Menu for Week of 10/31/11 – Unbelievably Good White Chicken Chili

Pillsbury Cook Off Winning Recipe!

The beginning of November is a great time of year for….football! (My Georgia Bulldogs are in the midst of a six-game winning streak with a legitimate chance to win the SEC East and play either LSU or Alabama in the SEC Championship game.) And if you love football like I do, then you definitely need to have several good chili recipes in your playbook.

I’ve been making the White Chicken Chili with Salsa Verde recipe for many years now, and it always turns out great. To help make weeknight cooking faster, I cooked the chicken breasts in the lemon pepper/cumin broth Sunday afternoon. Then I diced them up and put the broth (don’t make the mistake of throwing it out after the chicken is cooked) and diced chicken into the freezer. On Wednesday, all I have to do is cook the onions and garlic and throw everything into a large saucepan. A chili dinner is ready in less than an hour.

Recipe Notes: The recipe link provided does give the instructions for how to prepare homemade salsa verde. When I have a little extra time, I like to make the salsa from scratch because it is very easy and tastes fantastic. But when I can’t go the extra mile I just pick up a jar of Herdez salsa verde at Kroger and it works just fine. Also, the fresh squeeze of lime juice is important, so don’t skip that ingredient. And lastly, make sure to purchase Green Giant Shoepeg White Corn…the butter sauce in the vegetable packet also adds a little touch of flavor to the final recipe.

I’ll be in Athens this weekend for homecoming to cheer on the Bulldogs and perform in the pregame show with other alumni majorettes. Yes, we are a little crazy and think we can still get out there and twirl in front of a huge Sanford Stadium crowd!

I hope your favorite team does well, and that you get lots of love for the White Chicken Chili!