White Chicken Chili

© Can Stock Photo/
roxanabalint

I love making chili con carne. It’s one of my all time favorite comfort foods. It’s spicy, it’s tasty, and simple to make. Best of all, many of the ingredients are already in our pantries and it freezes well.

However, it’s also nice to take a break and try a different variation, such as chicken chili.

Chicken chili is a delicious alternative for those who don’t eat red meat. It has its own unique flavor, and, like chili con carne, chicken chili also freezes well. Turkey can also be substituted for chicken, making it a nice recipe for delicious holiday leftovers.

White Chicken Chili

  • 1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cubed
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 small can chopped green chilies (4 oz)
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 cans cannellini beans
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
  • 1 chopped jalapeno (optional)

Place olive oil in a 4-quart stockpot and cook the chicken, onions, and garlic. Once chicken is cooked all the way through add chicken broth, green chilies, beans and seasonings. Place cornstarch in a small bowl, mix thoroughly with water. Pour into the chili and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Top each serving with cheese and add chopped jalapeno, if desired. Goes nicely with cornbread on the side.

Variations: For a hotter chili, add the cayenne pepper. For a sweeter chili, substitute 1 can of corn for 1 can of cannellini beans.

***

Book Cover for Rosies Riveting Recipes
Cover photo by Rob Resetar

Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. During WWII, the United States government devised a food rationing program to help insure that every family would have enough to eat. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives readers a glimpse into life on the WWII home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one Rosies’s Riveting Recipes includes more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World War II ration recipes and short tales of life on the American home front interspersed throughout.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com and other online booksellers.

 

 

My New Mexico Kitchen

photo by Gayle Martin

I know I haven’t been around lately. However, there was a reason for it. I sold my home in Tucson, Arizona, (sort of like Jojo in that old Beatles song), and now living in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I’m love my new home. It even came with an outdoor mini kitchen, which I’ll use once the hot, humid weather breaks. I also look forward to trying out some New Mexico recipes.

From what I’m seeing so far, Las Cruces is a foodie town. New Mexico definitely is a foodie state. I’ve already fallen madly in love with New Mexico Pinon Coffee, and I’m enjoying the New Mexico wines.

One of the big events in Las Cruces is the Hatch Chile Festival, which, thanks to Covid, is cancelled this year. However, you can still buy fresh Hatch chilis at the grocery store, and they’ll roast them for you in the parking lot. There is nothing quite like the smell of steaming hot fresh roasted chilis. If Glade were to ever make a Roasted Chili scent, I’d buy a case of it. In the meantime, I’m putting fresh Hatch chili in my chicken chili, on burgers, scrambled eggs, and I’m loving it.

Gayle Martin

Chili con Carne

 
© Can Stock Photo/ dbvirago

Who doesn’t love chili con carne? I grew up on canned chili, but trust me, once you get used to eating chili made from scratch, you’ll never want to go back to canned.

Chili con carne is an amazingly simple dish to prepare. It’s also an easy way to use up leftover veggies, so Rosie would have approved. Chili tastes great on its own, or on top of a hot dog. The following recipe is one I put together through trial error and tweaking other recipes. One nice thing about chili con carne is that there really is no way to make it wrong.

Gayle Martin

CHili con carne

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced *
  • an 8 ounce can tomato sauce
  • a 4 ounce can diced green chilis
  • a 16 oz can red kidney beans
  • a 16 oz can pinto beans
  • 1 cup water or broth
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 2 tablespoons hot wings or Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
  • 1/4 cup water or broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in a small stock pot or kettle until the meat is cooked all the way through. Stir in canned green chilis. Add tomato sauce and 1 cup of water or broth. Stir in the canned beans and add seasonings. Stir cornstarch and water in a small bowl and pour into the chili mixture. Mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. If desired, top with cheese, sour cream or chives. Serve.

For those who prefer, ground chicken or turkey may be used instead of ground beef. If using ground chicken or turkey, add a tablespoon of cooking oil.

* A tablespoon of garlic powder can be substituted for the minced garlic.

Cover photo by Robert Resetar.

Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. During WWII, the United States government devised a food rationing program to help insure that every family would have enough to eat. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives readers a glimpse into life on the WWII home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one Rosies’s Riveting Recipes includes more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World War II ration recipes and short tales of life on the American home front interspersed throughout. 

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.