09/28/2017

Meal Bite: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

Name: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Ingredients: 2 large or 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts; 0.5 lb navy beans ((cooked, or 1 can, drained)); 0.5 lb great northern beans ((cooked, or 1 can, drained)); 2 tsp chili powder; 2 tsp cumin; 2 jalapeno peppers ((diced)); 1 can chicken broth; 1 cup pepper jack cheese; optional: 2T cilantro ((chopped)); optional: sour cream; optional: tortilla chips

Hi Busies!

It’s officially that time of year – Happy Fall Y’all! And sorry (not sorry) if this is #basic – White Chicken Chili is something I look forward to all year. A warm, comforting bowl of spicy, savory, tender chicken & beans – all smothered in cheesy, cheesy, cheese! It’s like a fall-themed hug in your mouth. This round’s meal prep guide definitely has a “bowl” theme. Kale bowls, buffalo chicken bowls, this chili in a bowl – all the easier to lounge on the couch while eating, curled up with your bowl, a blanket, and a good TV binge-sesh.

featuring the most photogenic avocado ever ^^^

And – of course – ALL the toppings. Take this comfort bowl bliss and top it with all the fixin’s:

salsa
avocado
cilantro
sour cream (or greek yogurt)
did I mention cheese?

Chips add the perfect salty crunchy finish. I like to crumble mine and stir them in, while Drew’s more of a dipper.

Crock pot round 1 – the beans (warning, the crockpot was overfilled in this picture – you should have room for 2″ of water above the level of the beans). also featuring some overexposed Netflix, my constant cooking companion.

Plus, it’s a perfect meal prep meal. I even included it twice this round in my free meal prep guide, because it’s so easy and delicious! And eating it twice just wasn’t enough!

I’m a recent convert to using dried beans – I always thought it wasn’t worth the extra step. But it totally is!

dried beans are cheaper than canned
they come out soft and tender in a way that canned beans just don’t!
you control the seasoning, so you can season the beans however you want from the minute they start cooking – for example, these slow cooker black beans are perfect for any Mexican dish. Sub in white beans and they’re perfect for white chicken chili!

Crock Pot Round 2 – Chicken and jalapeños!

Prepping this meal is easy, but if you use dried beans you either need to do it in phases or use 2 crock pots. I made the beans first, then left them in the fridge overnight and made the chicken the next day. The chicken cooks with the jalapeños and other spices, then that liquid gets stirred in with the beans for storage in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, the toppings bring the chicken & beans to life with freshness and flavor.

These last few weeks have been extra extra busy. I started back volunteering at an after-school tutoring program, now that the school year is in full swing. That multiplication and division is harder than I’d like to admit… I don’t know who’s more relieved after we finish math and get to start reading – me or the kids! I’ve been working on keeping blog posts up to date, developing the Round 2 meal prep guide, and trying to enjoy every bit of good weather before fall truly hits down here in NC. That means weekly softball games, playing in the yard with the pups, football tailgates, and walking up to the free local tribute concerts nearby.

Sometimes, knowing that my prepped meals are in the freezer/fridge ready and waiting for me, I tend to slack on weekly grocery shopping (it’s honestly such a luxury to be able to slack on this!), and usually I can make do. But there was no way we were eating this chili without cheese! So I had to make a quick stop after tutoring to grab some of that, and I also picked up the most perfectly ripe and beautiful avocado I’ve ever had the joy of witnessing. Seriously – check out the evidence in the first snap above.

Which are you – a dipper or a stirrer? What’s your favorite thing about fall? Let me know in the comments below!

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Servings 5

Author Sam - Busy Girl Bites

Ingredients

2 large or 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
0.5 lb navy beans (cooked, or 1 can, drained)
0.5 lb great northern beans (cooked, or 1 can, drained)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 jalapeno peppers (diced)
1 can chicken broth
1 cup pepper jack cheese
optional: 2T cilantro (chopped)
optional: sour cream
optional: tortilla chips

Instructions

Place chicken, jalapeños, chili powder, cumin, and chicken broth in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8 hours.
When done, stir chicken to shred and stir in the beans.

To Freeze

Place cooked chicken and beans in a storage container and freeze.

To Eat

Thaw overnight. Place in individual portioned containers, stir in cheese, and reheat.
Top with cilantro, sour cream, and your other favorite chili toppings.