White Chicken Chili

A few months ago our ward (church) had a chili cook-off. I realized I didn't have any ground beef that morning, and instead of risking the craziness of shopping on Saturday, (I really try to avoid it) I decided to try a white chili. I had some bone in chicken breast that I stuck in the crock pot with some lemon juice and salt and pepper. Then I started the beans because I new they would take at least 4 hours. I rinsed them, covered them with water and then put in lots of garlic, a whole onion in wedges and a couple teaspoons of salt. I do pinto beans the same way and freeze them in 2 cup batches. I really like beans and could go on and on but I'll dedicate an entire post to them someday. Anyhow, I was pretty happy with the end resultof the chili and ended up getting second, I missed first by one vote. And can I just say, the prizes were awesome. I got a $50 dollar gift card to Chili's and two bottles of hot sauce. Go Chicken!

Maria's White Chicken Chili

1 small or medium onion, chopped

2 pieces of garlic, crushed

3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

5 cups white navy beans, or three 15 oz. cans

2 cans mild rotel, drained unless you like it really spicy then leave the juice, or get the regular or spicy variety for more heat.

1 packet dry italian dressing seasoning, or 1 cup italian salad dressing

2-4 cups of water, depending on if you drain the rotel or if you use dressing instead of the seasoning packet

2-4 chicken bullion cubes (to personal taste) I like to also add the drippings from meat if I cook it in the crock pot.

1-2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

1 spoonful of sugar (secret ingredient)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 1-2 tsp cumin

Sour cream

Grated cheese

Saute the onion for 3 minutes and then add crushed garlic, chili powder and cumin. Suate 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, water, 3 1/2 cups of beans or two cans, and chicken. Add chicken bullion, and italian seasoning. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Mash remaining beans and add them to help thicken the chili. Add the sugar and lemon or lime juice. Simmer a little longer and then serve with sour cream and grated cheese.

The great thing about this soup is you can use whatever you have on hand. If you have a lime use fresh lime juice. If all you've got is bottled lemon juice, use that. You really can't mess it up if you have the key ingredients. If you think that two cans of Rotel is going to be to spicy for your kids, do one can mild rotel and one can plain crushed or diced tomatos. I can't tell you how many people asked me for this recipe. You are definately going to want to keep this one in your favorites. I personally think what makes it great is the beans being cooked with onion and garlic and the meat being slowcooked with a little lemon juice. I am telling you lemon juice is my best friend when it comes to poultry. Toodles

Chicken Wonton Salad

This recipe came from my sister’s friend Joy McClean. It is so stinking good! When I make it, I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it is gone. Trust me, you will love this. It is especially good in the summer time.

2-3 lb cooked chicken, shredded (I like to wrap it in tinfoil with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and paper and bake it for 30-40 min on 350)
2 heads iceberg lettuce
1/3 package wonton squares (sometimes I use more like 1/2 the package, I really like crunchy stuff) You can freeze the uncooked wonton squares for next time. I have also used egg roll wrappers before. They are made of the same stuff so it doesn’t matter.
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

1. Toast sesame seeds or buy pre-toasted sesame seeds
2. Fry wontons in a small amount of oil; drain on paper towels(I rip them in 1 or 2" thick, rough strips before I throw them into the oil.)

Dressing:
½ cup sugar
½ cup white vinegar
5 tsp salt (I do 3 tsp)
1 tsp. Accent seasoning salt (I use McCormick Seasoning Salt)
boil until dissolved, cool.
ADD:
½ tsp pepper
½ cup salad oil (vegetable oil)
MIX well.

Toss lettuce, wontons, sesame seeds, chicken and dressing when ready to serve (wontons will go soggy if mixed too soon). I keep everything seperate and just mix it right before I eat it. Sometimes I put sliced green onions in it if I have them laying around. If you like cilantro you could also toss a little of that in to and it would be really yummy.

Coconut Curry

If you like curries, you will love this!

--and it is not too spicy for kids--

COCONUT CURRY
1 1/2 lb chicken or pork (I use Chicken) cut into chunks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
1 large onion, chopped in to 3/4″ pieces
1 or 2 red bell pepper chopped into 3/4″ pieces
2 medium carrots, julienned and cut to 2″ length (julienned means cut into skinny long pieces like straws.)
1 can sliced water chesnuts
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp grated ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger powder. (I use a little less then a tsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (can do more or less depending how much heat you like. For kids I would suggetst just a couple shakes-1/8 tsp)

THERE IS A LOT OF *CHOPPING INVOLVED IN THIS RECIPE, BUT IF YOU ARE A FOOD NERD LIKE ME, YOU THINK IT IS FUN!

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Braise the chicken at medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken into a large sauce pan, leaving the oil in the frying pan. Shake the can of coconut milk before opening. Add to the chicken and place the saucepan on memdium heat.(sorry I forgot to take a picture of the sauce pan with the chicken bathing in the coconut milk.) Add the vegetables and all spices to the fying pan. Stir well. Saute until the vegetables start to brown.

(I had to saute my carrots seperately because my pan was too small. If your pan seems too full, do the sauting in two batches.)Transfer the vegetable mixture into the sauce pan, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes. Serve over white rice. (If your curry seems a little thick you can thin it out with more coconut milk or chicken broth. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup of hot water and 1/2 a chicken bullion cube.)

…Serves 6-8.

*Sometimes I can find a fajita peppers and onions mix on sale in the freezer section at the grocery store. They all ready have cumin and chili powder in them. I have used them in place of the peppers, onions, chili powder and cumin before and it turned out great and was less work.

Easy Crock Pot Fajitas

This recipe couldn’t get any easier. And to top it off it is super good! If you feel like you don’t know how to cook, start with this recipe and you will feel pretty proud of yourself. You could also use this meat mixture for a yummy taco salad.

2-3 large chicken breast
1 can pinto beans (Don’t drain) or two cups cooked pinto beans + 1/3 cup water
1-1/4 cup salsa (I like to use 1/2 red salsa and 1/2 green salsa)
1 large onion sliced wedge style (optional)
1 green or red pepper sliced wedge style (optional)
Tortillas
In a large crock pot add chicken (may be frozen,) beans and salsa. Cook on Low 6-8 hours or high 4 hours. You want the chicken shred easily. If you want onion and green pepper in it, add them about 1-2 hours before you plan on serving the meal. You can put them in earlier they just get soggy. Using two forks shred the chicken. Serve in tortillas with your favorite toppings. We like: Sour cream, salsa, grated cheese, tomato, lettuce, and olives.