Chicken & Black-Eyed Pea Chili

How have you all been? I decided to take a holiday break from blogging last week, and I have to say, it felt WEIRD. Instead of working on a blog post, I went to the beach, grilled in the park, and just cooked for fun. I pretty much blog every week without fail, even on holidays, but in the name of balance I’m trying to change my ways to do more relaxing. The relaxing part was totally great, but not blogging made me feel lazy and purposeless. So I think that feeling is a sign that I need to practice relaxing more so I can get better at it! I’m going to try taking a few more blogging vacations here and there to make sure I have enough unscheduled time to do nothing, with no pressure to accomplish anything.

Here are a few photos from the past two weekends of relaxation training:

I hope you all have a fantastic week. This chicken chili recipe is really good, so I recommend you make it now before the summer gets too hot!

Chicken & Black-Eyed Pea Chili

adapted from Now & Again

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, any color, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano
• about 1 lb leftover cooked chicken (white and dark meat)
• 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, or 3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas, cooked and drained of all but about 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid
• 3 tbsp liquid from a can of pickled jalapenos
• salt and pepper to taste
• cilantro, avocado, pickled jalapenos, hot sauce, shredded cheese, scallions, and sour cream to garnish (optional)

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook, stirring, a few minutes more.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the black-eyed peas and their liquid, and the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour (the chicken should be falling apart). Add the pickled jalapeno liquid, taste, and add salt and additional jalapeno liquid to taste.
4. Serve with desired toppings.