When it comes to weeknight dinners, I have three requirements that a meal must meet in order to be considered a “win” and actually convince me to want to make it again.
1.) It must be semi-healthy.
2.) It must be easy and simple to make.
3.) It must be delicious and flavorful.
If I manage to whip together something that passes all three of those requirements, then I know I’ve got a keeper.
So, today’s post is gonna be short and sweet. I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite crockpot recipes, which I actually stumbled into making one night while trying to combine two different chili recipes I’d found online. I didn’t have enough ingredients to make either one of the recipes, so instead, I decided to work with what I had (and do a mash-up of both). What resulted was the most satisfyingly delicious homemade white chicken chili recipe I’d ever made. And the best part? It met my three week-day dinner requirements!
Now that it is officially snowing in Denver, (yeah, it sucks), I felt like it was a very fitting time to share this recipe to the blog. I hope you guys enjoy it and let me know if you decide to try it out for yourselves!
Here’s the list of ingredients you’ll want to pre-purchase for this recipe:
- 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Qt. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Cans of White Kidney Beans
- 1/2 of Yellow Onion (diced)
- 2 Cans Diced Green Chiles
- 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
- 2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 C. Cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1-2 Limes
- Diced Jalapenos (optional)
- Avocado Slices (optional)
- Tortilla Chips (optional)
- Tapatio Hot Sauce (optional)
Once you’ve got all of your ingredients purchased, it’s time to get a-cookin’!
First things first, get out your crockpot and turn its heat setting on high.
Place both chicken breasts into the bottom of the pot.
Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth.
Rinse and drain both your white kidney beans and diced green chiles, then add those to the crockpot as well.
Mince the garlic cloves and dice the onion, then get out a pan to saute both for 1-2 minutes (preferably, with a little olive oil), then add the sauteed garlic and onions to the crockpot as well.
Lastly, add in all five spices (ground cumin, dried oregano, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper) to the crockpot.
Stir the crockpot’s contents to combine all of the ingredients together. Then, let the whole thing cook (on the high setting) for 2-4 hours (or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.)
Once your chicken breasts are fully cooked, remove them from the crockpot and shred them using two forks. (The chicken should easily fall apart at this point.) Then, set the shredded chicken aside.
Get out either a food processor or a blender and ladle at least half of the crockpot’s contents (making sure to get plenty of the white kidney beans) into the food processor/blender. Blend on high to thicken the mixture, then pour it all back into the crockpot with the rest of the chili.
Add the shredded chicken back into the crockpot as well.
And lastly, serve the chili into a bowl(s) and top with finely chopped cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.
(Optional): Top with whatever else you’d like to add as well! I topped mine with lots of diced jalapenos, sliced avocado, and a shake or two of Tapatio sauce. Other great topping options might include: crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, plain greek yogurt, etc.
And there you have it! The most healthy, simple, and delicious crockpot chicken chili recipe of all time. Shoot me a comment in the section below if you try making this recipe for yourself and let me know what you thought! Bon appetit!
xoxo,
Kenzie
