Giada/Chicken and White Bean Chili

Goodness, I love Giada DeLaurentiis. I don't think I have ever come across a recipe I didn't like in my Giada cookbooks. She makes light, delicious, healthy foods that I just can't get enough of. There's my favorite lemon risotto recipe, several pasta dishes that cook up light and healthy, decadent desserts, and now a chicken and white bean chili that manages to include a very large portion of kale and still be awesome.

For Christmas I received my third Giada cookbook and promptly cooked chicken cacciatore for my parents. They decided it was a good meal but too much work for them (although there was so much extra sauce that I made them freeze it so they could whip up a new batch at their leisure). She tends to remove super fatty ingredients and add in large portions of veggies, thus remaking foods that could be dastardly into dishes that are light and yummy.

Tonight's chili is no different, with lean ground chicken used as the protein and combined with cannellini beans, one of my go-to vegetarian proteins. Lots of spice is used (cumin, oregano and chili powder) and she adds in some corn and kale. You end up with a rich chili that manages to get you all the nutrition you need! The real test was my neighbor, Jerry. He is your basic Ron Swanson, desiring nothing more than a giant serving of steak or a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs. I figured if he liked the chili, than everyone would! His official answer was, "I like it", said with a moderate level of enthusiasm. The chili gets an official "like" all around.

The bonus part of my evening was using my roommate's fancy Dutch oven to cook the chili. It's a very heavy, cast iron pot with a similarly heavy lid. One of the more widely known brands is Le Creuset, although my roommate's happens to be a Staub. It cooks very evenly and is a wonderful way to make soup. Thanks Lena!