Jeanette’s Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Slow-Cooker-White-Chicken-ChiliWith all of the snow and arctic temps this winter it’s nice to seek comfort in delicious, slow cooked meals. With that in mind, we’re sharing another sure-fire winter hit from our friend Jeanette, Jeanette’s Healthy Living . . . Perfect for a cold wintry day. Serve it with lots of fixings for extra fun!
I’ve been thinking of making this for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to it for whatever reason. I think I was worried my kids wouldn’t like it simply because it wouldn’t look like the chili they’re used to. White food tends to scream boring and bland. To amp up the flavor in this White Chicken Chili, I did three things:

  • Toasted whole cumin and coriander before grinding them
  • Used three types of chili peppers – fresh jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, and fire roasted green chilies
  • Used leftover Chicken “Carnitas Style” which was braised in onions, garlic and spices
  • Served the chili with fun and fresh toppings – diced avocado, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro leaves, Pepper Jack cheese, and baked blue tortilla chips

The chili itself is dairy-free, so choose your toppings according to preferences and dietary needs. My husband is lactose intolerant, so he topped his chili with avocado, scallions and cilantro.
To go along with this chili, I made a batch of gluten-free dairy-free Cornbread and Steamed Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Red Pepper Olive Oil.
I gave a container of this White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies to a friend of mine who’s just finishing up her chemotherapy treatments and she said it was the best chicken chili she’s ever had. I was so glad she enjoyed this nutrient rich chili, packed with goodness.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours, 35 minutes

Yield: 6

I pureed one can of beans to make a thicker, creamier consistency to this chili. Toasting whole spices and then grinding them is worth the effort for an extra boost of flavor; however, you could certainly use pre-ground spices. For dairy-free option, leave out cheese and Greek yogurt as toppings.

Ingredients

    • 3 14.5 ounce cans white beans
    • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
    • 4 sliced pickled jalapenos
    • 2 green bell peppers
    • 1 large onion, chopped
    • 1 celery stalk, chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
    • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 cups Chicken Carnitas or roast chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
    • 1 4-ounce can fire roasted green chilies
Toppings
  • fresh cilantro leaves
  • fresh avocado, diced
  • scallions, chopped
  • shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Greek yogurt
  • crumbled tortilla chips
  • fresh lime wedges
 Directions
  1. Place one can of beans in food processor and process until smooth. Rinse and drain remaining beans. Place in slow cooker.
  2. In a small skillet, toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds until fragrant. Transfer to spice grinder (I use an old coffee grinder) and grind until fine.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add jalapeno pepper, pickled jalapeno, bell peppers, onion, celery and garlic and saute until onions and peppers are soft. Add ground cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and saute another minute. Add to slow cooker, along with chicken broth, chicken and fire roasted green chilies. Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours. Serve with toppings as desired.
Adapted from Food Network
White-Chicken-Chili-with-the-Fixings

Check out this recipe and more at Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog

Featured Recipe – Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Lisa Corrado, a long-time resident of New Canaan, is the owner of Lisa Corrado Nutrition and author of a Moment in a Busy Life blog. This week, she shares a veggie-packed lasagna sure to be a crowd pleaser. No need for a side salad with this lasagna! It freezes beautifully and there’s no need to cook your lasagna noodles first, just make sure they’re covered in sauce. Note: Lisa give you the option to keep it vegetarian or the Flex-Able options to add one pound of very lean ground meat, cooked.
Serves 8
Flex·Able option: 1 pound very lean ground meat, cooked

  • 2 pounds eggplant, cut into chunks
  • 3 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
  • 2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and quartered
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 (28 ounce) can chunky tomato sauce
  • 1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 ½  cups part-skim ricotta
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 egg whites
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (no need to cook)
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400º
Scatter eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onion on cookie sheets; spray with olive oil and lightly season with salt & pepper.  Cut off the top of the garlic bulb, lightly spray with olive oil, and wrap in foil.  Roast the vegetables until tender and browned, about 30 – 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Roast garlic until softened, about 45 minutes.  Let vegetables cool slightly.
Pour both tomato sauces into a food processor.  Squeeze the garlic cloves in as well, plus the roasted vegetables.  Process for about 15 – 20 seconds, until smoother, but still with some definition.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, basil, egg whites and ground pepper.
Spread a thin layer of the vegetable mixture in the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking dish, top with 3 lasagna noodles.  Top with half of the cheese mixture, half the cooked meat (if using) then about 1 cup of the vegetable mixture. Top with 3 more lasagna noodles.  Top with remaining cheese mixture, remaining cooked meat, then about 1 cup vegetable mixture, then remaining 3 noodles.  Top with remaining vegetable mixture and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover tightly with foil and bake until bubbly and a knife inserted indicates that the noodles are tender, about 1 hour.  Remove foil and brown cheese under broiler for 30 – 60 seconds.