Next week we are hosting our annual White Elephant Party with our closest friends. This is a fairly new tradition, but we all quickly grew to love it! While Friendsgiving has become extremely popular in recent years, I think Christmas is still very much reserved just for family. That is why I am glad we can set sometime aside during this busy time of year and create traditions with our close friends, whom many after years of friendship, have become like family.
When we first threw our white elephant party, I dished up a bunch of appetizers and desserts, and asked my guests to bring what they pleased to contribute. While I L.O.V.E a good spread of appetizers and desserts (it IS, after all, my favorite thing about holiday parties), making a bunch of appetizers is very time consuming and can get expensive. So after our first year, I decided to do a chili bar for all of our next white elephant party.
Dumping all the chili ingredients in a slow cooker the morning of our party, whipping up some corn bread and then pouring the assorted chili toppings into serving bowls is quite possibly the easiest party food ever! Even though I have a go to chili recipe that I usually use for functions like this, I have been trying several different chili recipes the past few weeks, This Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper White Bean Chicken Chili was one of the chili recipes I couldn’t wait to test! I have had it pinned for awhile, and we have finally made it, a few times in fact. The first time we enjoyed it, we loved the flavor but thought it lacked the heat we expect from jalapeno poppers. So I upped the number of jalapenos, used diced tomatoes with green chilies instead of plain tomatoes and served it with pickled jalapenos. Jalapeno popper flavors with a bit of a kick! Perfection and the best of both worlds (appetizer flavors for dinner!)!
One Year Ago: Lemon Rosemary Rice
Two Years Ago: Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats
Three Years Ago: Cinnamon Pancake Mix with Vanilla Buttermilk Syrup
Four Years Ago: Continental Breakfast/Breakfast Buffet
Five Years Ago: Homemade BBQ Seasoning and BBQ Sauce
Six Years Ago: Chocolate Chex Mix
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes Cook Time: 7-9 hours on low Serves: 6-8
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package dry Great Northern beans, soaked and rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed, if desired)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon each Kosher salt and black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 (8-ounce) jar pickled jalapenos
Directions:
Add all the ingredients except the cream cheese, corn and bacon to a 6-8-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Add additional chicken broth during cooking process, if needed, to keep chili from drying out while cooking beans.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, use two forks and carefully shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the cubed cream cheese and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Stir to combine. Add additional salt and black pepper, if needed. Serve topped with the crumbled bacon and pickled jalapeno slices.
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Beef Fajita Chili with Easy Baked Tortilla Strips
Slow Cooker Bourbon Beef and Bean Chili {Plus 6 Tips to Amp Up Your Chili}
Winter Squash and Root Vegetable Black Bean Chili (Slow Cooker)
Dr Pepper Chili
Crock-Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili