Winning White Bean Chicken Chili
Our office had our first annual Chili Cook-off today....and if you're reading this, I'm sure you can guess who won.
That's right, yours truly took home the first place prize with this awesome reprisal of a white bean chicken chili that I first made 4 years ago. And as much as I love this recipe for all the wonderful layers of flavors and goodness, my absolute favorite thing about this recipe has to be the fact that you can make it in just 20 minutes!!! Yes, you read that right, 20 minutes ladies and gentlemen, which means this qualifies for #ComfortFoodQuickie, so keep this recipe handy for when you short on time and be sure to post your pics and use the hashtag #ComfortFoodQuickie so I can find your pics.
Winning White Bean Chicken Chili
1 15.5 oz can Canellini Beans (White Kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can Navy Beans, drained and rinsed
1 12.5 oz can Chicken Breast, drained with liquid reserved
1 ½ cups hot water
2 TBSP Chicken Bouillon
½ Yellow Onion Chopped
½ Green Bell Pepper Chopped
½ cup frozen tri-color peppers (Fajita Blend), chopped
1 Green Onion Chopped
2 TBSP McCormick’s Montreal Chicken Seasoning
2 TBSP Butter or Margarine
1 TBSP Olive Oil
¼ Lime
Dash of jalapeno hot sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lime wedges, cilantro and French’s Fried onions to finish.
In a small bowl, combine your chicken bouillon and hot water. Stir until bouillon is fully dissolved and set aside for later.
On Medium heat Sauté Onions and Green bell pepper in medium pan with Olive Oil and butter, until they onions begin to brown slightly. Then add Chicken breast, and Montreal Chicken seasoning and continue to sauté. While your chicken and peppers are sautéing , use your spoon or spatula to break the chicken chunks into smaller pieces until it looks shredded. (this process shouldn’t take more than 3-5 mins, if you need more time be sure to turn the heat down). Next add your beans, chicken broth/bouillon mixture and the reserved liquid from the canned chicken, and increase the heat to high. Stir to incorporate all ingredients, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, Add frozen peppers, a dash of jalapeno hot sauce, and squeeze in the juice from ¼ of a lime. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with a lime wedge and top with fresh cilantro and French’s fried onions.
Substitutions:
-you can use regular chicken breast instead of canned. ( I just didn’t have time to defrost any). Just be sure to cook it first, and shred it.
-you can use chicken broth instead of bouillon. You can also use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
-you can use fresh peppers instead of frozen. If you do, sauté those in the first step, with the other onions and peppers.