Black Bean Chicken Chili

I created this in late August when my vegetable garden was in it's prime, with fresh tomato sauce and zucchini and corn... I'm not really too big on ground beef, so I made this chili with chicken, and it is hands down my favourite chili. My whole family, including the picky ones, loved it. I left out any hot ingredients like cayenne or hot sauce, because that is entirely up to you folks. Tastes great with a nice piece of cornbread alongside too!

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2  pinches chili powder
• 2  pinches cumin
• 1  pinch black pepper
• 1  pinch thyme
• 4  cups tomato sauce
• 1 (19 ounce) can black beans, well rinsed
• 2  medium zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1⁄2 cups  fresh  corn niblets
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cumin
• 2  pinches thyme
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Season chicken breasts with chili powder, cumin, pepper and thyme.
2. Grill 5 minutes on each side, or till cooked thoroughly (you could probably pan fry them as well, but the grilled flavour is great in this chili).
3. Shred chicken into small pieces and reserve.
4. On stovetop, in a large pot, saute onions, zucchini, corn and garlic in a bit of oil on med-low heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Add black beans and spices(salt, pepper and sugar included), and saute another two minutes.
6. Add tomato sauce and let simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes.
7. Stir in chicken and let simer, covered for another 5 minutes.