Thursday, September 3, 2015

White Chicken Chili

I've been contemplating whether to just quit the whole blogging, or continue on, even if I post once a month...at least it's better than none at all. I've invested five years into food blogging. so I'm not gonna stop now! I've been using my smart phone to take quick photos of everyday 'life' and I must say it's a lot more convenient than lugging around your digital camera although, today I decided to get my camera out for this 'brainstorming' quick idea of making chili...not just any chili with the beef, I decided to use white chicken breasts...no big deal just leftover rotisserie chicken from my local Publix supermarket.

What a fun way to welcome September, and fall season just around the 'corner' to come up with all these beautiful and vivid falls colors, and hardy 'stick to your bones' goodness with a bowl of warm chili with chicken which is so much lighter than beef. Instead of making it in the slow cooker (crockpot) I just didn't want to wait for it to cook for 6 hours...although, I did cook the dark red kidney beans, and the Great Northern beans ahead of time separately, and added the shredded chicken at the end of cooking time.
 Let me tell you, this amazing chili with is such a $ stretcher...a real 'thrift' bargain, you can feed an 'army' with it and they will love it and thank you for it, and you can 'pat' yourself in the back that you have a winning recipe idea on your hand. Also, you most likely have most of these ingredients in your cupboard and in your fridge. As for the spices, they are also very basic as well. You can make this as hot, medium, or mild if young children are eating it. Since I'm such a Pinterest 'geek' I actually did find this recipe on Pinterest by a well know food blogger, so I will post her recipe and my adaptation of how I made it!


    { Crockpot} White Chicken Chili
My adaptation in BLUE
serves: 8-10

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 can (15-ounces) low sodium Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed well
  • 2 cups dry cooked Great Northern Beans+ ( save1 cup of the liquid it was cooked in)
  • 1 can (15-ounces) low sodium Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed well
  • 2 cups dry cooked dark Red Kidney Beans + (save 1 cup of the liquid it was cooked in)
  • 2 cans (10-ounces each) diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1-28 oz can diced tomatoes (drain liquid and save in a measuring cup)
  • 1 can (15-ounces) sweet corn kernels
  • I used 2 fresh leftover cooked corn (shaved off the kernels to add at the end)
  • ¼-teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼-teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼-teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry granule garlic and parsley
  • ⅛-teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups of the liquid from the beans it was cooked in
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bottle (12-ounces) beer
  • 1 bottle Samuel Adams beer
  • 4 chicken breast halves
  • whole breast of a store bought rotisserie chicken taken off the bone
  • 1 avocado, diced, for garnish
  • shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
  • sour cream, optional
Instructions
  1. Place the chopped onions, beans, tomatoes, and corn in the crock pot.
  2. 1-1lb. bag of dry Great Northern Beans soaked for 2 hrs. after bringing it to a boil (in a large pot covering it with water) adding 2 bay leaves, 1 half onion, salt and pepper. Do the same with the red Kidney Beans. Simmer beans on low heat till almost tender to the 'al dente' about 1 hr.
  1. Stir in chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
  2. Add both beans with their liquid to a 'Dutch oven' (heavy duty large pot) the drained diced tomatoes, add the spices, and the beer. Cook for an additional 1 hr. on med- low uncovered.
  3. Add chicken broth and beer.
  4. Place chicken breasts on top.
  5. Cover and cook for 3.5 to 4 hours ON HIGH, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Or cook
  6. on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or until chicken is done.
  7. Shred the deboned chicken breast, and add it to the pot, along with the corn kernels. Add the olive oil. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the reserved tomato juice, which is about 1/2 cup, whisking it till a smooth paste, and add it to the pot with all the ingredients. Simmer for an additional 25 minutes
  8. Remove chicken breasts from the pot and place on a cutting board; let cool for a few minutes.
  9. Shred chicken and stir it back into the pot; cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
  10. Ladle chili into bowls and garnish with avocado, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
  11. Serve.
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: DIETHOOD
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 486 grams (17-ounces) Calories: 345 Fat: 5.3