White Chicken Chili

(no judging my non-fancy photog skills at the moment. These things improve over time, right? lol I'm more excited about the food than the pictures, anyway)

So, this recipe is E A S Y  P E A S Y lemon squeezy. Let's get to the recipe!
p.s. I try to do all of my grocery shopping at Aldi. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3 chicken breasts)
• 1 diced onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 24 oz. chicken (or vegetable) broth 
• 2 cans Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed) 
• 2 4ox cans of green chiles (I did 2 mild)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you wish, or none at all)
• small handful of chopped cilantro
• 4ish oz cream cheese, softened (I say 'ish' because cheese servings are purely subjective) 
• 1/3 cup half and half (you can use heavy cream as well)

TOPPINGS:

• sliced jalapenos
• sliced avocados
• sour cream
• freshly chopped cilantro
• tortilla strips
• & whatever else you want to add!

So, lets chat INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place chicken in your crock pot and top with all seasonings.
2. Add onions, garlic, beans, green chiles, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
4. Remove chicken, shred, and place back in crock pot. (See the bottom of this post for a hack on how to shred chicken QUICK)
5. Add cream cheese and half and half, stir, and cook for 10-15 more minutes (on high) until chili is slightly thickened.
6. Stir well and serve with desired toppings!

TORTILLA STRIPS:
If you would like to make your own tortilla strips, it is super simple.
For 2 people, I used 3 tortillas. I cut them in half and then into strips. Then, I added them to a mixing bowl, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with paprika, cumin, pepper, and garlic salt. Next, I mixed the strips well, placed them on a cookie sheet and baked for 10ish min(350*), stir/flipped strips, and baked for 10 more minutes (or until they reach a crispiness level that suits your fancy).

I cooked the strips in my toaster oven.
Way easier than cranking up the oven for
20 minutes!

This recipe is simple and incredibly yummy. You can switch up some ingredients to make this more healthy of you wish. Chili is pretty forgiving and will not mind ;).

Ok, now for the shredded chicken tip...It is a game changer if you have never tried it before....
Simply remove chicken from crock pot and place in a mixing bowl. Grab your hand mixer and shred the chicken on a low/medium setting! 

Thanks for reading and enjoy! Share your thoughts on this recipe if you make it!