I’ve never had great success with making soups and chilis in the past. They always turn out too watery or bland, and I never want to finish leftovers. Not so with this one, though – it’s a winner (winner, chicken chili dinner….)! I stumbled across this pin on Pinterest and thought it looked almost too easy, and too good, to be true. Chili in under 15 minutes?? How!?
Turns out the answer is pre-cooked chicken. Also turns out that I had baked chicken the night before, so I already had some on hand in the fridge. Score! Fate! Meant to be. Baking the chicken itself takes roughly 30-35 minutes, or you could always stick it in a crockpot for 4-6 hours and let it do its thing that way. Either way, having it prepared in advance drastically cuts down on the cook time for this chili. The original recipe from Gimme Some Oven calls for shredded cooked chicken. Well, mine wasn’t shredded, just cut into small pieces, and it worked fine! You don’t always haaave to follow the rules.
I grabbed a random jar of salsa verde from the shelf at Wal-Mart (I previously discussed I shop here because my mom refills a “shop card” that I can use..Thanks, mom!!), already had the cumin in my pantry, snagged a can of Great Value brand cannellini beans (why pay $1.19 when you can pay $0.68? #thrifty), and had this box of low sodium chicken broth in my pantry as well. Soups can sometimes be a sodium-bomb, so I try to buy the lower sodium versions whenever possible. Same with the beans, I’m either buying “lower sodium” or “no salt added” cans, and rinsing beans before use too! See you never, hypertension! (At least I hope…)
This was also my first time having salsa verde. Verdict for the verde? I love it. Seriously, I think it might become a staple in my pantry. It added the perfect zing and flavor that my other soups have lacked.
I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, but decided to add in some sauteed garlic and onions for a little more flavor, and I’m glad I did! Ideally you’d sauté them first and then add the remainder of the ingredients in the same pot, which I didn’t do…but it all worked out. Fake it til ya make it. Also, blue corn chips are a necessity.
I enjoyed this for 2 full dinners, and had a little left over that I had for part of my lunch the next day. I ended up cutting the original recipe in half due to the amount of chicken I had cooked, and because I will be out of town for the weekend and didn’t want any wasted leftovers.
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cut into small pieces (see Notes)
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can cannelini (Great Northern) beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- pepper, to taste
- Heat 1 tsp EVOO in sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until fragrant and soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add cooked chicken, chicken broth, beans, salsa, cumin and pepper to pot, and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high until boiling. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low, allowing to simmer for at least 5 minutes or until warmed through.
- Top with desired toppings and ENJOY.
- How to cook chicken: preheat oven to 425*F. Season thawed chicken breast with pepper, garlic powder, and ground cumin. Allow to bake for 30 minutes, or until juices run clear and internal temp is at 165*F. I had made my the evening before and stored it in the fridge before adding it into the chili, but you can also prepare it before and throw it straight in!
