Special announcement double birth celebration today because we’re talking about this bowl of chili and the bebe red bowl that Cynthia just gave the world!! I know there’s a small difference between making a pot of chili and giving birth but we don’t need to focus on that today.
Mine is a birth because the first time I ever had jerk chicken I couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect the spices and flavors and heat would be in a bowl of chili. The whole kit & kaboodle’s been up there for months and now it’s out in the world and it’s beautiful and I want everybody to look at it. Cynthia’s is a birth because that’s something you should’ve learned in high school, or maybe middle school depending on how progressive your school was.
A bunch of bloggers got together today to make foods that belong in bowls, because we’re professional and we stay on brand. When I found out that it was all bowl driven I knew I had to make this bowl of goodness. It’s starting to get a little cold here, finally, so I can eat chili and not feel like my face is melting on the outside while also melting on the inside.
If you’ve never had jerk chicken it’s usually got this really great marinade that the chicken sits in before it’s grilled that warms up with spices like allspice and cinnamon, and heats things up with habañero. On top of all that there’s another left field mixer of ginger and lime and soy sauce. All of this mix came from a bunch of sources online that I took my favorite pieces from and made up the business that’s happening below. If you want the jerk chicken for your life with no chili involved then go check out Adrianna’s recipe.
I know maybe you’re thrown a little bit from all of this happening to your bowl of chili that’s sacred and probably free of beans if you’re one of those people but the good news is that the world is big enough for more than one pot of chili don’t email me with info that I’m doing it wrong. Nail painting emoji.
Please go make this, warm up everything, and go say hiii and congrats to Cynthia because she did more than me with this chili. And if you want to see what everyone else is up to go check out the full lists on Alana and Steph‘s sites and keep your eyes peeled on social for #threeredbowls!
Jerk Chicken Chili
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt and pepper
1 lb ground chicken, turkey, beef, pork, whatever unzips your jeans
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 large scallions, roughly chopped, roughly one cup
zest and juice of one lime
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon finely (like use a microplane finely) grated ginger
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, from 3 sprigs
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 habeñero (or half if you’re not into some spice) stemmed
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 14 oz cans whatever beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 cannellini and 1 kidney)
In a large stockpot or dutch oven heat up the olive oil over medium heat until it starts to glisten. Add the onion and bell pepper and season with a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and cook for a few more minutes until the meat just starts to brown.
While all this is happening make the jerk paste. Throw the soy sauce, scallions, lime juice and zest, garlic cloves, ginger, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, and the habañero (WASH YOUR HANDS, CUTTING BOARD, AND KNIFE AFTER THROWING THE PEPPER IN THE BLENDER DON’T TOUCH ANY BODY PARTS DO NOT PASS GO DO NOT COLLECT $200) Blend until the mixture becomes a paste, adding 1-3 tablespoons of water if needed to help it along.
Once the meat’s done browning add the jerk paste and cook for a couple minutes to wake everyone up. Put one of the cans of tomatoes and the chicken stock in the blender to help sweep anything left behind and blend up the tomatoes. Add this to the pot with the other can of tomatoes and the beans, give it a stir, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s slightly thickened and it looks a little more like everyone likes each other. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced scallions, radishes and some wedges of lime.
