With the turning of the season, there are more and more soup days upon us. Yes, you know what I'm referencing. Those chilly, blustery, gray days that can only be conquered with a cup of piping hot soup, possibly coupled with the all-American grilled cheese sandwich. A couple of weeks ago I was inspired to try a white chicken chili recipe and it turned out pretty tasty, so thought I'd share! It's adapted from the Pioneer Woman and does not contain ANY butter, believe it or not. Also, this time around I opted to accompany the chili with a recipe I found on Pinterest for a relative of the grilled cheese: the cheesy biscuit. It was super easy and they are supposed to taste like the ones you get at Jim and Nick's BBQ (which are so delicious) so I couldn't resist. So much so that I invested in 2 mini-muffin pans to make them. Worth it.
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
1 whole fryer chicken, cut up (or 3 c. cooked chicken) [I used a tray of frozen drumsticks we had hanging out in the freezer. According to PW, the dark meat is the good stuff.]
1 whole medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 whole cans of green chilies, chopped
1 pound dried great Northern beans, rinsed [If I did this again, I would soak them!]
8 c. chicken broth
1 whole Jalapeno, sliced [I used from the jar.]
Juice of 1/2 a lime [added this]
1 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste
white pepper to taste [Mine was black.]
1 c. whole milk [Half and half..]
2 Tablespoons of corn flour or cornmeal
grated Monterey Jack cheese to taste
Sour cream for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
Directions
1. Cover chicken and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove meat from bones. Set aside.
2. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add chopped green chilies, then rinsed beans. Pour chicken broth into the pan. Add sliced jalapenos and lime juice. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Place lid on pot and reduce heat to low.
3. Cook for 2 hours or until beans are done. Halfway through the cooking process, add 3 cups of cooked chicken.
4. When beans are tender, mix milk with masa (or cornmeal) and pour into the chili. Cook for an additional ten minutes to thicken. Check seasoning and adjust, adding cayenne pepper and paprika if desired.
5. Add some Monterey Jack cheese to the pot and stir to melt. Serve with garnish.
Source: The Pioneer Woman (with very pretty step-by-step photos)
Cheesy Biscuits
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. Bisquick
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 (originally said 425 but mine got a little toasty on the bottom real fast!) Stir together all ingredients until just combined. Scoop into a mini muffin pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden.
Source: Plain Chicken via Pinterest
