southwest white chili and cheese muffins

southwest white chili and cheese muffins

i got this chili recipe from a coworker years ago when i was a college student in missoula, montana, long before i ever traveled (and ultimately moved) to the southwest. the first time i ate this white chili, i had no idea what a staple green chile would become in my diet and how much southwestern cuisine would influence my life. 

i found the cheese muffins recipe from the pioneer woman's blog years ago. i first made these delicious muffins to go with a potato soup that we brought to our dear friends after their first baby was born. that baby has become dinah's best friend and every time i make these cheesy muffins, i think of our sweet baby girls meeting for the first time four years ago.

cheesy muffins right out of the oven

we have had very springlike weather so far this february, but a cold front was moving in yesterday, so dinah and i decided to take advantage of the (sort of) chilly weather and make some warm comfort food: a pot of southwest white chili and some cheese muffins to go with it.

shredded chicken and bone broth

generally, every other week, i boil a whole chicken and use the meat for all sorts of things ranging from chicken tacos to soups to casseroles and then i save the carcass for bone broth. i used some leftover shredded chicken and some of the bone broth in this recipe.

southwest white chili

2 TBS olive oil

2-3 pounds chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 c. onion, diced

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. green chiles, diced

3 cans (19oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), undrained

4 tsp. garlic powder

4 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro (and more for garnish, if you like)

4 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

heat oil in a large pot over med-high. add cooked chicken and onion. cook 4-5 minutes, or until onion is soft and chicken is seared. stir in broth, green chiles, and spices. bring to a slight boil and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes. stir in beans, with their juice, and simmer another 5-8 minutes. serve in big bowl and top with cheese, chopped green onions and/or cilantro (we didn't have cilantro, unfortunately, so we went without, and it was still very good, but so much better with cilantro). makes about 10 cups.

cheese muffins

1.5 c. flour

1.5 TBS sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 c. shredded cheese (i used cheddar this time, because it's what we had, but colby-jack is the best)

1 c. milk

1 egg

1/4 c. melted butter

in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then mix in cheese, gently. in a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together. once mixed well, add to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spoon to combine. spoon the sticky batter into a greased muffin tin. bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. makes 12 muffins.