It all started last week when my son said, “Remember that soup you made that had the crispy tortillas on top?  Can you make that again?”

I kept promising I’d make it, but the craziness of life kept getting in the way.  Emergency trips to the vet, shuttling kids to activities, and late nights working on school stuff consumed my time.  On Tuesday, I promised I’d make it, but the dog needed the cooked chicken breast (remember that vet visit) and I didn’t have time to make more.  (I may be feeding him cooked chicken breast, rice, and broth for every meal but at least he’s finally eating!)  With that promise broken, I PROMISED again to make it on Wednesday.  Wellll, I didn’t actually remember that I had a staff meeting on Wednesdays and that I wouldn’t get home until 5:00 and the whole family would need to be out of the house by 5:30.

I walked in the door at 5:10 and pulled up my recipe.  I was missing a few ingredients but I didn’t want to let me kids down again.  My hubby and daughter were just about ready to walk out the door with empty tummies, but they grabbed a snack and said they’d eat at 7:30, after soccer.  I made my grocery list, grabbed my son, and headed out to the store.  We pulled out of the driveway at 5:20.  Now, friends, here’s the amazing part.  My son had to be at church at 6:00 for Youth Group.  We drove to the store, shopped for our ingredients, drove home, prepared a fabulous homemade chili, ate, and got him to church by 6:00.  Chefs around the world would be shaking their heads at me, because quality soup/chili cannot be made quickly.  They take time to set and let the flavors mesh.  But, moms all over the world would be high-fiving me for this new record I set!! Yes, I’ve got my fist out waitin’ for a fist bump!

Here’s what I did:

I started by cooking a pound of chicken breast in the crockpot so it was one less thing to do when I got home. 

In a pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add 1/2 small diced onion, cook for 3 minutes
Add 1 clove of minced garlic, cook for 1 more minute
Add 1/2 cup flour and mix
Slowly add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk
Add 8 oz of light cream cheese
Add 1 1/2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
This mixture makes kind of a mac and cheese type sauce.
Slowly pour in 3-6 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your chili)
Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
(or chop your own)
1 diced yellow pepper
(corn would be good too, if you are not a fan of peppers)
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

It made a thick, yummy, cheesy, chicken chili that everyone loved.

My hubby says this recipe needs to go in our regular rotation. The kids both loved it too!
By the way, those little tortilla strips on top were just cut and tossed with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning.  Then I baked them for about 5 minutes to crisp them up.  They were a perfect little topping for the chili.

Happy cooking!