Crockpot Chicken Chili

 

Chili is one of my family’s favorite winter meals. It is warm, hearty and quick to prepare – the ultimate in comfort food. This version is made with chicken instead of beef and white beans instead of red ones. The flavors are a little different than the traditional chili but I think you will find it a nice change of pace. I use a 6-quart slow cooker for my version, but the recipe divides easily for smaller crockpots.

1 pound dry white beans (or substitute 4 cans of canned beans)
1 cup Carrots, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed (medium)
1 pkg White Chicken Chili seasoning
1 cup celery , diced
2 tbsp chicken bouillion or chicken stock mix (I use Tone’s Chicken Base)
6  uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 cup frozen white or yellow corn kernels
1 small can diced green chilis, or to taste
Water

Hot soak** white beans, unless using canned (instructions for canned beans below). Drain and rinse beans. Layer ingredients into slow cooker in the following order:
beans
chicken
vegetables in order listed above
water, enough to just cover ingredients.

Cook on high for 3 – 4 hours until beans are just tender. Add chicken boullion and seasoning mix ( I used McCormick’s White Chili mix). Stir mixture into ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for addtional 30 minutes to an hour or until flavors blend.

Canned beans instructions
If using canned beans, add all ingredients to the crockpot at once. Cook on high 2 – 3 hours or on low 3 – 4 hours or until chicken is done.

4 points plus for 1 cup serving assuming 5 quarts total volume of chili.

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** Hot soak for beans – Rinse beans and place in sauce pan. Cover with enough water to make double the volume or to rise about 4 inches over the top of the beans. Bring to a boil and cook on high for 2 – 3 minutes. Cover. Remove from heat and leave the beans covered to soak for at least 1 hour. Beans are ready for the recipe. The hot soak will soften the beans to make them cook quicker and also eliminate many of the digestive problems that beans can cause.