Ingredients:
2 lb ground chicken
2 cups diced fire-roasted Hatch Green Chiles
30 oz canned black beans, drained
15 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained
20 oz canned pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon hot paprika
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Cook the ground chicken in a nonstick skillet, breaking up any large chunks, until fully cooked. Add all ingredients into a 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Stir prior to serving.
My thoughts:
I don’t know if pineapple chili is a thing, I’ve never heard of it but for all I know there are pineapple chili cook-offs up a down the Eastern Seaboard but I made one and want to share. I’m actually surprised I didn’t make a chili with pineapple back when I was developing all of those chili recipes for my cookbook.
Anyway! I was thinking about how tasty Hatch chiles would be with something sweet and just went for it. I actually made this back during the tail end of Hurricane Sandy when all was dreary and there was a mandatory driving ban in the city. Pineapple and chiles seemed like good way to cheer up the day and I had all of the ingredients on hand.
I had the chiles already prepped, chopped and frozen so there was little prep involved, which I love for an early morning dinner making session. I wasn’t sure what else to add to the chili but I had some ground chicken I had frozen after purchasing it for a meal I ended up not making and a ton of black beans in the basement from a Costco run so in they went. I’m glad I had the chicken because ground chicken really absorbs the flavor of whatever it is cooked with so the fruity-hotness of the chiles and pineapple were present in every bite. The pineapple doesn’t make it sweet, it just adds a bit of tangy and depth to the chili while the chiles bring a pleasant heat. A fun twist on the typical chili.
Sounds like a great recipe, but can you recommend a substitute for the "fire roasted" Hatch chiles since everyone doesn't have them?
They so sell them canned at the grocery store (even here in Baltimore!) so you could try that. If not, I'd sub some roasted cubanelle or jalapeños.
I'm thinking about making this for a Super Bowl party. How many does this recipe serve?
8-10?
This looks delicious! I so agree with your observation about ground chicken being "spongey" for flavors– and the more spice the better!