White Bean and Chicken Chili

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appétit—it’s one the magazine reprinted from JW’s Food & Spirits in Grand Haven, Michigan. Although I planned to make it Sunday night, I forgot to defrost the chicken so it had to wait until Monday. After throwing the first few ingredients in with the olive oil, I realized the chicken needed to be cooked (duh). Luckily that was no big deal since chopped chicken is pretty easy to whip up in a pan on the stovetop.

I will warn you that if you’re not a fan of spicy food, this really is not the chili for you. The jalapeños add a lot of flavor—you definitely don’t want to leave them out.

OK, away we go!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeño peppers, from a jar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 (15-oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 lb cooked chicken breast, chopped
1/2 cup half and half

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño and sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin and sauté 1 minute.

Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add beans, chicken and half and half. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy. (I left out this part—it is plenty seasoned without salt and pepper.)

Chili Chicken Tacos

Hmm. I'm beginning to think I need to branch out. This is yet another Martha Stewart recipe that I tried. But you know what? There's a reason she's got so much dough (am I funny or what?). If even your jacked up recipes taste good, you've got skills. Lucky for me, this recipe wasn't at all jacked up and the result was spicy, tasty, yummy grub.

One of the best things about cool/cold weather is that the slow cooker makes a comeback. There are so many different things you can make in the slow cooker and the three reasons this quintessential kitchen item rules are (1) it's about the easiest way to make a meal, ever, (2) any kind of meat you cook in it comes out moist, tender and falling apart and (3) the smell from the slow cooker makes your house smell awesome. Well, unless you cook a lot of broccoli in there. Which I never have.

This particular recipe is from Everyday Food and gets two large thumbs up from my husband. Enjoy!

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa, plus more for serving (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 tablespoon chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 hard corn taco shells
Cilantro, shredded cheese, lime wedges, and sour cream, for serving (optional)

In slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chiles, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours).

Transfer chicken to a serving bowl, and shred, using two forks; moisten with cooking juices. Serve in taco shells, with toppings, if desired.

A couple of notes:

*I left out the salt. You don't even miss it.
*I used corn tortillas instead of hard taco shells. That’s how I like my regular tacos so it tasted great to me. I always heat up the tortillas in the microwave or fry them in a little oil on the stovetop—I like them better when they’re a little warm.
*I decided against the cilantro, cheese and lime and instead went with avocado and sour cream. My husband decided to use just avocado. The chicken gets so spicy that you don’t really need many toppings to add flavor.