I had one of those days where I wanted something warm and creamy and cheesy and just absolutely comforting. It’s a homemade cream of mushroom base, white wine, cream cheese, chicken, yum!

White Chicken Chili

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 portabella mushroom + 8 ounces white button mushrooms, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Splash of white wine
• 2 teaspoons better than bouillon vegetable paste
• 2 chicken thighs
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 2 cups of water
• 14.5 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 7 ounce can of green chilis
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, roughly chopped with sauce
• 8 ounce package of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of cheddar
• 1/2 juiced lime (use other half for serving on the side)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In a cast iron dutch oven, melt butter and saute mushrooms over medium heat. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, allowing mushrooms to shrink in size, and exude the moisture inside. Once the mushrooms have reduced by at least half, add the diced onion and celery. Cook for a couple minutes, allowing the onion and celery to turn slightly translucent. Add the garlic, which should become fragrant after 30 or so seconds.

Sprinkle flour evenly over the vegetables and then stir with a spoon, making sure all of the vegetables are coated evenly. Cook until the mixture has turned slightly golden brown and there is a small film on the bottom of the dutch oven pan. Turn the heat up slightly, so it’s medium high. Splash your favourite white wine into the pan, deglazing the roux.

Combine the better than bouillon, evaporated milk, water, tomatoes, chilis, and peppers into the dutch oven. Allow to come to a boil, then cover the dutch oven with a lid, and lower to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, and add cheeses. Shred the chicken, and once the cheese has melted, add the chicken back in. Squeeze your lime, and then enjoy!