White Chili (or not)

This is a good chili and easy to make. We brought it tailgating last fall to UCONN football, homecoming game.

White Chili

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

2 onions, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS cumin seeds

1 TBS dried oregano leaves

1 to 2 jalapeño peppers

1 tsp each salt and black pepper

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, including juice, chopped

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 can (19 oz) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained or 1 cup dried white kidney beans, soaked, cooked and drained  

2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced lengthwise

1½ Cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 can (4 ½ oz) diced mild green chilies, drained

Salsa

Sour cream

Cilantro

In a skillet, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken or turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon to slow cooker stoneware. Drain and discard liquid.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, cumin seeds, oregano, jalapeno peppers, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until liquid is reduced by one third, about 5 minutes.

Add beans to stoneware and pour tomato mixture over them. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until mixture is hot and bubbling.

Stir in green pepper, cheese and mile green chilies. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes until pepper is tender and cheese is melted. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, salsa and chopped cilantro.

Tips    - Instead of cumin seeds, you can substitute ½ TBS of ground cumin

- For a less spicy dish, substitute pablano peppers for jalapeno. If using pablanos, they are larger so you don’t need to add the bell peppers. Sometimes I add one yellow and one red bell for flavor and color.

- For a While Vegetarian Chili: omit the ground beef and add an extra can of beans. Use vegetable broth, rather than chicken.

Bourbon Chicken

I love recipes when you combine everything at once and that's the case with this one. It's very easy and tastes great.

Bourbon Chicken

1 ½ lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS Dijon mustard

¼ cup Bourbon Whiskey

2 TBS red wine vinegar

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 TBS soy sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

Pinch of sea salt

Black pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine olive oil, mustard, bourbon, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper in a zip-lock bag. Add chicken and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and save marinade.

Grill chicken over medium heat uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once. Don’t overcook.

                                                                                             

Add reserved marinade to a small skillet; bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it has reduced by 1/3. Pour sauce over chicken or use for dipping.

Tips:  - I use dark brown sugar, but then again, I always do when brown sugar is called for.

Chicken Crepes

This is a great way to use left over chicken or turkey. It's very easy to make and freezes well. Get creative and try different variations. Happy Cooking!!!

Chicken Crepes

Serves six

Crepes

1 C. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 ¼ C. milk

1 egg

1 TBS melted butter

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat with hand mixer until smooth.

Lightly butter 7- or 8-inch skillet; heat over medium heat until bubbly. For each crepe, pour scant ¼ cup of the batter into skillet; immediately  rotate skillet until thin film of batter covers bottom. Cook until light brown. Run wide spatula around edge to loosen; turn and cook other side until light brown. Stack crepes, placing waxed paper or paper towel between each.

Filling

3 TBS margarine or butter

3 TBS flour

½ tsp salt

2 C.  chicken or turkey broth

1 ½ C. finely cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

2/3 C. chopped apple

1 medium stalk celery, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 TBS chopped onion

Prepare crepes; keep covered to prevent them from drying out. Heat margarine over low heat until melted. Blend in flour and salt.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Mix chicken, apple, celery, onion and ¾ cup of the thickened broth. Place scant ¼ cup chicken mixture on center of each crepe; roll up. Place crepes seam sides down in ungreased oblong  baking dish, 13 ½ X 9 X 2 inches. Pour remaining broth over crepes. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until crepes are hot, about 20 minutes.

Tips - crepes can be made beforehand and even frozen