Chipotle Chicken Stew

Came out awesome!!!

I ended up heating some brown rice, threw it in a bowl, added the stew, stirred everything together and voila:

It didn't turn out as spicy as I thought it might - which is fine, because I prefer mild food anyway, but my husband likes things HOT! So next time I'll either add another chipotle pepper, or more cumin, or both!

Oh, and here's the recipe:

Chipotle Chicken Stew (from the Crock Pot recipe card collection)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (they sell these in a can - I hated having to buy the whole can for 1 pepper, but it wasn't so bad when I realized the can was only $.60)

1 medium onion, diced

1 can (15 ounces) navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained (The can I had was 28 ounces, so I just measured out 14 1/2 - also, I couldn't find any other size but 28 ozs in the store - weird)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

Cilantro sprigs (optional - I didn't include this)

1. Combine chicken, salt, cumin, bay leaf, chipotle pepper, onion, beans, tomatoes with juice, broth and orange juice in 3- to 6-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker (Ours is actually a Hamilton Beach model but works just fine!)

2. Cover; cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. (I cooked ours on low for just over 7 hours) Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Makes 6 servings - Ours fed 3 people (our guest had a 2nd helping and there is still a little left in the crock pot. Not sure what an actual "serving size" is)

My husband and his friend loved it! His friend said it reminded him of a chili.

Oh, and here is how I set the table:

I realized I have very few runners, so I improvised and layered some paisley placemats I bought at the Christmas Tree Shop a few years ago

That's a better picture of the placemats upclose (and Brandon's bowl - he didn't realize how much brown rice he added - oops!)

Can't wait to try out some more recipes over the next few weeks - this one is definitely a keeper!!!