Poblano-Chicken Sausage Chili

By Kath Dedon

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Meet my new favorite chili – Poblano-Chicken Sausage Chili!

Carrie told me how much she liked Cooking Light’s Poblano-Turkey Sausage Chili. I knew I had to try it, especially since I have some poblano chiles from the Chico Farmers Market in my freezer!*

I used Isernio’s Italian Chicken Sausage instead of turkey sausage simply because I prefer it to any turkey sausage I have tried. Because my poblano chiles are quite hot, I used just one instead of two. The chili was perfect! Both Bob and I loved it.

I know I’ll be making this Poblano-Chicken Sausage Chili again soon. It’s quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner and the leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch or another dinner.

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 A steaming bowl of Poblano-Chicken Chili

 

(Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

 

(print the recipe)

 

Cooking Light uses 2 poblano chiles. Mine are quite hot so I just used one.

 

Serves 4 – 6

 

2 teaspoons light olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces Italian chicken sausage (If in casings, remove from the casings)

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 or 2 poblano chiles, seeded and finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 cup chicken broth

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Optional condiments for serving:

Sour cream

Sliced radishes

 

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until it has softened and is starting to brown.

2. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute.

3. Add the sausage, chili powder, oregano, cumin, poblano chile(s), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until the sausage is browned.

4. Add the broth, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer without a lid for about 30 minutes. The chili will thicken up a bit as it simmers.

5. Stir in the cilantro and black pepper. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

 

*The Chico Farmers Market poblano chiles ready to be broiled.

 After broiling them for about 5 minutes on each side (until they were charred), I put them in a bowl and covered it with foil. After they had cooled off, I peeled the skin off, slit them down the side and scraped off the seeds. I then spread them out on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer. After they were frozen, I put them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. I can now pull out one or two at a time to use when I need them. 

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