Crockpot Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Chili

By lovemygolden

What is it about cold weather and rainy days, that makes wrapping your hands around a nice hot bowl of steaming soup seem like the answer to every bad day you’ve ever had? It makes me want to come up with all sorts of new recipes in a quest to take comfort food to a new level.

Ingredients

• For Chili Base:
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (14oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
• 12 oz beer (something you love to drink!)
• 1 15oz can pinto beans
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce with roasted garlic
• 1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus a little sauce (I used 2 small peppers and 1 tablespoon of sauce)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• For Cheese Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from crockpotgourmet.net

Preparation

Step 1

Place chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in blender or food processor and give a little pulse, adding a splash of water as necessary, to make a bit of a paste (or you can finely chop if you prefer).

Add all chili ingredients along with peppers to crock. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours (the longer you cook the better the flavor). Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks, return to pot.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium high heat on stove. Whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk while whisking, to make a smooth sauce. Continue whisking over medium high heat, as you bring the sauce to a simmer, and it thickens enough to coat a spoon (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese until smooth. Add cheese sauce to crock and stir to combine well

Notes: I cooked this in my 4 quart round slow cooker for 8 hours.