Healthy Spicy Chicken Chili

It’s the beginning of a new year and that means a clean slate, starting fresh and setting goals!

A huge part of that is setting yourself up for success, whether that’s for something personal to you, goals at the work place, or in this case – becoming healthier and reaching your fitness goals!

No matter what your goals are this year, the most important thing is to make good choices along the way that are going to encourage success. For me (especially after the holidays), I still crave more wholesome and comforting meals…

This probably rings even more true to those living in colder places. There is nothing like cuddling up after a long day under a blanket with a nice hot bowl of chili, which is where this blog post begins… 🙂

This healthy spicy chicken chili makes the perfect lunch or dinner because you can make it in bulk and it just gets better and better each day.

We make it for our lunches and measure out our portion each day, then top with some cheese, tomatoes, avocado, etc – whatever you like, really. It’s so hearty and delicious you will feel full and satisfied after (which is great considering it’s a lower calorie dish).

My healthy spicy chicken chili is more on the “Mexican” side when it comes to the flavors and spices mixed into it… Tossed with corn, black beans, tomatoes, simmering together all day and getting more delicious by the minute. And to make it even better: I even add a little cream cheese at the very end. (Yes this is healthier don’t worry!)

Tip: If you’re looking to lean this recipe down even more sub the ground chicken for ground turkey.

Healthy Spicy Chicken Chili Ingredients:

1 tsp. coconut oil
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped and seeded (can leave some seeds in for extra spice)
2 lbs. lean ground chicken
1 14.5-oz. can no salt added whole kernel corn
1 14.5 oz. can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 10-oz. Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 14.5-oz. diced tomatoes
1 6-oz. tomato paste
3 cups fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp. chipotle pepper powder (I used the one from Target; you can use chili powder in place)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 oz. light cream cheese, softened

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat on medium high, then add 1 tsp. coconut oil to pan. Once pan is heated add chopped onion and jalapeño and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat just to softened.
2. Add ground chicken to the same pan and start to break up the meat with a spatula, cooking until fully browned and broken up into smaller pieces (ground). Remove from heat and add to the crockpot.
3. Pour drained corn, black beans, green chiles, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
4. Add chipotle pepper, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and pepper. Stir well to combine.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. When there is about an hour left in the cooking process, add cubed cream cheese and stir until melted, cover and let finish cooking.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 13 cups
Serving Size: 1 cup of cooked chili

Calories: 173
Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 12g
Sugar: 4g
Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 355mg (w/o added salt)
Protein: 16g