White Chicken Chili

I have been seriously slacking in the cooking department lately.  You haven't gotten much of anything new around here.  That's probably because I haven't been in the mood to experiment in the kitchen.

You see, my days go like this:

5:30-7:00 Wake up, drink coffee, get ready, take care of dog, read blogs/check email, clean up the house.

7:00 Leave the house (let's be real. this usually doesn't happen until 7:15)

7:30-4:00 Work

4:00 Drive home.  Debate the gym.  Sometimes go, sometimes don't.  If I don't, it gives me a jump on laundry, errands, etc.  Sometimes I'll take Scout for a walk.  This is usually when I write a blog post while I eat an after-school snack.

5:30 Start dinner and feed the dog.

5:30-7:30  Dinner, spend time with Scott, etc.  If Scott's not around, I usually play with the dog and/or read stuff online.

By 7:30, I'm pretty much done.  Sometimes I'll grade papers or write lesson plans.  I'm doing pretty well staying ahead at school just by working while I'm at school.  I'm starting to feel like I have a system in place again.  Now that I have my kids working independently (read: they're trained), I don't need to hover as much as I did 6 weeks ago.  (I still subscribe to the theory that if you need to spend every night and weekend in your classroom, you're doing it wrong.)

It may seem like I have a lot of time at night, and maybe I do, but my to-do list is so long and I feel like I have something to complete every night.  Be it grocery shopping, a craft I want to finish, laundry to put away, blog posts to write, a movie to watch...and then I usually end up playing with Scout for half an hour and my timeline is shot.

My options are usually: A. Cook a good dinner, or B. Go to the gym. Never both, because then I start to feel overwhelmed, which is really silly.  It's 20 minutes to the gym and 20 minutes back so, combined with a workout, it's a large chunk out of the evening.

I made this chili on Halloween. It was rainy. I expected trick or treaters.  I just went home after school and cooked dinner.

This is what I came up with.  I will be making it again soon.  We really liked it and I thought it was much better than regular chili.

White Chicken Chili
inspired by this recipe

1 lb. ground chicken (or cooked shredded chicken)
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 small can corn
1 can Ro-Tel
2-3 T. diced canned green chiles (if you like heat, the whole can)
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced

2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. smoked paprika
1 T. sugar

1/4 c. cream or half-n-half
1/4 c. sour cream
(You could also up the richness by adding 3 oz. of cream cheese.  I didn't have any.)

Lime
Cilantro (do not skip this..it's the best part)
Shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, brown the chicken in you're using ground.  Add in the onion, bell pepper, and seasonings.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the broth, corn, Ro-Tel, chiles, and beans.
Cook over medium heat, just so it simmers, for about 30 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in cream, sour cream, and/or cream cheese.

Garnish with lime and cilantro.  Serve with rice, quinoa, or chips for dipping.

*You could also easily adapt this to the crockpot.  I would make sure the chicken is cooked first and then put everything in a 6 quart crockpot for 6 hours on low.  Add in the cream/sour cream/cream cheese after cooking. Let me know if you try it!*