Chicken and White Bean Chili (Crockpot)

This next recipe is a family favorite and was passed to me, after begging, via my husband's aunt.  It originally hails from a 2002 edition of Bon Appetit magazine, and I can certainly see how this recipe continues to be shared again and again, years after its original publishing date...

Chicken and White Bean Chili (Crockpot)

1 pound dried small white beans (I used navy beans)
16 oz. canned diced green chilis – mild, including liquid in can
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 large onions, chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups half and half
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (See Easy Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
prepared green chili salsa
fine chopped red onion for garnish

Cook whole chicken in crockpot the day/night before, via instructions linked above.  Or otherwise cook/purchase chicken, and shred as desired.

Place beans in large pot or bowl with enough cold water to cover by at least 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain beans, return to pot. Add enough cold water to pot to cover beans by 3 inches. Simmer until beans are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Drain well.

Note: You can do this all on the same day by following directions on package to boiling the beans and then letting them simmer.

Melt butter in clean heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Add flour and stir 5 minutes (do not brown). Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Simmer gently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add reserved white beans and roasted chilies, shredded chicken, and next 5 ingredients. Simmer gently to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.

Note: At this point, you can add chili to your crockpot if you choose.  Set to low until just before serving, I left mine for 3-4 hours.

Add grated cheese and sour cream to chili; stir just until chili is heated through and cheese melts (do not boil). Ladle chili into bowls and garnish with cilantro, green salsa and chopped red onion. Serve.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

My Own Bang-Up Chili with Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Everyone has their own version of chili, right? Throw some sort of meat in with some beans, spice it up...and voila. Chili. I realize there are also strict definitions of what are and are not "actual" chili recipes, so some might just call this "meat and beans"...but the basis for this recipe usually starts with a Beef and Bean Chili from my South Beach Cookbook, so you know its healthy. And then I often improvise with several types of canned beans. This time it was soooo good, that I wrote down exactly what I used. I even retrieved all the cans to get it right.

Here's what I used:

2 lbs 80/20 ground beef (leaner is great, too)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can black beans
1 can mild pinto chili beans
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can light kidney beans (dark is fine, too)
2 medium onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp olive oil

Here's what I did:

In an enamel dutch oven (or a medium stock pot) heat olive oil on medium heat, and add onions, cooking until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add ground beef and let brown, until no pink remains. Add cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.

Meanwhile, rinse all canned beans/corn in a strainer, and let drain.

Once meat is fully cooked, add all canned ingredients, including canned tomatoes with juice. Allow chili to simmer for 10-15 minutes to incorporate and thicken. At this point, add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it spicier, you can add more cayenne - but I wanted this to be safe for Sydney, so I kept it a touch milder.

I like how the corn and black beans add color to the chili mixture. Once everything is combined, its nice to have some ingredients that "stand out in the crowd" and the pop of the corn is a nice unexpected sweetness that I don't usually add - but was glad that I did.

I served this with a small handful of mexican cheese mix (cheddar, jack, asadero and quesadilla cheeses) and a dollop of sour cream.

I accompanied my chili with corn bread muffins, recipe below...

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Here's what I used:

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup 2 % milk

Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combined all dry ingredients, and then stirred with a whisk to remove any lumps and incorporate all ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, combined egg, oil and milk and mixed thoroughly. Add wet ingredients to large bowl with dry ingredients and quickly mix to incorporate, but do not overmix.

Meanwhile, I added cupcake liners to a cupcake pan and sprayed the inside of each cup with pam. I have found if I don't do this, I lose a good 1/4 of each muffin to the inside of the paper liners.

Using a measuring cup, I poured the batter into each liner, about 1/2 full, and was able to make 1 dozen nice sized muffins.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until just lightly golden brown on top. You can also test the muffins using a toothpick or wooden skewer. If the skewer comes out of the muffin clean, your muffins are done!

Sydney went nuts over this dinner. I haven't seen her this eager to eat in weeks...maybe longer. She kept on eating long after Nick and I were done. However, I should have draped her entire body with a table cloth...because Chili remnants were EVERYWHERE. Haha. The girl enjoyed her meal!

South Beach Turkey Chili

I really, really, really love my South Beach Cookbook. Everything I find in that book is delicious, gourmet-tasting (without gourmet effort) and above all, HEALTHY. This Chili recipe is no exception. Its one of my top 5 recipes from this book (I have it linked in my Favorite Cookbooks Widget on the right-hand panel). The weather yesterday, and today, has been overcast, chilly, misty and gloomy...perfect CHILI weather. By 10am yesterday I knew exactly what I would be making for dinner.

South Beach Turkey Chili

Here's what I used:

1 lb ground turkey (naturally low fat)
2 sweet onions (vidalia), chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tbsp good olive oil
15 oz can chopped tomatoes
2/3 can tomato paste
3 cups chicken broth (I used bullion, and added water)
1 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can navy beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can dark kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Topping:
2 tbsp sour cream
handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Here's what I did:

In large stock pot, I added the olive oil and then onions. Once the onions had softened (about 5 minutes) I added my garlic and turkey. I allowed the turkey to cook for about 8-10 minutes, and then added my bell pepper and spices. I allowed the bell pepper to cook for another few minutes and then added my canned tomatoes (with juice!), tomato paste and chicken broth. Stirred to fully incorporate and smooth out any lumps made by the tomato paste. Finally, I added all the beans.

Once all ingredients have been incorporated, check the seasoning. If you like more heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. I used a little bit of Tony Chacheries, which is a cajun seasoning. If you can find some at your local market, pick it up...its hard to find where I live. We often have to order from www.cajungrocer.com.

I allow the chili to simmer on low heat for about 20 or so minutes, this lets all the ingredients really meld together, and the sauce to thicken a bit.

Served in a large soup bowl, and topped with a small handful of cheddar cheese and sour cream (Disclaimer: This part is NOT SOUTH BEACH, and does add calories).

On to reviews: The hubbs really liked the chili. He added a touch of tabasco to his, but I left mine alone. He did say it was one of the best chili renditions I've done, and I think that's due to the fact that I allowed it to cook down for so long. It made the mixture much more rich and delicious. Can't wait for these leftovers. This recipe easily made enough for 6 people.