Three-Bean Chicken Chili

My favorite part of this recipe was a complete accident. I was being a little lazy by throwing the onions into the food processor rather than chopping by hand. When the Baby Prupetta is in the kitchen with me I tend to pay more attention to her than to the food, so said food processor kept on going until those onions were well beyond their normal rough chop. We went with it anyway. That silly onion puree adds a really nice depth and richness that you don't get with just chopping, but we left a few plain chopped pieces just for the added texture.


1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, divided
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2-2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, or to taste
2 cans, about 14 1/2 oz each, diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 c chicken stock
8-oz can tomato sauce
1 can each: Cannellini, Garbanzo, and Small Red (or light red kidney) beans

• Chop the onions into long wedges, 8 wedges per onion. Roughly chop one wedge and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• While the oil is heating, puree the remaining onion wedges until smooth. (Trust me here, people. The puree is a good thing.)
• Once the onions have begun to soften and brown, add in the oregano, cumin, and ground meat.
  
• Stir until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks with your spoon.
• Add the next 7 ingredients (everything but the beans) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover tightly, and let the chili simmer about 20 minutes.
• Rinse and drain the beans, and add to the pot. Bring it back up to a boil and simmer until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes more.
• Season with salt and a little more black pepper to taste, and serve with sour cream and some shredded Colby Jack.

If you're freezing:

• Follow the entire recipe and let the chili cool completely before pouring into a freezer bag.
• When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.