White Chicken Chili

Hi Friends!

First of all, the hubby and I hosted another successful gingerbread house making party last night! There were eight of us...here are the finished products:

Mine won best yard! Yes, I made a hot tub! The front wall of my house collapsed so I turned it into a covered porch!

 Here is the hubby's. He won most creative! He has a garage, a car in the garage, santa in his sleigh and a a dog turd in the front yard!

Here is my friend Kelly's. She wasn't feeling well and still did a great job! What a trooper :)

Kelly's fiance Scott made a two level row house :) I love the chimney on the side!

Our friend Tim won best structure. His was very modern looking...complete with skylights!

His wife Sarah won best overall house. Sarah and I had a little trouble doing this last year and we both really stepped it up this year! I love her wreath and the garage door:

My friend Brooke's house had a lovely snowman and an awesome pond in the yard!

 And last but not least, Adam created a little petting zoo in his front yard, and had a second story balcony!

I love how differently all of them came out even though we were sitting at the same table, using the same material!

After a successful party, I woke up with a sore throat today and haven't really done much of anything except run a few errands. The hubby and I are using the two-week free trial to Ancestry.com to trace back our roots so we spent some time doing that...it's been really fun!

I decided tonight was the perfect night for White Chicken Chili!

As promised, here are several different versions. First up, my mother-in-law's version. One of my all-time favorite soups:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb boneless chicken breast, chopped
1/2 c chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
2- 14 oz cans chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
2-15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained
3 Tbsp lime juice
pepper

Directions:
 Cook chicken, set aside.
Saute shallots and garlic.
Stir in tomatoes, broth, chilies and spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Add chicken and beans and cook 10 minutes more.
Add pepper and lime juice.
Ladle into bowls, top with cheese and serve!

Next up is the version submitted by my friend Trevor:

White Chili  

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)

1 tsp olive oil

1 large onion ( 1 cup chopped)

1 TBSP bottled minced garlic

1 can (15 oz) Great Northern white beans

1 can (19 oz) cannelloni beans

1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chilies

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp pepper, preferably white

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can (14 1/2 oz) fat-free chicken broth

2 TBSP cornstarch

2 TBSP water

1/2 cup already-shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Heat the oil on medium in a 4 1/2 quart Dutch oven or soup pot.  Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks, add them to the pot and stir occasionally.  Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

While the chicken cooks, rinse and drain both of the beans and drain the chilies.  Add the chilies to the pot along with the cumin, white pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Raise the heat to high and add the broth and drained beans. Cover the pot and bring the chili to a boil.

Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and water in a small container that has a lid.  Shake well to remove any lumps.

When the chili boils, the chicken should be cooked through. Add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly.  Continue to boil until the chili reaches the desired thickness.

Remove from the heat and serve or let the chili rest until you're ready to eat.  Garnish with cheese and sour cream. Serve with Fritos or corn bread.

*This one also sounds delicious!

And now, the version I made tonight:

First I cooked my chicken. I didn't have any garlic (major bummer) so I used garlic powder to season the chicken. I generally avoid garlic powder because it's mostly salt but I was in a pinch tonight! I also seasoned the chicken with pepper.

 Meanwhile, in my dutch oven, I sauteed 1/2 of a large onion since I didn't have any shallots.

I added 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Since they are no-salt added, I added the juice too, but I think that was a mistake because the tomato flavor was a little overwhelming in tonight's version. I also added 2 tsp cumin, some cayenne pepper more black pepper and a can of green chilis. For the broth, I used one container of my Homemade Veggie Broth and some low-sodium chicken broth.

After simmering for a while, I added the chicken and some frozen canellini beans from the freezer.

I let everything simmer for a while, squeezed the juice of a lime into the pot and then served topped with some cheese.

We enjoyed our soup with some Sweet Potato Biscuits!

Before I put the soup away, I added even more cumin, more pepper and a little salt because it was lacking a little flavor tonight. Should be better tomorrow after it melds :)

For tonight's Christmas card:

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Hope everyone is staying warm!
Enjoy!
--Lindsay--