Hearty black beans and vibrant corn are left to simmer in a concoction of aromatic spices with shredded chicken.
This is a one-pot, quick last minute I-don't-know-what-to-cook meal. You can adjust the heat or skip adding chili or hot sauce all together.
TL;DR
Add this dump and cook meal to your dinner rotation if you struggle coming up with effortless dishes that are budget-friendly, flavorful, and wholesome.
I thought it would be cool to add shredded chicken to my bean and corn chili, that I usually prepare, and I was well right with this assumption.
The chicken adds protein, flavor, and your meal will turn into a well-balanced nutritious dinner. This dish is suitable for all beginner home-cooks.
Ingredient Notes
- Onion — Sliced, purple and red onions are best suited.
- Garlic — Freshly chopped.
- Oil — Neutral oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil.
- Tomato Sauce — Unflavored plain tomato sauce.
- Black Beans — I opt for canned black beans to speed up things. You can make this chili with dried black beans which you have to soak and boil first. Dried black beans are also more budget-friendly.
- Corn — I used frozen sweet corn in the pictures, but you can get drained canned corn or fresh sweet corn too.
- Bay Leaf — Adds a lot of flavor, so do not skip that!
- Chili Pepper — Optional. Fresh chili pepper (e.g., jalapeño, habanero, serrano) can be used, or you can opt for a few drops of your favorite hot sauce such as Tabasco or Cholula.
- Ground Spices and Herbs — Including, smoked or sweet paprika (I like Spanish smoked paprika), ground cumin, black pepper, ground allspice, a pinch of cinnamon and oregano. Alternatively, you can use a chili seasoning too.
- Shredded Chicken — Either homemade shredded chicken or store-bought ready-made shredded chicken.
- Cilantro — Freshly chopped to simmer and as a topping.
- Broth — To add flavors, I like to use chicken broth (or stock) or bone broth for intensive flavors. If you don't have broth at home, use a bouillon cube with water. To reduce the sodium content of this dish, use low sodium broth or switch the broth with water (but it will be less flavorful).
Process Overview
Step 1
Sauté onion, garlic and throw in chili pepper and bay leaf.
Add the canned drained beans, corn, and tomato sauce to that.
Step 2
Throw in all the seasoning ingredients, the shredded chicken, cilantro, and broth.
Mix everything well and cover to simmer.
Step 3
Simmer for at least 30 minutes, so that the chili gets slowly infused with the flavors.
When done cooking, take out and discard the whole bay leaf and serve hot.
📖 Recipe
Black Bean and Corn Chili with Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 Large Onion sliced
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 Chili Pepper sliced small, optional
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Cans Black Beans
- 1 Cup Corn
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 2 Teaspoon Paprika smoked or sweet
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground
- 1 Allspice Whole crushed
- Pinch Cinnamon
- 1 Cup Shredded Chicken
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro fresh chopped, keep some to garnish
- 1 Cup Broth
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pot with the oil and stir in onion slices to sauté soft over a medium heat setting. Then stir in the chopped garlic and stir cook for a minute.1-2 Tablespoon Oil, 1 Large Onion, 2-3 Cloves Garlic
- Reduce the heat or take from the heat and stir in sliced chili pepper and bay leaf. Continue to add in the black beans, corn, and tomato sauce.1 Chili Pepper, 1 Bay Leaf, 2 Cans Black Beans, 1 Cup Corn, 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- Season with paprika, oregano, black pepper, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon.2 Teaspoon Paprika, 1 Teaspoon Oregano, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground, 1 Allspice Whole, Pinch Cinnamon
- Throw in shredded chicken, chopped cilantro and pour in the broth. Mix it all well and increase the heat setting to medium.1 Cup Shredded Chicken, 1 Tablespoon Cilantro, 1 Cup Broth
- Add a pinch of salt, you can add more later. Close the dish with a lid and keep on a slower heat setting so that the meal can simmer slowly. Stir and check on it occasionally, nothing should stick to the bottom and if's getting too dry, you can pour in a small quantity of water.Salt
- When it's done, after 30 minutes or so, the chili should taste flavorful as the spices infused the meal while it was simmering down. Take out the whole bay leaf and discard.
- Serve up hot with some more fresh green cilantro as a topping.
Notes
Equipment
- Medium Pot with Lid (5 qt) I used my enameled cast iron Dutch Oven
Nutrition
Tips
- You can use rotisserie chicken instead of shredded chicken for this black bean and corn chili, or try this recipe with Japanese shredded chicken.
- If you simmer the chili uncovered, you will need to add water during the cooking process at some point. Keep it on the lowest heat setting instead, and cover the pot.
- Check on the dish occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Tomato sauce and beans have the tendency to sink to the bottom and burn if you don't stir every so often.
- I recommend cooking your chili in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven because a good chili needs time to get infused. This dish will get evenly cooked in a Dutch oven due to the way cast iron transmits and distributes heat. Liquids, that you added to the dish, won't escape that much either and a Dutch oven can be transferred to the oven where you can finish the cooking process with ease.
Serving
I love this chili with freshly baked bread. Think baguette, sourdough bread, other grain breads such as my quick spelt bread.
You might like your black bean and corn chili with a flat bread too, such as soft wheat tortillas. Another idea is to serve corn bread with this meal.
I have also tried to Europeanize my chili by serving it with cooked creamy polenta and a tangy side salad. That would make this a complete meal.
Storing
I like to use this chili to fix my meals for the week. Prepare a batch and store in rectangular glass containers, which can be stacked in your fridge or freezer.
Leftovers can be kept in refrigerator containers for up to 3 days at most.
Freeze in batches and thaw overnight in the fridge, or thaw and heat in the microwave or oven.
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