipe. Without looking at how much it actually makes. As it turns out, last time I had halved the recipe. You see where this is going... In short, we have tons and tons of cornbread, way too much for two people. I used this recipe for homesteader cornbread and didn't change much. Now for the chicken and black bean chili I changed a few things. For instance, who uses garlic powder when there is real garlic somewhere in the world?! Silly people. I also cut out the chicken stock because I ran out of room in my 12" pan (that's 2" deep), and I added an adobo chili for extra pizzazz. 

This is my second meal to cook in the new house, and I'm slowly getting used to the new stove we have. It's gas, which means that things are hot almost instantly, but the oven gives off a ton of heat (and the drawer below the oven is a broiler, not storage space- almost made that mistake before W caught me). 

Anyway, I have chemistry stuff to read so I don't fail grad school before it even starts. 

Bon appétit!
Kimberly

Chicken and Black Bean Chili

1 Tbs. veggie oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 adobo chili, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs paprika
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, don't drain
1 15 oz can creamed corn
cilantro and shredded cheese, for garnish

1. Heat oil over medium high in a deep 12" skillet. Sauté bell pepper and onion and onion until soft. Add adobo chili and garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add chicken and sauté until lightly browned. 
2. Add in seasonings and give a good stir. Add the beans, tomatoes, and corn. Simmer for 20 minutes, adding water if mixture gets too viscous. Serve with cilantro and cheese.

Homesteader Cornbread

for 9"x 13" pan

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup veggie oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Stir together cornmeal and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes while you measure out everything else.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Beat in cornmeal mix, eggs, and oil. Pour into greased 9" x 13" baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes.

Tips

- Adobo chilies are stocked in the Mexican section of the grocery store. I buy a can, use what I need, and freeze the rest in a plastic baggie. Otherwise, you end up throwing tons of it away. 

- If you want especially fluffy cornbread, use a mixer and beat the batter for 1 minute to incorporate air bubbles.