White Bean Chicken Chili

Welcome 2011! It has been a long time since I have been able to sit down and write a blog. One of my resolutions this year was to better organize my days, weeks, months to make sure things were getting accomplished both at home, work and my personal life. Being a working mother definitely takes a lot of organization and planning! Take each day as it comes.....that saying just won't work these days!

Here is a recipe that I found on the FoodNetwork website and of course I tweaked it! This has a nice smokey flavor with lots of spice. This recipe says it makes enough to serve 8, I would say more like 12. I think this is a recipe that can also be made in a crockpot over night!



White Bean Chicken Chili

INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
5 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
1 whole roasted chicken, chopped
8 cups of water
1 bay leaf
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon old bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon cajun seasoning
1/3 can of a 7oz can chipotle in adobo, chopped
4 tablespoons chicken base
1 pickled jalapeno, chopped
3 cans cannelloni beans (white kidney beans)
2 cans butter beans
1 can great northern beans
2 packages of mushrooms, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
Sour cream (for topping)
Cilantro (optional for topping)
Cheddar Cheese (optional for topping)

DIRECTIONS:
Saute onion, celery, and garlic in oil until tender in a large stockpot, about 5-10 minutes. Add chicken, water, bay leaf, chilies, oregano, cumin, dry mustard, basil, Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, chicken base, jalapeno and mushrooms. Simmer for 1.5 hours. Add the drained beans and heavy cream - simmer 30 minutes or until the beans are tender and warm. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro and cheddar cheese.