White Bean Turkey Chili

Val's Version 

(Denver, CO)

"Beans beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you …"



Sorry. That was for my Dad. Although, I'm not sure why I did it for him since I'm fairly certain he's never read our blog. He actually probably doesn't even know that it exists. Anywho, every time I eat, look at or say "beans," that ridiculous song comes into  my head. If you don't know it, use your imagination. You'll hate me later.

My church does a chili cook-off each year and I've asked my husband to partake in it for the past couple of years. He's never indulged, so this year I thought it would be fun to compete. I'm an adrenaline junkie for competitions. I prefer something at stake, but friendly ones will suffice. But when I lose …
I. Hate. Losing.

Being that this was in Gods house, I tried to keep my smack talk to a minimum and cry in solitude. If you haven't figured it out by now, I lost. Well, I didn't finish last, but I wasn't in the top 3. Or in the top 10 for that matter. BUT, don't let that deter you from trying this recipe. White bean turkey chili is an acquired taste. Only the sophisticated and brilliant palate can learn to truly appreciate it. That's my way of rubbing my back and making myself feel better. I guess that's also my way of saying the judges weren't sophisticated or brilliant. (wink wink) Oops!

I had my alarm set for 3am to get this bad boy started. My competitive nature was not willing to risk cooking this on high to cut corners so I could sleep. That being said, the pictures came out a little dark. Good thing I like to talk (type) and will describe what's happening here.

I used a garlic salsa and then added more tomatoes. Chili is typically a red sauce, so this helps with the appearance for those that are stuck on a more traditional chili. 

Here they are. THE ingredient. And lots of them. Beans. Lots and lots of beans.

Whatever your protein choice is (I prefer turkey), make sure to season it before you tuck it into the bed of beans. Then, cube your cheese(s) and tuck around, under and over. Get it spread out all around the crockpot.

Wham! Let it do it's thing and go back to bed. Or be normal and start it mid-morning for a ready-to-eat meal around 6pm. All you gotta do after it cooks all day is shred your protein. And if you did it right, it'll be fork tender and just fall apart when you stir.

Here you will see the selection of chili's I tried at the cook-off. Mine is the very bottom one with the 2 others in a section. There was obviously a lot going on and with 29 chili's, it was hard to decide. So, I tried a little of a lot. I happened to taste 2 of the top 3 and will admit, they rocked! Like, rocked my taste buds with zest and spice. If that's the reaction you're going for, feel free to add some cayenne pepper or a hot salsa to this recipe. Can't hurt. Well, maybe later ...

White Bean Turkey Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 

Total Time:

This recipe serves 6-8, but my pictures are set for a larger serving; about 20.

Ingredients:

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 turkey breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa (any flavor, any heat)

cayenne or Tabasco for heat (optional)

Directions:

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the turkey breasts into the mixture and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes. Avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, Frito's and/or cilantro are excellent choices!

*** For the record, Jen COMPLETELY used a different recipe. Why? It's Jen. She does what she wants. Goes against the whole "same recipe 1400 miles apart" theme, but hey … whatever floats your fancy. Try 'em both!***

Jen's Version 

(Roswell, GA)

When Fall rolls around, it doesn't get much better than lazy Sunday's, cool weather and chili. Val picked one of my favorites this week, white chicken chili. Well, she picked turkey chili, but I like chicken chili. Every Halloween night, I serve chili. This way, we can trick or treat and then come home to a warm pot of chili. It's also a great Christmas Eve dish. I've done the classic chili alongside white chicken chili, to give options. I'm not even against chili in the summer. But I must say, when the temps dip into the 50's in Fall, it just feels right to make chili.

Rinse your beans. If you don't feel like it, smell the can when you open it. You will change your mind.

So you were supposed to put your chicken in first and then the beans, but my picture doesn't show much proof to that process. I promise there's chicken in there.

Val would be so proud of my organic, range free broth decision. It was an impulse buy really. I was like what they hey, let me be trendy.

This picture really jumped out at me. I love the different colors of the beans, onions and seasonings blended together.

Say hello to my mom's crock pot! 

So here's the yum part. After it cooks all day, and your chicken shreds apart, add some heavy cream. Real cream too. You can't add fat free cream. Cream = fat. If you take the fat out, you no longer have cream but instead are using some chemically infused liquid. So add some cream. If you're worried about the calories, skip this part and it will still taste good. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!

I paired my White Chicken Chili with a corn casserole. It didn't set right though, and the only person who ate it was my Dad. He's inclined to eat all things mushy. 

Oh and bonus, this is my husband. In honor of lazy football Sunday's, I introduce you to my husband's doppleganger, Alex Smith.

Crock-pot Chicken Chili
(slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts or thighs (frozen or fresh)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cans pinto beans
5 cups chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies (or two cans if you really like things spicy)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Rinse beans thoroughly and toss them in the crockpot. Add everything else except the sour cream and whipping cream. Stir a little bit and cook on low for 7-10 hours.

Shred the chicken a little bit with two forks (this should be super easy - the chicken will be falling apart by this point). Stir in the sour cream and then the cream. Let sit for another 15 minutes or so to warm through. Serve.