White Chicken Chili

There aren't many things I like better than making a big pot of soup or chili for a crowd of people, especially when the weather is crummy. Lately, we've had chilly temperatures and rain so I wanted to make a cozy meal to share with my family. They love traditional chili, but I wanted to try a new recipe I had been thinking up. Now, it's one of their favorites and they ask for it all the time!

Since the family loved it so much, I wanted to share the recipe with you too. It's very easy to make in the slow cooker and you can make it in as little as four hours, or let it cook all day so you can have it when you get home from work. The most recent time I made this, I did the quick version, using canned ingredients and minced onions and garlic powder that saved some prep time. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

CREAMY WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES COOK TIME: 4-8 HOURS (SLOW COOKER) TOTAL TIME: 4-8 HOURS, 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 lb chicken breasts or tenderloins

• 4 cups chicken stock (or water with 5 chicken bouillon cubes)

• 2 tbsp salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup diced onion (or 2 tbsp minced onion)

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 2 tsp garlic powder)

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1.5 tsp chili powder

• 2 (15 oz) cans navy (small white) beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

• 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

• 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies

• 1 - 1.5 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

• 1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add chicken, water, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, all spices, canned beans, corn, tomatoes, and chilies to your slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for three (3) hours or on low for seven (7) hours. As you stir the chili, gently break up the chicken with your spoon or a pair of tongs.

3. Add cubed cheese and jalapeño and continue cooking one (1) more hour until cheese is completely melted and soup has thickened a bit.

4. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.

I like to leave my chicken in larger pieces for this recipe. Because it's a chili instead of a soup, I think it's appropriate to have heartier bites. You can see from the photo below the size of the chicken bites just after adding the cheese in the last hour of cooking.

We serve our chili with cornbread or tortilla strips and chili toppers like shredded cheese, sour cream, and chives, but it's delicious just by itself! I'd love to hear if you try this recipe, so please comment below or tag me if you share a photo of it on Instagram. Hope you enjoy it!