White Chicken Chili

You know how some people can hardly contain themselves when they have a celebrity spotting? Me? Not so much. Honestly, I barely watch television anymore and its been so many years since my US Weekly subscription expired, I have no idea who anyone is anymore! I mean I just saw a post yesterday that Luke Perry was on the cover of AARP magazine?! How can that be?! All that aside, I think it’s safe to say that my excitement level would be on par with that when I found out I was selected to be a cookbook ambassador for Lisa Leake’s second cookbook release, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous! There is no question that her first cookbook helped shape the way my family eats — from school lunch boxes to our sugar intake to the amount of processed food that comes into this house. I dare you to pick that book up, read it and NOT make changes to the food your family consumes. I firmly believe we are what we eat both physically and mentally, and that it should largely consist of clean, whole foods. It’s not about calories or fat but what is IN the food we are eating. If you are going to buy something in a box, aim for 5-ingredients (that you know!) or less. That’s the kind of “clean” eating I am talking about.

Anyway, imagine my excitement level when I heard that she had yet another cookbook coming out! Yahoo! My cookbook arrived last week and since then I’ve been earmarking recipes to try — this is my first from the book and let’s just say that it did NOT disappoint! I am not sure if you would call it a chili or a stew but it got a 3 out of 4 thumbs up and I’ll be honest, my #4’s vote shouldn’t count because he doesn’t eat anything unless it looks like macaroni & cheese. Next time I will double this recipe so that I can freeze individual servings for school lunches or night’s I find myself cooking for one!

White Chicken Chili (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 jalepeno, minced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)

Two 15-oz cans white beans (Great Northern or cannellini), drained & rinsed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

Optional topping ideas: chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded Jack cheese, diced avocado and/or tortilla chips

Instructions:

In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalepeno and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer pink on the inside (add more olive oil if the pot starts to dry out), 4-5 minutes.
Toss the minced garlic and spices into the pot and turn a few times to coat the chicken. Add the corn, beans, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, about 20 minutes.
Break up some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the chili. Stir in the cream, garnish with the desired toppings, and serve!