White Lightning {& Homemade Chicken Stock}

I got this crazy good recipe from a friend many moons ago.  I have since lost the recipe {twice, in fact}…and this is what I recall of it.

It has fast become a family favorite and a yummy staple during the chilly months of Winter.

As is well depicted below, the little ones promptly empty their own bowl…and then go for their cousin’s.  It’s just that good!

I tend to make a whole bunch of this white chicken chili at a time, either because I’m feeding a crowd, or freezing a meal for later.  I used to boil my own chicken breasts and tear them apart…but now that I’m lazy efficient, I simply pick up 2 rotisserie chickens and rip those babies apart.  I then save all the scraps and make chicken stock…so easy, delicious, healthy & cheap!

White Lightning

{White Chicken Chili with a Twist}

Ingredients:

• 2 rotisserie chickens {or 6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded}
• 2 large jars of Great Northern Beans {48 oz. jars, undrained}
• 2 tablespoons of butter {or olive oil}
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 6 cups of chicken stock or bouillon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Serve with:
  • Sour cream
  • Lime juice
  • Shredded parmesan cheese
  • Fresh or dried dill weed
  • Tortilla chips

Directions:

• Sauté onion and garlic in butter, add cumin & jalapeño
• Add chicken broth, chicken, beans, salt & pepper, and warm through. 
• When ready to serve, garnish with sour cream, a squirt of lime juice, a sprinkle of parmesan, and dill weed.  Serve with tortilla chips!
• Prepare to be completely and utterly hooked.  And quite possibly, a little gassy.  Ahem.

I should note, at this point, that my {super cool} older sister is a killer cook, crazy good baker, phenomenal painter…you get the point.  It’s just downright unfair how talented she is, really.

She made this cake…in honor of our “baby” sister’s 21st birthday.

The jellyfish, you ask?  Well.  Click here if you really must know.

Red velvet checkerboard…dark chocolate frosting.  And a beautifully stenciled jellyfish {compliments of our other creative sister}.  Decadent.  Delish!

Back to ‘White Lightning’ remnant…

Being the cheap frugal gal I am, I can’t bear to throw away chicken bones smothered in such flame-broiled goodness.  So I throw them in a big honkin’ pot with onions, celery, garlic, carrots, whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, a chopped up lemon and plenty of water {about a gallon or so, or whatever fits in the pot}…

Simmer it for a couple of hours, or until the flavors are well blended, then let it cool completely.  I don’t add salt to my stock so that I have more freedom to play with seasoning in my recipes.

Once cool, scoop out the bones, skin and lemon chunks.  Smoosh the veggies through a strainer to as much liquid & flavor out as possible.

I then chill it {read: stick the pot out on the deck in the snow}, so you can simply scoop the hardened fat off of the top.  Strain one final time.  Section out into 1-2 cup increments and pop in the freezer.

Voila!  I got 18 cups of delicious chicken stock out of what was otherwise destined to be garbage.  What’s not to love about that?