The Best Chicken Chili. Period.

It's that time of year.  The temperatures have dipped to the low 30's (it even snowed!) and half of my coworkers, myself included, have come down with a serious case of the sniffles.  It is definitely chili time.



This is the first recipe I tried when I received my slow cooker as an engagement gift.  I have made it so many times since then.  The recipe is being passed through my church now after I brought chili for lunch one day and taunted my co-workers with the delicious aroma.  This is one of those recipes that starts out on one site and gets slightly adapted as it makes its way through various kitchens.  The original recipe is from Skinnytaste, a great resource for light recipes your whole family will want to eat.  The way I make it isn't that different, so the stats are probably very similar.

I made this yesterday and one of the perks of this recipe is the way it makes your whole house smell absolutely delicious.  Paul came home from work and knew instantly what was for dinner when he walked through the door.  He may have even done a little happy dance, but we won't get into that...

Chicken Chili
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

• 1 onion chopped (I like a big fat vidalia onion)
• 1 16 oz. can black beans
• 1 16 oz. can white beans
• 1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
• 10 oz. frozen corn (I often use more because why not?!)
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/ chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning (El Rio is the BEST)
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 3 large chicken breasts

Combine the beans, onion, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, chili powder, and cumin in your slow cooker.  (I like to drain and rinse my beans, but that is up to you!)  

Give the ingredients a good stir to really distribute the flavors.  Lay your three chicken breasts right on top of your bean and veggie mixture.

Cover and set on Low for 10 hours, or High for 6 hours.

About 30 minutes before your timer goes off, take your chicken out and shred it.  It takes no time at all because the chicken is so moist it's almost falling apart already.

Add your chicken back in and give it a good stir before putting the lid back on your cooker.

It's so easy!  And incredibly cost effective.

You can eat this in a lot of different ways.  We like to use it to top baked potatoes (russet for Paul, sweet potato for me), eat it with blue corn chips and some shredded cheese, Skinnytaste has it on a bed of rice with cilantro, extra chilies, and cheese.  Last night we sliced up some hunks of warm, crusty, nutty bread to top with some soft brie to accompany our meal.  It makes it slightly less virtuous, but all the more enjoyable.

Bon appétit!