It’s getting cold here in the northeast, and I’m a huge fan of comfort foods like stews and roasts and all things carb-alicious. However as a diabetic, I have to be careful with what I eat, and very select about which carbs I put into my body.
But I still want my warm, filling foods… just without all the extra carbs and calories, please.
So I hunted for an easy white bean chicken chili recipe, and then modified it to suit my family’s tastes. I love my own homemade chili (and it’s one of the few things my 2 year old requests on her own) and I’ll post the recipe soon, but I wanted to try something different.
Now, I KNOW you might think that it’s much cheaper to buy your own chicken and roast it yourself. Alas, that’s really not true. Whether you buy a hot-n-ready or one that was cooked and then put in a refrigerated section, the truth is it’s cheaper to buy the rotisserie chicken than it is to buy the raw one. Why?
Quick Fact: They purposely sell them so cheap because they figure you’re not going to just buy the chicken and that’s it. You’ll buy some mac salad, or some tossed salad ingredients that you don’t even know if you have at home, a bottle of soda, maybe some bread for the leftovers, and any number of the other prepared items like mac-n-cheese or baked beans. They know you’re not going to walk out of there with just the chicken. And the prices on everything else in the prepared section are way higher than if you did it yourself at home.
So for less than $5, I get a whole chicken that’s already seasoned and cooked. Right? Nope.
I spent $3 and went to the refrigerated section in the deli area and bought a cold one!! This was for a stew… didn’t need it to be hot until after I started messing with it! 🙂
By the way… I much prefer the WalMart rotisserie chickens over any of the ones offered at any of the local grocery stores. Never thought I would, but dang they’re really good!
Alright, so there I was with my cold chicken, and needed to grab some more ingredients to make this White Bean Chicken Chili I was craving. Here’s what I bought, just for this recipe:
Easy White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients:
1 whole rotisserie chicken, cooked ($2.99)
2 cans Campbell’s cream of chicken soup ($0.98 each)1 large box Swanson chicken broth ($3.98)
2 cans canellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed ($0.98 each)
1 small (4oz) can roasted green chiles (you can use more if you want to) ( $0.98)
1 sweet onion, sliced thin or diced ($0.00 – I had one at home, and don’t remember what I paid for it)
garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and cumin to taste (approx 1-2 tbsp each, except the salt – use that sparingly) ($0.00 – Already had it at home)
Garnish: Cheddar cheese and tortilla chips (optional)
Grand total for this one-pot meal: $11.87 (plus onion and herbs, plus garnish if you like)
Okay, so yes, you can make meals much cheaper, but let’s take a deeper look, because this baby creates 8 servings.
Directions:
1. Get a large soup/sauce pan and if you’re using fresh onion, sautee that in about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth.
2. While that’s happening, rip apart that chicken! Get every last piece of meat you can find, for a super chunky, chicken-loaded stew. Dice it up and dump it into the pot.
3. Add the can of chiles, the rest of the broth, both cans of beans, and all spices, then bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, add both cans of cream of chicken soup, and reduce heat to simmer. Stir VERY well, to help incorporate the condensed soup into the broth.
5. If you chose garnish, shred up your cheese and put the bowl on a plate, with the chips around the bowl (I love to crush mine up and dump them into the bowl for this one!)
6. The great news is that this dish doesn’t have to “cook” – so you’re ready to serve! Stir well before ladling into bowls and topping with cheese.
Total Prep Time: 10 mins to cut up the chicken and open some cans
Total Cook Time: 15 mins to get things heated through
What’s your favorite stew or hearty soup?
