White Chicken Chili

Our economy is kind of in a mess. I don’t want to make any political statements, point fingers, or try to tell you why I think we are in such a tailspin. First of all because I want this blog to stay happy and carefree, a place where we can all be friends. A place where it doesn’t matter what Wall Street is doing because we can drown our sorrows in a batch of baked goods. Mmm.

Second of all because I don’t watch the news. I prefer to spend my evenings blogging and scrapping, rather than finding out which companies are bankrupt, who’s been murdered, and how many people were killed in auto accidents. It’s such a downer. So if I tried to act like I knew what I was talking about, I would come off as a blundering idiot. I’ll let you watch the news and come to your own conclusions about why things are the way they are.

I’m going to stick with what I know. Cooking. I may not have any tips for how to boost your retirement fund, but I do know how you can save a few bucks. By cooking! Yes it’s true, you can save literally zillions of your pennies by cooking instead of eating out or buying pre-packaged foods. OK, maybe not zillions, but lots.

So from here on out, I will be doing Frugal Friday recipes. Ways that you can feed your family healthy and delicious food that is also economical. Sound fun? Here we go!!

My first money saving recipe is White Chicken Chili. I look forward to making it every fall as soon as the air starts turning a little nippy. It has just a bit of spicy-ness and is a nice change from traditional chili. I usually serve it with a batch of rolls or cornbread.

White Chicken Chili

2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
2-3 15oz cans northern beans, drained (I use 3)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use 2-3 tsp chicken bouillon and 2 1/2 cups water)
2 4oz cans diced green chilies
1 tsp salt (optional, depending on how salty your broth is)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (I use fat free)
Saute chicken, onion, and garlic till chicken is no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients
except sour cream. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. At this point I serve the chili and let people add sour cream if they want it. You can just stir the sour cream into the chili.

-Serves 8

Price breakdown:
Chicken: on sale for $1.29#= $1.50
onion: 3/$1= .35
garlic: .20
beans: case lot sale $.59 each x3= 1.80
green chilies: case lot sale $.49 each x2=$1
sour cream: $.40
spices/bouillon: $.25
Grand total=$5.50
Per serving cost= 70 cents

Prices may be different in your area. The most important thing is that you stock up when items are on sale! That saves so much money in the long run.