Skillet Chicken and Black Bean Chili with Pastry Puffs

A hearty blend of chicken, onions, bell pepper, and black beans in a rich and silky chili-spiked tomato sauce. And in the spirit of chicken pot pie, I topped the simmering chili with buttery, flaky puff pastry hearts. It's love at first bite.

I'm not sure why beef gets ALL the glory when it comes to chili. Using chicken as the main protein source keeps the stew super lean while creating something totally different. When I served this to my boys last night, they said, "Wow, this is good - like REALLY good". I took that as a HUGE compliment because, well, my boys taste a LOT of things. 

About the chili powder: I used a combination of regular chili powder and The Spice Hunter's Smoky Chile Global Fusion rub. The rub looks a LOT like chili powder, but it's actually a luxurious blend of cocoa, sesame, cumin, garlic, and chilies. I think it's a slam dunk in terms of flavor - the ingredients are balanced perfectly. If you don't want to make an extra trip to the store to pick it up, simply replace it with an equal amount of regular chili powder or chipotle or ancho chili powder.

Skillet Chicken and Black Bean Chili with Pastry Puffs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Smoky Chile Global Fusion rub (The Spice Hunter)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and ground black pepper
15-ounce can tomato sauce
15-ounce can seasoned black beans, undrained
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chili powder, smoky chile rub, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to coat the chicken and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, until the spices are fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and black beans and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Unroll the thawed puff pastry on a flat surface (there's no need to roll it out; just unroll it). Use your favorite shaped cookie cutters and cut out desired shapes. Remove the skillet from the heat and arrange the puff pastry cut-outs on top of the chili. Brush the top of the pastry with the melted butter.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown and the chili is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Serves 4