Mexican Chicken Chili

Very easy to make and well worth the time!!!! I found this recipe almost 10 years ago on the Top Secret Recipe website. It is a recipe of the real “Soup Nazi” made famous by Seinfeld. It is a little bit of work but is great for starting it in the morning and reheating for dinner. It is always a crowd pleaser and great for leftovers. Leftovers freeze well too!

1 pound chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups water
4 cups chicken stock (I use either the Kitchen Basics or Emeril’s box brand)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 to 3 potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn
2 carrot, sliced
2 celery stalk plus leaves, diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (I use fire roasted)
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid
1/4 cup diced canned pimento
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper or a few dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce (to taste)
dash basil
dash oregano

On the side
Cheddar Cheese
Sour cream
Pinch chopped Italian parsley

Sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until done -- about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot. Shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done. Serve with cornbread. Makes 6 to 8 servings.