Kickin' Chicken & Poblano Pepper Chili

There is something about Fall that makes you want to curl up on the couch, with a cup of tea, and settle into a great book. I definitely enjoy taking this time to read through my stack of books, but flipping through cooking magazines takes the cake! My favorite cooking magazine is Fine Cooking, with Gourmet a close second. Over the years, we have worked out a pretty good system for all those recipes that you tear out of magazines. We go through the pile, pick one for Sunday's dinner, prepare, enjoy, and then vote if we feel it will make the cut into our Green Recipe Binder. We do not get attached or emotional( ie- we have been known to throw out an entire meal, and promptly order take-out pizza)- the recipe is either IN or OUT. This approach works for us. Instead of having a bunch of recipes that we are not passionate about, we have a binder filled with our favorites.

From time to time, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Food section has a recipe that peaks my interest. The Chili’s On article, by Amanda Gold, was a stand out for us, especially with cool dark evenings at our door step. We tried two recipes over the past couple of weekends. One was a hit, while the other one we felt needed a bit of tweaking! Chicken & Poblano Pepper Chili left us thinking about the next opportunity we might have to make this comforting and inviting meal…

Give it a try, and let us know what you think. We loved the consistency and simplicity of this chili, and you can’t beat the roasted Poblano pepper flavor. The recipe does not instruct how to roast the peppers. I put them in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes turning once, until the skin is black in spots. Then placed the peppers into a paper bag for a few minutes- locking in the steam - the skins will peel off easier after this process. We made this dish in less than an hour. Easy enough for a weeknight meal. And, of course, like most chilis, it tastes even better the next day.

Note: the link to the article -lists all the recipes, search down until you find the the right one for you!

Bon Appetit!