Skip to main content

Chicago Blackhawks Healthy Recipes

Blackhawks Turkey Chili

Yields about 20 oz

6 oz organic pastured turkey breast, ground (for veg option, use meat substitute)
2 Tbsp unrefined org coconut oil
2 oz organic yellow onions, diced small
1 oz organic green bell peppers, diced small
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme, fresh
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Chipotle powder
1½ Tbsp cumin, ground
½ tsp celery seed, ground
1 tsp paprika, ground
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
½ cup amber beer, gluten-free
4 oz tomatoes, whole, cored (roast in oven until tender)
1 cup chicken stock/bone broth (for veg option, vegetable broth)
2 oz organic kidney beans, canned

Heat half the oil in a stock pot over high heat. Just before the oil begins to smoke, gradually add turkey meat. Brown well and set meat aside.

Add remaining oil, sauté the onions and peppers with bay leaf and thyme sprig. Add meat and cook for 10 to 20 seconds. Add vinegar and reduce completely. Mix in garlic and cook until fragrant.Add seasonings and tomato paste. Cook until mixture becomes a deep red.

Deglaze with beer (will create an amber-colored foam), reduce beer completely. Mix in tomatoes and water; bring to a simmer. Cook until meat is tender and chili is thick; 45 to 90 minutes. Add water to thin as needed. Add beans and cook for 20 minutes, season to taste.

Serve with avocado wedges.

Homemade Hawks Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

This hearty soup contains the clean proteins and healthy fats that every athlete needs, along with fresh ginger and cilantro, to bring down inflammation and aid digestion. Serve with a side of refueling rice and mixed veggies.

Yields 5 to 8 servings

1 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
4-6 tsp Thai red curry paste
6 cups organic chicken stock
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Lakanto sweetener (optional)
2 cans (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk (Native Forest BPA-free can)
1½ lbs organic pastured chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced thin
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
½ cup whole fresh cilantro leaves
Unrefined sea salt to taste

Salt the chicken to taste and combine it with coconut milk and mushrooms to marinate.

Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat till simmering.

Stir in ginger and curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add ½ cup of broth and stir until the curry paste dissolves.

Stir in remaining broth, fish sauce and Lakanto. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 15 minutes.

Stir in chicken, coconut milk and mushroom mixture. Simmer till chicken is cooked about 5 minutes.

Stir in lime juice and season with salt. Top each bowl of soup with cilantro leaves before serving.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to two days. Reheat on stovetop, making sure not to let it boil.

Modified from America’s Test Kitchen, Third Edition.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Lardons (small strips)

Yields about 8 oz.

8 oz Brussels sprouts, cleaned, blanched in salted water 2 to 4 minutes and cut in half
1 slice bacon (organic, pastured) cut into lardons and rendered until crisp
½ Tbsp sage, fresh chopped
2 tsp ghee (organic, grass-fed Purity Farms)
Celtic sea salt, finely ground, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat ghee over medium high flame.

Sauté half of the sage until fragrant.

Add in sprouts (cut-side-down).

Cook until hearts brown nicely.

Lower heat to medium, add bacon lardons and remaining sage.

Adjust seasonings to taste.


All recipes courtesy of Julie Burns, MS, RD, CCN of SportsFuel, Inc. Burns serves as the Blackhawks team nutritionist.