chili on a chilly evening

As you probably can tell, I’m not a soup person. I rarely order it in a restaurant and only have 2 recipes on here for soup (one being so sinfully full of heavy cream and oysters that it hardly counts). But, there is one major exception to my soup rule: chili. I love a thick, hearty chili and my mom always made them for filling, inexpensive dinners during the winter. In my family we make both the traditional ground beef & kidney bean variety, and my personal favorite: white chicken chili.

My family’s recipe says that it comes from my grandma and it is one of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest white chilies that I have ever had and I am happy to share it with you. And it makes a LOT and freezes well, so for single gals like me this makes a great dish to freeze in personal servings.

The ingredients couldn’t be simpler: boiled chicken, chicken stock, beans, a jar of your favorite salsa, and cheese.

My swimmer’s ingenuity helped me think outside the box and utilize a swim cap to open a stubborn jar. My coaches would be so proud of me.

Anything with this amount of cheese has to be good.

Quick White Chicken Chili (serves 6-8)
boneless chicken, boiled and shredded (~3 breasts or 4 thighs)
3-15 oz. cans of great northern beans, drained
1-2 cups chicken broth
1 jar chunky salsa
8 oz shredded monterrey jack cheese
pepper
In a soup pot, combine chicken and chicken broth over medium high heat Start with 1 cup broth and add a second cup if the chili is too thick for your tastes — I only used 1 cup in mine. Once the broth is warm and beginning to bubble add in all 3 cans of beans and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Add the jar of salsa — use whatever spice level you like! Once the mixture is combined and warm all the way through, about 5 minutes, add all the cheese and stir well. Turn the heat to medium and let the chili meld in the pot, stirring occasionally to keep any cheese from scorching to the bottom. Serve hot and freeze leftovers, they keep really well!