Alexander Smalls & JJ Johnson’s Bebop Chicken Chili

Fans of the great Charlie Parker know that chili is synonymous with the birth of bebop. It was during a 1939 jam session at Dan Wall’s Chili House in Harlem that Parker hit the upper chord improvisation that many credit as the lightning bolt moment that became bebop.

It’s a great game-day meal for a crowd, but it also works well as a family meal for kids. If you don’t have time to do the oxtail braising liquid, you can amp up the flavours in a good beef broth by letting it simmer for an hour with cinnamon sticks, orange juice and cilantro stems. Use ¼ cup orange juice for every quart of beef broth

Bebop Chicken Chili

Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1½ pounds ground chicken
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven and add the onion when the oil begins to shimmer. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, bell peppers and poblano and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Once the vegetables are soft, add the chicken and spread it out in an even layer on the bottom of the pot. Stir to crumble the chicken as it cooks.

3. Once the chicken begins to turn opaque, after about 3 minutes, add the spices, herbs and the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt. Stir to coat and toast the spices, and cook for about 3 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pot. Simmer the chili to let the flavours meld and the sauce thicken, about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn.

5. Season to taste. Let cool and store in an airtight nonreactive container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, if you’re not serving it immediately.

Chef JJ’s Kitchen Tips: Some dishes taste better the next day. Making and storing the chili a day in advance gives the flavours a chance to meld and blend together to develop a more complex quality

Excerpted from BETWEEN HARLEM AND HEAVEN by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz da Costa.