Jan 22, 2020 4 min read

Cold, snowy weather provided a perfect excuse to hibernate last weekend and cook some comfort food.

Having zero interest in making a trip to the grocery store, I ventured into the pantry instead and was rewarded with all of the fixings for chili. Now all I needed was some meat. Fingers crossed, I pulled open the freezer door in the hope of finding a pound or two of ground turkey. Instead, I uncovered a family pack of boneless chicken breasts hidden behind a soft pretzel kit, a Christmas gift from a family friend. (Note to self: These are going to be perfect in a few weeks for Super Bowl weekend.)

Heart – and tastebuds – set on a steamy bowl of hearty chili, I opted to make its tasty cousin, white chicken chili. I swapped out the ground turkey with the chicken and decided to prepare it in the slow cooker. The long, low slow cook would render the chicken ultra-moist and tender, and enable me to shred it just prior to serving. It also gave me the opportunity to use up the veggies in my produce drawer, including a poblano, red pepper and jalapeno that were part of taco night the week prior.

With the exception of the cream cheese and half and half, I tossed all the ingredients into the slow cooker and had plenty of time to tackle lunchtime with another dish, Navajo fry bread.

I mentioned Navajo fry bread in my last column, noting how much I’d enjoyed it while traveling in the southwest a few years ago. I did a little research and learned that fry bread is used as the base for a variety of ingredients. It’s often found at fairs and festivals in the southwest and beyond, and is sometimes referred to as fried dough or elephant ears. For a sweet treat, they can be topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and even chocolate sauce.

I was more interested in using the fry bread as the vehicle for taco ingredients – yes, I’d served them the week before, but I wasn’t going to get any arguments from my family who loves Mexican food – topping mine with shredded cheddar, onions, red peppers, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream.

I found making the dough to be a little time-consuming and a tad messy, but it was worth the effort, though probably not ideal for the diet-conscious.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken breast

1 diced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 to 3 cans (15-ounce) cannellini or Great Northern beans

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (4 ounces) green chilis

1 (10 or 12 ounces) bag frozen corn

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup low-fat half and half

Add all the above ingredients, except the cream cheese and half and half, to the slow cooker. Cook on low seven to eight hours or on high for five hours. Remove chicken from cooker, shred with a fork and set aside. Add cream cheese and half and half to the cooker and stir until smooth and creamy. Return chicken to cooker and cook another 15 minutes.

Serve with optional toppings of tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado, cheddar cheese and jalapenos.

Navajo Fry Bread

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup water

Vegetable oil

Sift flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder together into large bowl. Pour water over flour mixture and stir dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump.

Using well-floured hands, mix dough to form a ball. Mix well but do not knead it. The inside should be sticky while the outside is well floured. Divide into four pieces and shape into a disk about five to seven inches in diameter.

In a deep skillet, heat vegetable oil to about 350 degrees. If you’re not using a thermometer, you can check to see if oil is hot enough by dropping a tiny piece of dough in the oil to see if it starts to fry. Carefully place one of disks of dough into the oil. Using a wooden spoon, press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Carefully remove from oil to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat with the three other pieces of dough.

Top with ground meat or chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream. Or, for a sweet treat, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar or dip in chocolate sauce.