By New Year's Eve with a twenty-eight-week belly is a particular experience. We went to Meghan and Cormac's for a small gathering—their girls were asleep by nine, and there were six of us around the kitchen table with champagne (theirs) and sparkling cider (mine) and the TV on in the other room because nobody was actually going to make it to midnight with full commitment. I made it to twelve-oh-four and called it a success.
Sean and I drove home through a Southie that was quieter than usual for New Year's—a few fireworks over the harbor, some noise from the bars on Broadway, the city doing its annual ritual of marking time. I used to love New Year's Eve in my twenties, the feeling of something turning over. Now it just feels like a night that requires more energy than I currently have, which is fine. I'm growing a person. I'm allowed to be tired.
2018. Liam will be born this year. That sentence doesn't fit in my head yet no matter how many times I try it. He's been the center of our household conversation for six months but he's still theoretical, still a collection of kicks and ultrasound images and an embroidered stocking on the mantel. In less than three months he'll be here and he'll be loud and I'll be exhausted and Sean will probably cry again and everything will be different.
I made black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for luck, which is not an Irish-American tradition but I picked it up from a nurse I trained under who was adamant about it and I've done it every year since. Sautéed with onion and bacon, served over rice, the kind of meal that doesn't require a reason to eat.
The black-eyed peas are non-negotiable on January first, but I always want something else simmering too — something I can set up in the slow cooker while the house is still quiet and forget about until the whole kitchen smells like it’s taking care of me. This white bean chili is that meal. Creamy, a little bit indulgent with the jalapeno-popper treatment, and absolutely perfect for a day when you’re twenty-eight weeks pregnant and your only ambition is the couch. I let it go while Sean watched football and I read on the sofa with one hand on my belly, and by dinner it felt like the new year was already being kind to us.
Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper White Bean Chili
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 4 hours (high) or 8 hours (low) | Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes — 8 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cans (15 ounces each) white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
- 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- Fresh cilantro, sliced scallions, and sour cream for topping
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened, about 4 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Build the chili base. Add the chicken breasts, white beans, green chiles, jalapenos, chicken broth, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Shred and thicken. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return it to the slow cooker. Add the cream cheese cubes and stir until melted and creamy. Use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the chili.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the shredded cheddar until melted. Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled bacon, a dollop of sour cream, cilantro, and sliced scallions.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 890mg