Quick Bites - Smoked Cheddar Chicken Chili

Nikoli’s Kitchen

Welcome everyone to the first inter-season Quick Bite after season four! Today's "quick" bite isn't quite as "quick" in terms of cooking or preparation, but I promise you that nothing in the world says "stick to your ribs" food quite like my Smoked Cheddar Chicken Chili. The perfect bowl full of warmth and home for a cold winter evening, this chili is packed with decadent chili flavors, smoky chicken thighs, and rich cheddar cheese sauce. Please enjoy this recipe and give it a shot for yourself! Thank you so much for listening!

Season five of the show will not be kicking off until January 2023 at the earliest. Until then, I'm working on reformatting areas of the show and making this about not just my journey, but about your journey. If something has happened in your life that has changed how you view life, and if you have something that changed your view on positivity, I want to hear from you! Please reach out to me on Instagram @nikoliskitchen or email me at [e-mail] and I'd love to sit down and chat with you.

Table for Two will return in season five as well! If you'd like to sit and talk to me about your content, your life, or whatever- all while I'm cooking your dish- please reach out via the means above with your recipe and we'll set it up.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Marinade-

1-1/2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
Zest & juice of 2 limes
2 T olive oil
1 T sea salt
1 t chili powder
1 T ground black pepper
1 c cilantro, chopped
8 cloves of garlic

~| I chose to do this with bone-in/skin-on chicken, because it'll have more flavor when you grill/cook it. You can do boneless/skinless if you like. |~
Prepare your marinade by combining all the ingredients together with the chicken in a large ziploc bag or bowl. Make sure the chicken is well-coated.
Marinate for 24 hours.

Chili-

3- 12 oz cans of preferred beans
4 c whole milk
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter
16 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
2 large onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced, OR 2 other hot peppers- optional, to your desired heat level
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c white wine
4-5 T cumin
3-4 T chili powder
1 T black pepper
1 T Turmeric
1 T Italian parsley, chopped
1 T cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste
Brown sugar to taste

Over a grill at mid-high or in a skillet at mid-high, sear the chicken on both sides and cook through.
Remove and allow to rest.
Remove the meat from the bones. Save the bones and skin for future chicken stock!
Chop the chicken so it is the same size as the rest of your ingredients (all of your ingredients should be the same size in the finished chili for a consistent bite).

Add a splash of olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot and heat over mid heat.
Add half of your onions and peppers, tossing until well-coated. Add some salt to start sweating them down. Stir periodically.
After 2-3 minutes, add your white wine and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking the onions & peppers for 15-20 minutes until soft and well-caramelized.
Return the heat to mid and cook out most of the liquid, stirring frequently.
Clear a space and add your garlic, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and chili powder and cook for 1 minute or so, stirring continually so the garlic and spices don't burn.
Add your flour and stir until well-incorporated, cooking for a minute or so.
Add the stick of butter and allow it to melt.
Continue stirring and cook until a roux forms, roughly 3 minutes (it tends to clump up with all of the other stuff in here, just keep stirring and cooking it).
Add your evaporated milk and continue stirring until it begins to thicken into a béchamel.

Reduce the heat to mid-low and add your chicken, beans, and the rest of your onions and peppers. Stir until well-combined.
Bring back to a light simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes to bring everything together, stirring periodically.
Remove from the heat and add your cheese and parsley, stirring until it is melted.
Season to taste.
OPTIONAL: Serve with fresh scallions over the top.

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Guest Appearances

I had the privilege of sitting down with Brendan of Unchefed to talk about food, mental health, and life. Check out this great conversation at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-love-food-nicholas-haskins-from-nikolis-kitchen/id1578898329?i=1000568984881!

I was thrilled to be invited back to Movie Reviews in 20 Qs, where I joined Liz and Billy to talk about the new murder mystery See How They Run! Tune in at https://mritqs.podbean.com/e/ep-216-see-how-they-run-w-nikoli-s-kitchen-and-we-watched-a-thing/! (Note: NSFW).

I had the honor of joining Billy on the We Watched a Thing podcast to talk about the latest entry in the View Askewniverse, Clerks III! Check out our discussion at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clerks-iii-w-nick-from-nikolis-kitchen/id1315531685?i=1000583178272 (Note: NSFW).

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:
"Down the Memory Lane," and "Sandcastle" by Magnus Ludvigsson.