As a novice camper and cook, the thought of trying to combine these two things seems like an impossible challenge. However, starting a new chapter in our lives and doing things we thought were beyond us will be such an awarding experience in the end. Getting back in nature, slowing down and relaxing to enjoy time with our friends and family, these are the things that mean the most to us here at Camp Overland. I’m sharing one of the first experiences we had after starting this journey, cooking our first meal on the fire.
Chili is one of the most versatile and well known “one-pot” meals someone can make, so I chose this in hopes there wouldn’t be many opportunities for anything to go wrong. I’m going to share the recipe I used to make white chicken chili on the campfire out in the woods in the hopes it will inspire you to do the same and try something adventurous.
I’m sure if you are anything like me, you hate scrolling for 10 seconds down a page to get the recipe you were hunting, so dramatics aside, here you go. If you want to stick around and read through what I did and see how it turned out at every stage, I’d appreciate the company!
Ingredients
- 1 small, yellow or sweet onion, diced
- Lots of avocado oil (trust me) **
- 2-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 (32 oz) carton of chicken broth
- 1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (8 oz) pkg of cream cheese
- 1 1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie or left-over chicken*
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- Tortilla chips or strips & Monterey jack cheese
*If you are feeling brave, you can cook your own chicken breasts in a skillet over the fire. Let them rest and cool down before you chop or shred to put in this soup, but here I used a rotisserie chicken I bought at the grocery store for a quick meal with less preparation.
**Many people don’t know this, but avocado oil has a significantly higher smoke point than any form of olive oil. So, this is a better option for cooking on a fire where temperatures may fluctuate drastically while learning how to manage the fire for cooking.
Before we began to
prep the ingredients, we started a small fire with hardwood charcoal briquetts
and some kindling we had from some seasoned firewood. Once the charcoal was red
hot and the flames started to die down, I placed our cast iron dutch oven over
the fire with the aid of a tripod made for campfire cooking. Once there, I
began to prep all my produce and followed these steps.
•
Heat 1-2 tbsps of avocado oil in a 6 quart
cast iron Dutch oven over small flames and hot coals.
•
Add onion and saute around 4 minutes,
stirring continuously.
•
Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds,
or until garlic is fragrant.
•
Add the chicken broth, green chilies, and all
your measured spices. Save about a 1/2 cup of broth for a later step.
•
Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring
occasionally.
•
Drain and rinse beans and then measure out 1
cup to save off to the side. Add the remaining directly to the pot.
•
Mix about a cup of beans in with the broth
you saved from earlier and mash these into a paste as best as you can. (A fork
or the backside of a small spoon will be helpful).
•
Add the paste to the soup, and stir well.
This will give it a creamier texture without the need for a thickener agent
like cornstarch or flour.
•
Add the cubed cream cheese to the soup along with the corn.
•
While this simmers, cut or shred your chicken
and add it to the pot.
•
The final step is fresh lime juice. Add this
and let simmer for 5-10 minutes more and you are done!
• Serve
with Monterrey Jack cheese, cilantro and tortilla chips if you’d like.
The nicest thing
about 1 pot meals like this is, even if you miss a step and go out of order, it
won’t ruin the meal. It is such a minimal effort meal that even with being
intimidated by cooking over hot flames, I made a delicious chili I enjoyed. I
hope this gives you the gentle nudge to get outdoors and try something new!
