Delicious Reading: White Chicken Chili and Slender Kitchen

Quarantine has inspired some people to take up bread making or other kinds of baking. Similarly, I have found that even as spring arrives, staying at home produces a desire in me to create casseroles and baked pasta dishes. I finally decided, however, that it was time to stop carb-loading, and thus, this month’s recipe is the result of looking for a soup that tastes fresh, even if I am relying on ingredients from the pantry instead of the farmers’ market. While we are starting to open socially-distanced markets, this recipe should come in handy when you want your veggies but haven’t been able to get local produce.

Brooke Clubbs

I found this recipe on the Slender Kitchen blog, slenderkitchen.com. The blog is more of a meal-planning site with a lot of ads and pop-ups, so it doesn’t feel very personal. Still, I was able to click and scroll until I got to a recipe that provided a good base for what I wanted. The author suggested several ways to modify the recipe, so I am sharing the way I made it by adding ranch seasoning, refried beans and cream cheese. I think these additions are what made it such a hit with my whole family. It makes a lot of soup, but everyone wanted seconds, so there were no leftovers.

Another bonus: it’s a “fix it and forget it” kind of crockpot meal.

__Ingredients:__

2 pounds chicken breast

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 packet ranch dressing mix

14 ounces canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

14 ounces canned white beans, drained and rinsed

14 ounces canned corn, drained and rinsed

16 ounces green salsa

4 cups fat-free chicken broth

14 ounces canned refried beans

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed

__Instructions:__

Add everything except the last two ingredients to the slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for 4 hours (if starting with frozen chicken, cook on low for 6 hours) or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and either shred or chop. Return to the soup, and stir in refried beans and cream cheese. Cook until cream cheese is melted, and then serve with all of your favorite chili toppings.