Christmas break seems like eons ago. I was in Mexico City for part of the holiday, where it was a balmy 70 degrees. Perfection! I came home and was swamped with edits for the latest cookbook. Then there was the polar vortex. And the latest cold snap. Ugh. Weather, and January.

When it gets brutal outside, your style of cooking changes, doesn’t it? You braise and stew, make pots of soup, bowls of chili, hearty dishes that warm you from the inside out. Well here is another recipe that will keep your stove on…


Awhile back I was sent The Lemonade Cookbook. With new takes on classic, comfort food-style recipes, it had a recipe for chicken chili, just the sort of recipe to have on a cold winter’s night. There were very few surprises in the list of ingredients– which was exactly what I wanted– something that was warm, sustaining, reliable, and delicious. But by using ground chicken rather than ground beef, the chili is lighter than most, allowing the spices to shine through.

The original recipe is for one big ol’ pot of chili. Too much for me and my leftover-eating apathy. So the recipe I’m giving is for just about half a recipe. (Don’t worry you’ll still have leftovers!) I used only 1 pound of ground chicken (the original recipe called for 3 pounds), but the chili was still meaty. Simmering on the stove this chili smelled great, and tasted even better.

Stay warm!