Cooking with 'Friends': Sandra Smith's Chicken and Tomatillo Chili

CHICKEN AND TOMATILLO CHILI
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 large pheasant or chicken breasts
6 good sized serene or jalapeño peppers
3 slices uncured thick cut bacon
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1 lime
1 16 oz. jar medium heat tomatillo sauce (Fontera recommended)
1 bottle beer
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
32 oz. chicken stock
1 bag blue corn tortilla chips
1/2 lb. Queso Chihuahua or a bag of shredded Mexican cheese (Colby. Monterey Jack, cheddar)
2 ripe avocados
Sour cream

Instructions:
Throw peppers in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Rotate occasionally till blackened on several, if not most, sides. Place peppers in a small glass bowl with lid, paper bag, or equivalent to steam. Scrape off skin, de-seed and chop.
At the same time: In a large Dutch oven, render and brown bacon then set aside.
Remove most of the bacon fat leaving a lite coating. Aggressively brown pheasant or chicken breast meat over medium-high heat. Season with cumin, coriander, Ancho chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and stir the mixture which will begin to deglaze the pot. Cook onions until clear.
Remove and coarsely chop meat then return it to the pot. Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime, roasted hot peppers and then the tomatillo sauce. Stir well to incorporate ingredients
Add the beer, cannellini beans, tomatoes and enough chicken stock till it has the consistency of chunky chicken noodle soup (about 11 – 16 oz.). Bring to a light boil then reduce heat to simmer stir well and cover.
Dump out tortilla chips in bowl or on counter and collect all the broken bits and ugly ones, about 2 hand-fulls. Crush the chips as much as you can, within reason, with whatever tools are available add to pot as a thickening agent.
Keep stirring checking consistency, seasoning and smash tomatoes and any big pieces against the bottom as the pheasant or chicken further softens. This will thicken the chili. When it reaches desired consistency - the longer you wait, the better - ladle chili into bowls, garnish with chips, avocado and cheese. Add sour cream if too spicy.