Chill out with crockpot chicken chili
Ease your finals week worries with this simple, one-kitchen gadget chili
Hello, fellow dorm room chefs!
Welcome back to the final week of “Deliciously Inexpensive Dorm Dish Discoveries.” Cooking for your inboxes has been a pleasure, but my time inside this tiny room I call home is coming to an end. That’s right, you read that correctly, I get to spread my culinary wings and cook inside an apartment that is equipped with proper cooking gadgets. Experimenting with recipes and discovering delicious treats for you has been the highlight of my dorm living experience and I will be sure to use what I have learned inside my apartment. Believe it or not, this is has been as much of a learning experience for you as it has been for me.
Before I introduce the recipe I will be cooking in this post, I want to explain why I chose this final dish. As a student, this is the week of college I dread the most. For my fellow students who know what I’m talking about, say it with me: IT’S FINALS WEEK. I’m envisioning everyone reading this in their head, and I can almost guarantee it’s in a dreadful and groggy tone with a possible eye roll. If you’re the outlier who said it with an upbeat tone, please sign me up for your classes. Not only is this the week where I must study every day and pray that one test doesn’t drop my grade, but I must also pack my things and move out. Cooking for you this week was especially tricky because my parents moved out my refrigerator and microwave over the weekend, leaving me with a mini crockpot and a mind full of imagination. Crockpots are amazing and can cook up endless possibilities but trying to find ingredients that don’t require refrigeration was a tricky situation. However, after some research on easy recipes in a crockpot, I discovered a dish that you would never suspect to be made inside a dorm. So, without further ado, I give you a post dedicated to dorm room chili!
A warm bowl of chili checks off all the boxes for a perfect final’s week meal. Don’t have time to cook while you’re studying? Check! Want a comforting meal that tastes like home? Check! Don’t have a way to refrigerate any ingredients? No problem!
Chili is one of my favorite fall/winter recipes and requires minimal ingredients that are cheap and easy to acquire. On the plus side, I was able to prepare a large serving in little time and the amazing aroma that filled my room whilst I studied was mouthwatering. Traditional chili is made up of ground beef, but without a microwave to pre-cook the meat, I had to improvise and use pre-cooked chicken. Chicken chili lacks the flavor that ground beef gives a classic chili, but it’s a great substitute for including meat. Other common ingredients include red peppers, red kidney beans, and corn, but you are free to add or take away the ingredients of your choice. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, cooking in a dorm is all about your creativity. Don’t be afraid to break the norm and mix things together because it’s the only way you’ll make delicious discoveries.
I’m fully aware that mini crockpots are not something most dorm residents have on hand, so before I show my version of Dormified Chicken Chili in a crockpot, I want to offer some instructions for microwaved Classic Chili. The microwaved version requires the same ingredients as what I will use below, but you simply microwave the ingredients in steps rather than cooking them together.
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
Instructions:
1. Crumble beef in a microwave-safe bowl and add vegetables of choice. (Ex: peppers, onions)
2. Cover bowl and microwave for 3 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink
3. Drain grease and water
4. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and mix until sauce is evenly distributed
5. Cover bowl and microwave for 7 minutes
6. Add beans, corn, or remaining ingredients
7. Cover bowl and cook for 2 minutes
8. Enjoy!
Taco Chicken Chili in a Crockpot
Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
Price: $0.98
2. Tomato Paste
Price: $0.78
Price: $0.98
4. Black beans
Price: $0.98
5. Chili Beans in Medium Chili Sauce
Price: $1.38
6. Corn
Price: $0.50
Price: $1.16
8. Sour Cream
Price: $2.88
9. Avocado
Price: $0.98
10. Chili Seasoning
Price: $0.98
11. Taco Seasoning
Price: $0.67
12. Cheese
Price: $2.20
Instructions:
1. Turn crockpot on high
2. Drain chicken in a can, shred, and add first
3. Empty the entire can of Rotel Tomatoes into a crockpot followed by chili beans (leave the liquid inside the can)
4. Drain liquid from the corn and black beans and add half of the can to the crockpot
5. Add half the bag of frozen peppers and onions
6. Add half the can of tomato paste
7. Sprinkle chili seasoning (Generous amount for heat)
8. Add half the bag of taco seasoning
9. Stir contents until properly mixed
10. Cook on high until everything is heated
11. Serve over tortilla chips or add sour cream and avocado
Dormified Version
As I’m sure you all have noticed from the extensive list above, this recipe consists of quite a few ingredients compared to my previous posts. Most of the items I decided to use were ingredients used in previous recipes or ingredients I needed to use before I officially move out. However, despite the long list of things needed, they are cheap and don’t require refrigeration. I found this meal to be very filling and different from the usual food I prepare in my dorm. Soup is one of the easiest things to make, but this chili takes taco soup to the next level. I like to top my chili with sour cream and avocado, but crushed tortilla chips or crackers would be a good addition to this warm bowl of goodness as well. Most people enjoy cornbread with their chili, but a dorm-approved substitute for this could be the cheese quesadillas I discussed in post 3. Overall, I would give this dormified chili a 10 out of 10.
Well folks, I believe this means goodbye! Cooking up dorm dishes for you has been a blast and I hope my recipes have given you an idea of the endless possibilities of recipes you can achieve within a dorm. I hope you continue to think outside the box when whipping up meals with very few kitchen tools. As always, be creative, and don’t fear the consequences of stepping outside the box! Thank you for reading,
Brianna (your amateur dorm room chef)
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I love seeing your comments! Comment down below and tell me what your favorite recipe has been during this series.
Hi Brianna! I have really enjoyed all of your posts this semester and will definitely be trying them out this summer. I don't eat chili very often but my mother likes to make it so I usually end up eating it when I go home. I haven't tried many different types of chili besides my mother's so I will definitely be trying this recipe out at some point. Thanks for all the new recipes to try!