I struggled with calling this White Chicken Chili "healthy" because it's a word that kind of drives me bonkers. As my friend, Robyn, says, our culture has a very narrow definition of what healthy is. Healthy for you may not be healthy for me. And healthy today may not be healthy tomorrow.
Perhaps you're watching your cholesterol and need to follow certain guidelines to lower it. Those steps would be healthy for you. But, for me, as someone who has struggled with restrictive food habits, Intuitive Eating is a much healthier way to live.
No two bodies are the same and it's a dangerous game we play when we start to believe we are the authority on what is and isn't healthy. I get fired up about it when I search Pinterest for recipes and see so many things tagged as healthy. From Paleo to Whole 30 to low fat to Vegan, you can find thousands of recipes claiming they have the healthiest version of something. How can they be so sure?
This chili recipe is what I consider to be healthy. Is it Paleo? Nope, give me the beans! Is it Vegan? Nope, give me the chicken! But, it doesn't have anything artificial in it (see ya, sour cream & ranch dressing packets!), is chocked full of vegetables and is protein heavy. At our house, that's what we consider a delicious dinner.
Buffalo Chicken White Chili
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours (in slow cooker)
Yields: 8 servings
Note: I made this in my slow cooker, but you could easily do it more quickly over the stove.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken (if in slow cooker, put in whole and pull apart with fork at the end)
- 3 c. Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
- 1 c. chopped celery
- 1 c. chopped carrots
- 3 cans black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 3 cans white beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 3 T. plain Greek yogurt (more yogurt yields a creamier result)
- 1/3 c. hot sauce
- 1 t. cumin
- 2 t. chili powder
- 1 t. cayenne
- Salt & pepper to taste
TO MAKE:
- Chop carrots & celery
- Drain & rinse beans
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker
- Return in 6 hours, fork chicken apart
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings. I love avocado and cheddar cheese over mine.
Happy eats! :)