An Accidental Recipe

Last week, I hosted "Bring A Victim" day for my Phlebotomy classes, which always involves food to bribe them.  I've found that if you offer food in return for fresh veins, you can talk people into pretty much anything.

Normally, I can come up with a potluck meal in no time, but for some reason I was stuck last week.  My fall-back recipe, chili, didn't sound appetizing since we'd just spent the entire week eating left-over chili.  As I lay in bed Monday night, I finally thought of something to make for the potluck, but was too tired to get my butt up out of bed and throw everything in the crockpot so it could be ready for my morning class.  I figured I'd just stop at the grocery store in the morning and figure something out.

However...being married to a chef and learning to think outside the box when it comes to cooking saved the day. My mind must have been working while I was asleep, because I woke up the next morning with the perfect recipe for the potluck!  It turned out so well, I thought I'd share it with all of you.  It's embarrassingly simple and perfect for cold days.

Chicken Green Chile Stew

• 1 large can chicken breast (yes, I use canned, but if you have all day to simmer, you can throw in four chicken breasts instead)
• 1 large jar 505 Green Chili
• 1 small can diced green chiles 
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 2 cans (or one "box") of Chicken Stock
• 1 can white potatoes, diced (or two diced potatoes if you have all day to simmer)
• 1 small bag frozen corn

Throw them all together in a crockpot or stockpot to heat.  You can use all the low-sodium, low-fat ingredients you want and it will still taste amazing!  There's not a darned thing in the stew that's bad for you and if you balk at the Cream of Chicken soup, don't use it.

Trust me, it's awesome and prep only takes as long as it takes to open a few cans and unscrew a jar lid.