Chili Season is HERE!! And this recipe did not disappoint :) You might notice that my next few blog entries will be geared in a slightly different direction...I will be staying true to the clean eating lifestyle as well as trying to make my recipes as 21 Day Fix friendly as possible. BUT now they will also be gluten free, dairy free, and egg free...LOL I know kill me now right?! Fear not there is a reason to my madness.
Lately I've just been feeling off. Seriously feeling it. In my stomach, head, joints, skin...pretty much everywhere. So I decided to take a leap of faith and try what is basically an elimination diet!!! Although for this food experiment I really dislike using the term diet. The goal of this process is not to lose weight (although if it happens I'll gladly take it!) it is to discover food sensitivities. I will be cutting out gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, processed meats, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and corn for the next 3 weeks. After the 3 weeks has passed I will slowly reintroduce each food one at a time and see how I feel. While I might not be allergic to these foods I do believe there will be a few that my body performs best without.
So here is my first recipe that follows this new mind set :) I give you my very delicious Chicken Chili!! If you are unfamiliar with arrowroot powder it is a great thickener in place of corn starch...it can also be replaced with potato starch. I like tossing some avocado slices on top and a couple dashes of hot sauce never hurt either. Next time I think I'll chop up some fresh green onions to garnish it with as well.
Ingredients
3 Chicken Breasts
6 Large Mushrooms, sliced
4 Celery Stalks, halved and sliced
1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
1 Zucchini, chopped into dime size bits
2 Cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Cups Vegetable Broth, low sodium
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Coconut Milk, full fat
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
*Avocado Slices Optional*
*Chopped Green Onions Optional*
Directions
Set your slow cooker to high and pour in your olive oil, onions and celery stir to coat the veggies with the oil and then cover with lid. In a large pan heat your coconut oil over medium to med/high heat. Once it is up to temp add in your chicken breasts and cook each side for about 2-3 minutes. We're not trying to cook the chicken all the way through just get a nice light sear on each side :) Check on your onions and celery and stir mixture, once your onions have softened a bit add in your beans, mushrooms, zucchini, oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth and water. Stir everything to combine. Submerge your whole chicken breasts into the mixture, cover with lid and let it cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours. When your cooking time is up use tongs to remove chicken to a plate and shred up the meat. I use 2 forks pulling in opposites directions and after having been in the slow cooker that long it basically falls apart! Return the shredded chicken to the mixture. Spoon out about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl and whisk in your arrowroot powder to dissolve it, then pour mixture back into the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Stir in your coconut milk cover and let mixture cook on high for about 20 minutes, to allow it to thicken up a bit. Serve with avocado slices or chopped green onions :) ENJOY!!
