Cheater White Chicken Chili

Remember when I posted about our favorite "cheater" chili?

Well, now I'd like to introduce you to cheater WHITE CHICKEN chili. It is oh-so-delicious.

Found right next to the original Carroll Shelby's kit, this is similarly EASY to make and was a nice change from regular ol' chili. In our supermarket, these are located in the section with the gravy packets/mixes.

We never follow the directions on the box, as it always says to cook the chili on the stove, and we like to put ours in the crockpot so we can "fix it and forget it." Plus, we add more ingredients (like beans and veggies). Sooo, I've included below our "recipe," if you can call it that.

This chili is perfect to cook up on a cold winter's night. Enjoy!

Cheater White Chicken Chili
(Source: Adapted from Carroll Shelby)

Ingredients:
- 1 Carroll Shelby's White Chicken Chili Kit
- 1 lb. raw chicken breasts
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 (15 oz.) cans white beans
- 2 cups water

Directions:
1. Cut raw chicken into strips.

2. Combine chicken + all other ingredients (excluding masa flour packet) in crockpot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

3. Remove chicken strips from crockpot and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to crockpot.

4. Add masa flour packet and allow chili to cook for an additional 30-60 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

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Simple Beef Chili

I am on the hunt. For what?

The perfect beef chili. We have a recipe that we've been making for years, but I've decided recently that I'm not all that impressed with it. And so the search begins.

Last week, we decided to start this search with "Simple Beef Chili" from Cook's Illustrated. After trying it, we quickly came to the conclusion that we are still looking. So why am I sharing this recipe?

Well, because, quite frankly... it's good. It's just not the chili we're looking for.

But for you, it very well may be the "perfect" chili. There are so many varieties of chili, so many versions, and tastes in chili are so different. Maybe this is the recipe you've been looking for. Who knows unless you try it?

Maybe, like us, you're up for the journey. Follow us as we experiment a little bit this winter. Stay tuned... we'll be trying another chili recipe soon. Until then, give this one a shot and let me know what you think.

Simple Beef Chili
(Modified slightly from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or corn oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 lbs. 90 percent lean ground beef
- 2 (15-ounce) cans red beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
- table salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking up pieces with spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, and just beginning to brown.

2. Transfer beef to crockpot. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and spices. Stir well to combine. Cook on low setting for 5-6 hours. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if desired.

Serve over rice or noodles. Topping options: cheese, green onions, avocado, sour cream, etc.

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Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken

For dinner tonight, we went with one of our favorite standby recipes, a slow-cooked Mexican chicken dish. It's so simple, but does require a little bit of planning ahead--simply because it is a crockpot recipe and needs to cook for 5-6 hours.

I found this recipe a couple of months ago over on Dinner with the Bickfords. I'm loving on them this week, aren't I? It just so happened that when I went to her blog to remind myself of the ingredients for this meal (before we went grocery shopping on Sunday), I saw the bread recipe that I posted yesterday. So two Bickford recipes this week. :) I've modified her recipe a little bit, basically just to make more food. We enjoy having leftovers.

Anyway, once we tried this, we started making it once every couple of weeks leading up to the wedding. We love pretty much anything served over rice, and this is no exception. It has a lot of flavor, and the chicken ends up very tender. Combine all of that with how easy it is to put together, and you have a winner, for sure.

Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa (We use medium because we like a little spice, but you can use whatever you like. Sometimes, I end up throwing a little extra in there to get all of the ingredients really well coated, if we have another jar in the fridge.)
- 1 can corn
- 1/2 large onion, sliced or chopped
- 1 red pepper, sliced (I slice them really thin because it's how I like them.)
- 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Green onions, sliced
- Brown rice (We make several cups in our rice maker.)

Directions:

In your crockpot, combine all ingredients through the taco seasoning. Cook for approximately 5-6 hours on low heat (or 2-3 hours on high).

Prepare your rice accordingly.

Turn off slow cooker and uncover. If the sauce is thin, add flour (a tablespoon at a time) to thicken it up.

Serve chicken mixture over rice, and top with the shredded cheese and green onions.

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