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.

buttermilk roasted chicken

roasted buttermilk chicken

there are a few dinners that are always popping up on my monthly menu, like buddha bowls, potato soup, black bean chili, chicken tacos, and meatloaf, among other favorites. this recipe is so ridiculously easy, quick, inexpensive, and so freaking good, I won't be surprised if it makes an appearance weekly for the rest of the winter. we all love it, and even my picky dinah-girl asked for seconds. 

it's inexpensive. i bought three pounds of organic chicken legs at trader joe's for less than eight bucks, i tend to always have buttermilk in the fridge (doesn't everyone have buttermilk on hand? oh no, just me? ha ha). and who doesn't already have paprika, salt, sugar, and garlic on hand? and it feeds my family of four for at least two days, so it makes for a very affordable dinner option.

it's quick and easy. this is perfect for a no-fuss midweek meal or if you're having friends over for dinner. it just takes a teeny bit of forethought, because you need to let the chicken legs soak in the buttermilk brine for at least 24 hours. but other than that, it's so quick and roasts in only 30 minutes.

it's delicious. it's flavorful and tender and juicy. both my 13 month old and almost four year old asked for more, which is a very rare occurrence around here.

charlie loved it

we made this last week while my little brother was visiting. the day before he arrived, dinah helped me mix up the brine and toss the legs in a ziplock bag before we let it sit in the fridge for 24+ hours.

dinah mixing the brine

swishing the chicken legs

my brother and i took a long hike the day i made it, so by the time i made it home to cook supper, i was pretty tired and was thankful i didn't have a big meal ahead of me. i chose two easy sides (rice and green beans) to serve with it, so that i could spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.

view of our hike in the sandia mountains

i pulled the legs from the buttermilk brine, arranged them in a baking dish, sprinkled paprika and salt over them, and drizzled with olive oil. as the rice and green beans cooked, the chicken roasted quietly in the oven and i was able to barely pay attention to supper and instead enjoy a glass of wine and conversation while everything cooked. 

raw chicken, sprinkled in paprika and drizzled in olive oil

i served it with green beans and wild rice this time, but have served it with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts or just a salad and bread too. this chicken would taste great with literally any side. or no sides. and it makes great leftovers. i got the recipe is from smitten kitchen, and i don't think i changed much on this one. 

buttermilk roasted chicken

2 cups buttermilk 

5 cloves garlic, mashed and diced

1 TBS kosher table salt

1 TBS sugar

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

ground pepper 

3 pounds of chicken parts (i used legs)

Drizzle of olive oil 

whisk buttermilk with garlic, salt, sugar, paprika, and ground black pepper in a bowl. place the chicken legs in a gallon size freezer bag and pour buttermilk brine over them. swish it around all the parts and seal. refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

when ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees. line a baking dish with foil or parchment paper (optional, but makes for easy clean-up). remove chicken from buttermilk brine and arrange in your dish. drizzle lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle paprika and sea salt to taste. roast 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is browned and lightly scorched in some spots. serve immediately.

tahini buddha bowl

we are home from a long trip to visit family all around the country. as is typical of being on vacation and out of my own kitchen, i ended up eating a lot less healthy than i usually do. not that the food wasn't good on our trip. no, no, most of it was very delicious, and a lot of it was even quite healthy. but i indulged in a lot of sweets and overate at every meal and snacked on crap in between.

now that we are home, my husband and i agree it's a good time to start detoxing our bodies a bit. i don't mean one of those awful starvation detoxifications, you know the kind where you're only allowed to drink lemon cayenne pepper water for five months. no, no, i just mean filling our bodies with healthy clean food to drive out all the not-so-healthy-and-clean stuff we've been eating this month.

well, that's what we discussed. and then the day after we got home, i got strep throat, and have been surviving on broth, watermelon, bananas, and chicken pho from our favorite vietnamese restaurant for the last week. before my body shut down on me, i did, however, make this deliciousness:

tahini buddha bowl

i used this recipe from minimalist baker, but tweaked it a bit and added a few things to make it a little heartier and higher in protein. you could easily leave out the chicken and the chicken broth and have a hearty, delicious vegan meal. (i also forgot to add the tahini sauce before i took the photo, pretend there is tahini sauce drizzled all over this pile of yum.)

for the roasted vegetables:

olive oil

1/2 red onion, cut in small wedges

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed

1 large bundle of broccoli, chopped

2 large handfuls of kale

salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place sweet potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet. drizzle with olive oil and then bake for about 10 minutes. remove from the oven and add broccoli. drizzle with more olive oil and toss with other vegetables. bake another 8-10 minutes. remove from the oven and add handfuls of kale. drizzle with olive oil and toss with other veggies, then sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. bake another 5 minutes.

for the quinoa:

1 cup of dry quinoa (i used red)

2 cups of chicken broth

as the vegetables are roasting, bring quinoa and broth to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has been completely absorbed.

for the chicken and chickpeas:

1 cup of cubed chicken tenders

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp chili powder

1.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp pepper

1 tsp. oregano

as the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is simmering. mix the spices in a small bowl. drizzle olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken over medium heat. sprinkle half the spice mixture over the chicken. while it is frying, place the chickpeas in a medium sized bowl and coat them with the remaining spicemixture. when the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes, add the chickpeas to the pan and combine with chicken. once the chickpeas are hot and fragrant, about 5 minutes, set aside.

for the tahini sauce:

1/4 c. tahini

1 TBS maple syrup

1/2 lemon, juiced

3-6 TBS hot water to thin

prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. add water until sauce is thin enough to pour. set aside.

to serve:

place a spoonful of quinoa at the bottom of a large bowl (i used a plate instead), place a rather large spoonful of roasted vegetables on top of quinoa, and then top with a scoop of the chicken and chickpea mixture and drizzle the tahini sauce liberally over everything. enjoy warm or cool.