Boy do I have something delicious to share with you! Here in Utah, Fall is awesome. It's never long enough, though, so I always have to squeeze in every single pumpkin-halloween-thanksgiving-candy-sweet-spooky-fally thing I know of into the month of October. Luckily, the snow has been kind to us this year (knock on wood!) and hasn't graced us with its presence...yet!
I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with y'all, but with my added twist.
WARNING: This chili is anything but low calorie! Bathing suit season isn't for another 8 months, so I say go for it! Just kidding! I'm just forewarning you. This stuff is so delicious and highly addictive!
In a later post, I will delve into my love affair with www.allrecipes.com. Seriously, it's a daily website! Thousands upon THOUSANDS of delicious recipes. Type in an ingredient and BOOM you have something fabulous, with 5,874 ratings, and user reviews that have tweaked the recipe to perfection! I love that each recipe is just a basic idea, and the gourmet chefs give advice on how to update it or make it even more scrumptious! Here's just one of the recipes I love, but with my own little twist!
Original recipe can be found here.
Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 or 2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chili peppers
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 oz) cans white beans (1 can mashed)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1 block (8 oz) cream cheese (optional)
Sour cream
Fast Cook:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Slow Cooker:
Place whole chicken breasts and chicken broth into slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, low for 4-5.
Shred chicken once thoroughly cooked.
Heat oil and cook onion, garlic, pepper, and spices and sauté until tender. Dump onion and spice mixture into slow cooker. (Mash or puree 1 can of beans. Leave two cans whole.) Add beans and cream cheese. Cook low for at least one hour (I leave it for about 2 hours).
Serve warm with cheese! Lots and lots of cheese and sour cream!
Changes made from the original:
- I halved the cumin form 2 tsp to just 1. It's very strong, especially in the slow cooker!
- I love green chillies! The original called for 1 can, but I always put 2 cans in any recipe! Sometimes more. It's a nice kick that my tastebuds can handle, so I up the amount to give it more flavor.
- I opted out of the jalapeño peppers. Too much hot for me.
- I mash 1 cans of the white beans for added thickness. It's a smoother, creamier chili. The 2 cans of whole beans still leave it with that chili texture.
- Cream cheese was unheard of in the original recipe! Who can resist that creamy goodness, though?
- Sour cream, I think, was also added to the slow cooker recipe at one point in time, but it is just fine as an additional topping after cooking.
- I believe I throw in the cheese before serving to give it that stringy, cheesy effect. Cheese as an optional topping may be preferable for guests, though.
- In the past, I've skipped the cayenne and oregano and called it good with the cumin. I didn't have those spices on hand, so I made do with just the cumin. To be honest, I don't think it made a huge difference in the recipe, but then again, I don't love spicy things that much! If you and your husband love the spices, go for it!
Photo credit allrecipes.com
This recipe is so fast and delicious. Let me know if you try it! If you have any changes or suggestions for the recipe, share with us!
