Hawaiian Chicken Chili

Submitted by BothFex

"Another great recipe from my Aunt Toni. Unusual but wonderfully tasty as was proved this Fall when my DH and I won a chili cook-off with it. Hope you enjoy it as well."

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photo by senseicheryl

Ready In:: 1hr 10mins
Ingredients:: 13
Yields:: 1 large pot of chili
Serves:: 8

ingredients

1 (20 ounce) can chunk pineapple, drained and juice reserved
8 -12 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 (24 ounce) jar pace mild-medium picante sauce (or your favorite salsa- I use my homemade stuff)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt

directions

In large pot or dutch oven, melt butter and sauté chicken* until almost cooked through.
Add garlic, onion and bell pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add reserved pineapple juice and all other ingredients- EXCEPT- for the pineapple chunks.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, stir in pineapple and serve immediately- OR, WHAT I LIKE TO DO- remove from heat allow to cool, cover and refrigerate over night.
Next day, reheat on stove top, stir in pineapple and serve.
*Note about chicken: recipe originally calls for 12 chicken breasts.
I found this a bit excessive and so tweaked the measurement.
I find 7-8 breasts works for me.
I guess it depends on how well endowed your chickens were.
Judge accordingly.

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Reviews

This was a nice change from the usual beef chili that we make. I loved the idea of the pineapple, chicken, and chili combined, but there was way too much chili powder for me. I think it overshadowed the other flavors. I would cut it in half next time. I tasted it the recipe in its original state, and I ended up adding some brown sugar and leftover coffee to try to balance out the chili powder taste. I ended up topping it with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and green onions.

Lucky Clover
We really enjoyed this twist on regular beef chili!! I only had one jar of salsa and it was a Medium Chipotle Salsa so I only used 2 tbsp chili powder instead of 3. We used 1 can red kidney and 1 can white kidney beans and only 8 chicken breasts. I also cut my pineapple chunks in smaller pieces and added the next day when reaheating. We are going to enter this recipe in a chili cook-off this weekend...wish us luck!! Might try using fresh pineapple instead of canned.

karen in tbay
I made this chili this morning and it turned out wonderful! Here are just a few notes that I made: 1.) I used 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2.) I used about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 3.) I used about 1 cup of frozen chopped onions, 4.) I used about 1 cup of frozen chopped green peppers and 5.) Instead of salt, I used an all-purpose seasoning called Cracker Girl. I browned the chicken in the butter first and then I drained it as it was very liquidy. I added the garlic, onions and peppers. In the meantime, I added all of the other ingredients (except for the pineapple chunks) to my crockpot and stirred it all up. I added the chicken when it was done and turned the crockpot on low and it has been cooking for about 6 hours or so. Hubby loves it! Thanks for the awesome recipe that I'm sure I will be using again and again. I just posted some pictures for you as well.

senseicheryl
Tasted like salsa with chicken. Threw it out

sewasko
This recipe is great and flavorfull. I won 1st place at our office chili cook-off (about 15 contestants). Since this was the 1st time I made it, I read all the reviews and combined recommendations. I used canned blackbeans and rinsed them well. Rinsing kept the chili colorful and reduced the saltiness. To save time, I used frozen chicken tenders, putting them in cold water, boiling for about 10 mins, and draining them. Pulling the meat in strips rather than cutting allowed the chicken to better absorb ingredient flavors and gave the chili a rustic homemade look. Used Dole pineapple tidbits rather than chunks. I didn't overcook or overstir the recipe. It paid off because cook-off customers commented that crispiness of the ingredients and pineapple made the chili special. Also refrigerating the chili overnight and reheating the next day really allowed the flavors blend. Recommend adding the salt to taste, because salt in chili powder and tomatoes brands vary. Enjoy!!

Coolean

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Tweaks

I entered this in a chili cookoff with 21 contestants and placed 3rd. Awesome recipe! I used black beans in place of kidney's, diced tomatoes for texture, more Newmans Own pinapple salsa than called for and not as much cumin. Thanks so much!!! :)

Amanda Gunther
Great chili - I used olive oil instead of butter. The only other sub I made was to shred the chicken instead of chunk it (I let it simmer with all of the other ingredients until it was easy to shred).

PistonsFan
fabulous chili. a nice change from the usual. easy enough to put together; but i had to condense the directions and throw it all into a pot and let it cook all day; and it was very good. i subbed black beans for the kidney beans and used crushed tomatoes and crushed pineapple instead. now, because i threw it all into a pot i didnt add the pineapple at the end; i put it in at the start. not sure how this changed the recipe but i didnt find it too sweet. i do think next time i may reduce the pineapple from the whole can to 3/4 of the can and/or add a bit more chili powder. very nice texture, taste and will make again. thanks for sharing.

jennifer in new jer