Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili

Jordana gave me this recipe when I couldn't think of anything to make for dinner, and now it's one of our favourite dinners.

ingredients
1 T vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 4oz. can diced jalapeno peppers (optional, makes it super spicy)
1 4oz. can shopped green chili peppers
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cayenne pepper
2 14.5oz. cans or 3-4 cups chicken broth
3 C chopped cooked chicken breast
3 cans white cannellini beans
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapenos, green chili peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture for about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and beans. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Serve warm.

notes
I usually leave out the jalapeno peppers and halve the cayenne pepper or it's almost too spicy. I also leave out  the cheese and it's still delicious. I also use one small rotisserie chicken from the grocery store instead of the chicken breast, and it's the perfect amount for dinner and leftovers.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman, so of course it's amazing! I made it while mom was here and we all loved it.

Ingredients

• 4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
• 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
• ½ sticks Butter
• 3 whole Lemons, Juiced
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream
• ¼ cups Half-and-half
• 1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-half. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!