Chicken Breast Chili Sauté Recipe
A Quick, Easy, Healthy Chicken Recipe Made Like a Stir Fry
This simple recipe for a flavorful, healthy chicken chili features fresh chili peppers, chicken breast, bell peppers, and fresh tomatoes, cooked quickly in a skillet.
When you think about "chili”, you probably think of the good old stew mostly made up of chili peppers, maybe some meat, and not much else. This is exactly what you see in New Mexico’s classic chili verde. This quick recipe is close to the original, though it substitutes chicken for beef.
Sure, it’s a quick recipe, with its preparation closer to a stir-fry or a classic French-style sauté. And it’s a healthy recipe, featuring skinless chicken breast meat and just a touch of olive oil per serving.
But chili peppers give it much of its character, which is why it deserves to be called a sort of chili. Three different kinds of fresh green chilies—one fairly milk, one medium-hot, and one spicy—give it great character. Bell peppers add still more flavor, plus color.
Chicken Breast Chili Sauté
Makes 4 to 6 servings
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 2 fresh green Serrano chilies, halved, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin strips
- 1 fresh green Anaheim chili, halved, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin strips
- 1 fresh green ancho chili, quartered, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper, quartered, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, quartered, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
- 3/4 cup canned chicken broth
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 pounds firm ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Method:
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the chicken strips lightly with salt and pepper, add them to the pan, and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until they are evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- With a metal spatula or slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean bowl and set aside. Pour off all but a thin coating of oil from the skillet.
- Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chilies and bell peppers and sauté until they turn bright in color and just start to soften, about 2 minutes more.
- Add the chicken broth, white wine, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and sugar to the skillet, along with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Return the chicken strips to the skillet along with any juices that have collected. Stir them into the other ingredients. Simmer until the sauce has thickened but is still slightly liquid, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro.
As you would with more conventional chili recipes, serve this with steamed rice. It’s also great on pasta. And, for a terrific change of pace, serve it over mashed potatoes.
Looking for another great chicken chili recipe? Try Chicken Breast White Bean Chili. Want an unusual and delicious take on classic chili? Have a look at Lamb and Black Bean Chili.
