White Chicken Chili w/ Avocado Smash

We like to have friends come over for dinner as often as possible.  Even though we have a teenie tiny kitchen, it's still nice to have a few people over at once.  One of Timothy's friends requested that I try and make a white chicken chili.  I had made one before so this was a gimme in my book :) After a long weekend of hunting in some pretty chilly conditions (in my opinion...Timothy would beg to differ) I was definitely ready for a dinner that would warm my body up. 

Whooo baby! Not only did this warm my body up, but it definitely cleared out my sinuses too.  I'm not complaining though, because I love spicy food.  My favorite quote from the night from one of our good friends was, "so hot my lips are on fire! shouldn't have licked them, but I don't want to stop eating!" Lol, thanks Tay!  Hope you enjoy this belly-warming bowl of chili.

White Chicken Chili
makes 6-8 servings
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced

1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, omit if too spicy)

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

3 (15 ounce) cans white beans

1/4 cup half & half or sour cream

Optional garnish: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, sour cream, cilantro, or avocado smash (recipe below)

Directions:

1.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and 2 cans of white beans. Puree one can of beans and add in.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in half & half or sour cream, and heat through before serving. 

2.  Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese (if using) until melted. Serve warm.

**I happen to put all of the ingredients except the beans and half & half into the crock pot and poach the chicken on high for a few hours.  I then remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the crock pot, then add in the beans and cook for another few hours.  Depending on how early I want to eat, sometimes I saute the onions before I put them in the crockpot so I know they will be soft.

Avocado Smash

Ingredients:

2 avocados, pitted and diced

2 cloves garlic (1 if huge)

1/2 cup onion finely chopped

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1-2 Tbsp sour cream

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.  Chill until ready to serve. 

Cost Breakdown:
White Chicken Chili

1 large onion = $1.00
4 cloves garlic = $.20
1 can diced jalapenos = $.89
1 can diced green chilies = $.89
spices = $.50
2 cups chicken broth = $1.25
3 cups cooked chicken breast = $3.00
3 cans great northern white beans = $3.75
1/4 cup half and half or sour cream = $.25

Avocado Smash
2 avocados = $3.00
2 cloves garlic = $.10
1/2 cup onion = $.25

Total = $15.08
Cost Per Serving (8 servings) = $1.89