Crock Pot White Chicken Chili and Homemade Bread

The crock pot is an underutilized appliance in many homes but I think its time for a comeback. You can make delicious, healthy, inexpensive meals with a little bit of creativity and patience. Plus, it makes your house smell amazing! Tonight I am making a white chicken chili. I looked online for recipes but could not find exactly what I was looking for so I came up with my own creation. I hope you enjoy! I am also including my homemade whole wheat bread recipe.

White Chicken Chili

4 chicken breasts (I buy all of my chicken at the Organic Butcher and I highly recommend buying local chicken if possible)
1 onion
2 bell peppers (I used one green and one yellow but any combo will work)
1 cup frozen corn
1 jalapeno (I love spicy so I left the seeds intact but you can remove them)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
1 cup low sodium chicken or veggie stock (you can add more if you need more liquid)

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours (shred chicken before serving). I don't add any accompaniments to my chili but Blake loves cheddar and sour cream on his.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup wheat gluten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)

Warm milk in the microwave for 60 seconds and put in Kitchenaid mixer with water and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes to make a sponge. Add wheat gluten and 1 cup flour and let sit for another 5 minutes. Add canola oil and salt and begin mixing dough with dough hook. Add the rest of the flour slowly until you have a soft and semi-sticky dough (do not add too much flour or you will have crumbly bread).

Cover with cloth and let sit to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. Now you can either put the dough into a loaf pan or make into 12 rolls and let rise for another 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes for the rolls and 25 minutes for the loaf.

This recipe is very versatile. I usually just keep it simple because I eat the bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but you can add a combo of flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds for a multigrain bread or cinnamon and raisins for a yummy breakfast bread. Get creative and let me know if you come up with any great combinations!

You can be very happy about eating this meal! Have a wonderful week everyone!