Pumpkin Chicken Chili

Months  ago, I was listening to Radiolab on NPR while driving and an episode called Desperately Seeking Symmetry was on. Just like the title states, the podcast was on symmetry and how life not only makes it, but craves it…and also shies away from it.

One of the topics Jad and Robert discuss during this podcast is chirality, which is the state of non-super imposable symmetry. Kind of like your right and left hand…they have a symmetrical quality to them but when superimposed, they don’t match up.

Is this beginning to sound like a paper you had to write in college? There’s a point, read on!

To demonstrate chirality, Jad and Robert talk to a man named John, who tells a story about his college years. He wasn’t popular or invited to parties and he couldn’t figure out why. The ladies ignored him. Lame. One day, John took a gander at a recently snapped picture of himself and it changed his life.

The man in the picture wasn’t the man in the mirror (enter Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror).

The dude in the photo looked strange, not like the handsome man John saw in the mirror. And then it dawned on him: It was his hair part. John always parted his hair to one side but in order to appear the same to others as he appeared to himself in the mirror, he would need to change his part to the other side. And so he did. And so he became popular. And the ladies liked him.

The end. Just kidding, there’s more.

One day, John watches the news and Jimmy Carter addresses the nation, saying that the U.S. is in a funk. A state of malaise. Something’s up, Jimmy says, and we need to do something about it. What does John do? He writes Jimmy Carter a letter telling him the solution to Jimmy’s problem is changing his hair part. While John receives no letter in response, Carter’s hair part changes to the other side six weeks later. And somehow all the wrongs are right-ted.

10 bucks says if Obama had a part that he could change to the other side, healthcare.gov would be fixed. Gasp! Political statements? Not appropriate.

So there’s your answer. To everything. Sometimes you need to change your hair part. Break away from the man in the mirror, because regardless of your perception, no one else will ever have the same perception as you. Sometimes you need a change of perspective. You need some asymmetry. And sometimes your change of perspective changes the perspective of those around you, too.

We can do this with all things in life. Use the power within to change the things we once thought we were powerless to change. In love and relationships, in location, in career, in chili.

Prior to making this chili, I didn’t know what to expect. What would the texture be like and would it taste anything like pumpkin pie? Turns out, pumpkin chicken chili comes out thick, hearty, filling, and is like no other chili I’ve ever tried. Evidenced by the college paper I just wrote on symmetry, there are few words to describe the grandeur of this chili. Other than awesome, cool, bangarang, unique, lovely, and hhmmmmyyygaaahh.

I totally roasted the pumpkin that went into this chili, but you can use canned pureed pumpkin too…although I can’t guarantee I won’t call you a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater. Oh hush, Blanche, go change your part.

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Pumpkin Chicken Chili

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Bean-free pumpkin chicken chili for a paleo, low-fodmap easy chicken chili recipe that is gentle on the digestive system.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chicken bone broth
• 1 medium heirloom tomato, chopped

For Serving:

• coconut milk yogurt
• chives

Instructions

1. Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the chopped chicken and brown 3 to 5 minutes, until much liquid is seeping out. (note: if you're adding onion and garlic, do so now with the chicken!)
2. Stir in the seasonings (chili powder, oregano, basil, ginger, cinnamon and sea salt), carrots and bell pepper and continue cooking 1 to 3 minutes, until spices are fragrant.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and chicken broth, cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
4. Remove cover, add the chopped heirloom (or vine-ripened) tomato and continue cooking at a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, until chili reaches desired thickness, about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Serve chili with choice of toppings. I serve with coconut milk yogurt and chives!

Notes

If you don't follow a Low-FODMAP diet, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped yellow onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1 of 4
Amount Per Serving Calories 346Total Fat 11gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 17gFiber 6gSugar 9gProtein 36g