Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies

This weekend was a top 10 beautiful weekend for a change! It actually FELT like autumn. It was cool at night and in the morning, low humidity and sunny. We are still working on projects around the house but nothing pressing, which is nice for a change. This morning I got up early and made a new recipe for Cheese Rolls. I opened up the door from the kitchen to the screened porch to let the chilly morning air in while the smell of bread baking wafted throughout the house. They turned out amazing! I'll share the recipe with you tomorrow (I posted a photo of them below).

I was in the mood for chili this evening and wanted to try it out in my Instant Pot. It, too, turned out amazing! I made Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies. Besides the usual onions, bell peppers and jalapeno peppers, I added diced yellow crookneck squash and some finely diced carrots for a bit of natural sweetness to balance the spiciness of the chili. When my children were young, I used to sneak veggies into chili, spaghetti sauce, and other things. The veggies tend to pick up the flavor of whatever you are cooking them in, so it's a great way to get some extra veggies into your kids (and husband) without them even really knowing. I loved how tender and melded the flavors were after pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. It tasted like it had slow cooked all day long. I served the chili with a basket of toasted Parmesan Biscuits and Cheese Rolls. Of course, you could always make this chili on the stove top or in the slow cooker if you don't own an Instant Pot. You can also slow cook it in the Instant Pot if you don't want to pressure cook it. If you prefer beef chili, just swap out the ground chicken for beef. It was the perfect meal to end a beautiful fall weekend with. I even snapped a few photos of my baby Spike. I tried to get him to look at the camera which naturally made him look the opposite way (he's good like that). Whenever I pull out the camera and point it at him, he refuses to look at it and turns his head away. I have to act like a semi-crazy woman to make him even glance my way for a split second. The recipe for the Instant Pot Chili is below as well as a bunch of photos. Stay tuned for the Cheese Rolls recipe tomorrow. Enjoy!

Cheese Rolls (recipe coming tomorrow)

Fire roasted diced tomatoes on the left and crushed on the right

Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground chicken (I used ground chicken breast), or substitute ground beef
4 tablespoons oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 large sweet bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), diced
3 small yellow summer crookneck squash, optional
3 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (or to taste)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   1 tablespoon chili powder
   1 teaspoon "Mexican style chili powder"
   1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
   1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
   1 teaspoon dried oregano
   1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 23-oz jar diced fire roasted tomatoes, including juice (I used Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1 14.5-oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes)
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained (optional)

Directions:
Press the "Saute" button and heat 2 tablespoons oil in stainless steel pot insert in Instant Pot. Cook ground chicken, breaking up with a large spoon, until no longer pink. Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add additional 2 tablespoons oil and saute onion, carrots, sweet bell peppers, squash, and jalapeno peppers until slightly softened. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Return cooked chicken to Instant Pot.

Add all of the spices, diced and crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, and water. Stir in beans. Close and lock lid. Press "Bean/Chili" button. Timer will begin counting down the preset 30 minutes cook time as soon as the pot has reached pressure. When the cook time is completed, pot will beep and then automatically switch over to "Keep Warm/Cancel" and stay warm until you are ready to serve (if serving immediately, allow float valve to return to recessed position indicating pressure has been released naturally). If desired, chili can be slow cooked instead of pressure cooked for 4 hours using the "Slow Cooker" button instead.

Ladle chili into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream, if desired.