White Chicken Chili

After spending the second weekend in a row attending a wedding -- the first in Pittsburgh, the second in Cleveland -- I arrived back at my apartment completely exhausted and devoid of any motivation to cook. Thankfully, I remembered that I had some leftover chili in the freezer that I originally made about a month ago.

Don't ask me why I had it in my head to make chili at the beginning of August... But I'm glad I did and that I had the common sense to freeze some of the leftovers because it allowed me not to think too hard about what to make for dinner tonight. Now that it's beginning to feel like fall out there, chili sounded like a good idea.

White Chicken Chili

(adapted from RecipeZaar recipe by happynana)
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles, undrained
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 15-ounce cans great northern beans, undrained
• 4 cups reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 2 2/3 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. While the oven is heating, season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Place each chicken breast on a square piece of aluminum foil and create two sealed packets by folding up the edges of the foil. Bake for 1 hour.


3. Open the foil packets and allow chicken to come to room temperature. Leave juice in the packets to prevent the chicken from drying out. Meanwhile, plug in a slow cooker and turn the temperature setting to "warm".


4. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Saute for another 2 minutes.


5. Add beans, chicken broth, and bouillon cube. Bring mixture to a boil.


6. While waiting for the mixture to boil, chop the chicken into bite-size pieces.


7. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


8. Increase temperature setting on the slow cooker to "low". Transfer the ingredients carefully from the pot to the slow cooker, making sure not to splash hot liquid on yourself. Cook on low for 3 hours.


9. Add the grated cheese and stir until it has melted. Continue to cook on low for another 30 minutes before serving.

Food Tip: When cooking with a slow cooker, make sure the temperature of the slow cooker matches the temperature of your ingredients. If your ingredients are cold or at room-temperature, there's no need to pre-heat the slow cooker. But if your ingredients are warm or hot before you put them into the chamber, you want to warm the chamber first.



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