This Recipe Will Warm you up

Time for a new recipe.



Chicken Barley Chili



2 boneless chicken breasts, sprinkled with McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning sauteed in a little olive oil until cooked through. Then set aside, let rest and finally chop into small pieces.



Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped (about 2 cloves)

Two (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with jalapenos (I used Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos)

One (16 oz) jar hot salsa

Two (14.5 oz) cans Swanson's fat free low-sodium chicken broth

One cup Quaker Quick Barley

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 Tablespoon Chili powder (I used 2 teaspoons of Chipotle Chili Pepper and 1 teaspoon regular chili powder) ** Note..the chipotle chili pepper seasoning gives it a smoky taste. If you don't like that, use plain chili powder. However, the chipotle gives it a great depth of flavor.



2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups frozen corn



avocado chunks

cilantro

sour cream

fresh chopped jalapeno (optional)



In a saute pan, cook the chicken with the seasonings in a little olive oil about 7 minutes until cooked through. Set aside. Let rest and then cut into very small pieces (thumbnail size).



In a large pot heat a little olive oil, add the onion, green pepper, garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the next ingredients up to (but not including the black beans etc.) Over high heat, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans, corn and chicken, increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender. If, upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or water (although I did not find this necessary).



Ladle chili into bowls. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, optional chopped fresh jalapeno, and low-fat sour cream.



This is very zippy and spicy. If you want to cut back on the spice, you can use plain chopped tomatoes without the jalapenos and/or use a medium salsa rather than hot. I loved the way it is presented here and cooled it off using additional sour cream. My husband added the fresh jalapenos as he likes to sweat while eating spicy foods. If you are serving this to children, you would definitely want to tone down the heat.



The avocado is a really nice touch and is extremely nutritious. It is a great source of folacin and is high in potassium and fiber. It contains carotenoids and vitamin E which appear to work together to battle prostate cancer cells. It helps your body make better use of antioxidants.

The black beans are an excellent source of B vitamins, including folacin as well as iron, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. They are high in fiber and are a low-cal, low-fat vegetable protein.



This makes a large amount of chili. Especially if you add a green salad, this will go a long, long way. Prepare to eat this for lunch for a few days following. Yum!