Home ยป 4th Annual Chili Contest – Entry #5: Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili + Weekly Menu

4th Annual Chili Contest – Entry #5: Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili + Weekly Menu

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I use my morning and evening commutes as a time to catch up with friends and family. Last week, I caught up with my friend, Christin, from Ohio. She was the social worker at the dialysis clinic I worked at and we became close friends. As someone who was always trying to balance the desire to drop a few pounds while keeping her inner foodie satisfied, Christin and I instantly bonded. We were both blonde and alike in so many ways. It was eerie at times, even.

We were so much alike…except when it came to our college teams of choice.

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Christin was a die hard Ohio State fan and I…an Illinois fan. When it came to sports, she and I were like oil and water. And come fall, there were some fighting words exchanged a time or two and given the fact that my team typically loses, it was a very sore subject.

What we did agree on with regard to football was the snacks. She and Mr. Prevention love Buffalo Chicken Dip more than anyone else I know. Not that that’s surprising…the stuff is dangerously addicting but doesn’t exactly offer much in the way of nutrition.

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As week 5 of the chili contest approached, Heather’s Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili seemed like the PERFECT game time chili meal. It was like chili met Buffalo Chicken Dip and they created this heavenly bowl of spicy comfort food.

By using some veggies, lean chicken breast, and reduced fat dairy, the nutrition stats on this bowl of yummy goodness is not going to cause detriment to the scale.

Noooooope.

At under 300 calories per serving, this one will be tough to beat on all accounts!

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5.0 from 2 reviews
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 (15 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 8 oz ⅓ less fat cream cheese, cut into large chunks
  • ¼ cup (1 oz) part-skim sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3 slices uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
  1. In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes or until tender and onion is translucent.
  2. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add in the chicken. Cook the chicken until no longer pink. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and paprika and allow to cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Add in the cream cheese and cheese and stir until completely melted, about 5 minutes. Serve chili hot, topped with a teaspoon of bacon crumbles.
Notes
Recipe submitted by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1¼ cups Calories: 282 Fat: 10.5 Carbohydrates: 25.5 Sugar: 5.8 Sodium: 463 Fiber: 5.3 Protein: 21.8 Cholesterol: 52

 Weekly Menu: October 27th – 31st

  • Sunday: Amazing 3 Bean Sweet Potato Chili
  • Monday: Rustic Tuscan-Style Sausage Soup
  • Tuesday: homemade pizza
  • Wednesday: leftovers
  • Thursday: Mushroom and Bacon Casserole

Finishing up my cookbook today…I hope! Woooo!!! :-d

Be well,

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12 Comments

  1. Lizzie
    October 28, 2013 / 1:15 pm

    Wow! This is going on the to-try list for sure!

  2. Amy
    October 28, 2013 / 11:21 pm

    Finishing up your cookbook?? That’s SO exciting Nicole! Really proud of you and can’t wait to hear more about it! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Chelai B.
    December 1, 2013 / 4:12 pm

    Hi Nicole,
    So, I don’t particularly care for chili. However, the contest recipes look so good that this is the 2nd one I have tried. I must say, I really really liked it. I decreased the cream cheese by half b/c that’s all I had. DH loved it and told me this was “the” chicken chili. Looking forward to hearing who the winner is.

  4. Stefanie @ this is grownup
    January 29, 2014 / 11:33 am

    We’re making this recipe for our Superbowl party. It looks SO good.

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  6. Kaly
    February 26, 2014 / 8:10 pm

    I made this (with a few modifications to make it personal ๐Ÿ˜‰ )for a chili cookoff at work today and it won! Everyone raved about it!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      February 26, 2014 / 8:41 pm

      Yayyy! Love this! ๐Ÿ™‚

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  9. dani
    December 2, 2016 / 11:26 pm

    this was great! we really enjoyed it. very flavorful but not too hot. thanks!

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  11. Jacqui
    January 13, 2019 / 7:06 pm

    This is by far one of the best chili recipes I have had! DELISH! I used ground chicken instead of the chicken chunks. Husband loved it too!!!!!

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