The minute I saw the recipe for White Chicken Chilli from Tammy Credicott's Make Ahead Paleo, I knew I had to try it. A kicked up chicken soup with homemade broth prepared in a slow cooker: could this recipe sound any better?
One morning I gathered the ingredients before work, and started loading the slow cooker.
I put my homemade chicken broth in the microwave to defrost, put a saute pan on the stovetop to heat with some coconut oil, and chopped up the onion and jalapeño. When the pan was hot, I added the chopped vegetables and minced the garlic directly into the pan.
While the vegetables cooked, I cut the thicken into bite sized pieces and added it to the slow cooker crock. I used my microplane grater to zest the lime directly into the crock and added the lime juice.
Next up, I added the canned chilies.
And then the broth. I actually used a cup less of broth than the recipe called for. No good reason other than I would have had to go out to the garage freezer to get another bag full of broth. I figured it would work out fine.
Finally, I added the sautéed vegetables now coated in some spices to the slow cooker crock.
I knew I was going to have to come home at lunch time that day, so I decided to cook this for 5 hours on high. I brought Martha, my coworker/friend/trusted food taster home with me. I dished up a few bowls and cut up some avocado as garnish. Tammy suggests fresh cilantro as garnish, but I didn't have any handy.
Accessibility & Cost of Ingredients: You should be able to find all of the ingredients needed for this recipe at your "big box" grocery store. I've yet to find a brand of canned green chilies that are completely clean. The brand I bought had some added citric acid to it which is probably fairly harmless.
Preparation & Cooking Time: It took me 25 minutes to prepare the recipe to turn the slow cooker on. I cooked the chili for 5 hours on high.
Clean up: Super simple. I hand washed my saute pan and wooden spoon, but everything else went into the dishwasher.
The Paleo Review: Thumbs Up! Despite only being in the slow cooker for 5 hours on high, this chili had a deep flavor. Martha agreed that it was a full flavor soup with a nice sweetness to it. It has a nice kick from the fresh and canned chilies. It was, as Martha put it, "really nice." She has made the express request that I make sure to share the next time I make this dish.
I think this recipe will only improve if you cook it on low for longer. I will be making this again and can't wait to come home from work one evening once it gets cooler to have this ready for me.
I've not seen where Tammy has shared this recipe online, so you'll have to buy the book to enjoy it.