Spicy Chicken Chili

Chili is my go-to recipe when I am not in the mood to cook and I want to save a little money.  You can get the meat on sale (or leave it out if you're a vegetarian) and all most all of the other ingredients come in a can.  You could use dried beans*, but I don't plan ahead well.  If you find that not everyone in your house is excited about chili as you are, try serving it over a corn bread waffle.  Mix up your favorite corn bread mix, cook it in a waffle iron, and you have a yummy side dish for your chili.

with cheese of course!

You Will Need:
1 pound ground chicken (or whatever meat is on sale that week)
2 cans Hot Rotel
2 cans chickpeas
2 cans black beans
2 cans white beans
1 can corn (or frozen)
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup water
1 package taco seasoning
4 TBSP chili seasoning
corn bread waffles- optional

*note: if you use dried beans, you will need to add salt and possibly extra liquid.

Directions:
Brown the meat in a large pot.  Add the taco seasoning, chili powder and stir to combine.  Add the Rotel, beans and corn and all of their juices.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 1 hour.  Combine the water and corn meal to create a thin paste, and stir into the chili to thicken.  Cook 5-10 minutes more.  Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.  If the chili is too spicy, add a TBSP of sugar and allow to simmer for a few minutes.  Add more sugar as needed (or don't use the hot Rotel if you don't like spicy food).  Serve over a corn bread waffle and top with cheese.  Makes 16 servings.  Leftovers freeze great!

at 186 calories per cup of chili, there's room for a corn bread waffle!