Where's the Beef? Another yummy 6 dollar meal!

Gone are the days when we used ground beef to stretch our food dollars...It's almost cheaper to buy steak!

 One of my favorite go-to meals for autumn is a big pot of homemade chili, but these days it's not very budget friendly, so I decided to make white chili using chicken instead. My local market had chicken breast on sale for .99 a lb. (one third the cost of ground beef). I got a 3 lb package for 3.21, and used 2 lbs. for the chili. They also had their canned beans on sale for .68 a can.

I asked my friend for her white chili recipe. It called for 2 cans of chicken broth, but I decided to use the stock from boiling the chicken with some bullion added instead. It tastes the same at a fraction of the cost. A jar of 25 bullion cubes costs 1.99, I used 4, so around .32 compared to 3.00 for 2 cans of chicken broth.  NOTE: I also used more than 28 oz. of liquid because I thought it was too thick, so another benefit of not using the canned broth.

Last, but not least, I bought a loaf of pre-sliced french bread that was marked down to .78, and used half of it and froze the other half to use for another meal.

 $2.14, for the chicken, 2.72 for the beans, .32 for the bullion, .33 for the onion, and .39 for the bread. Total for the meal $5.90, I fed my family of 3, plus my daughter had a friend for dinner, and I have half of it left over.  (I made a double batch)

Here is the recipe for a double batch:
2 Tbsp. Olive oil (more or less...I used a little more. I just eyeballed it.  You need enough to saute the onions)
2 small onions
6 Tbsp. flour
4 tsp. Cumin
I added a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne, some salt and a sprinkle of ground oregano
2 - 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth
3 c. chopped cooked chicken ( I didn't measure, I just used the meat off of 2 chicken breasts
4 cans Great Northern or Navy beans
Optional:
2 - 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles (I only say these are optional because I didn't have any, and the chili was delicious)
Garnishes - Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream, salsa

Saute your onions in olive oil until they are transparent.  Add your flour and cumin to make a roux.  Slowly whisk the chicken broth into the roux.  Stir in your un-drained beans, chicken, and any other spices you like in your chili. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir frequently.  Serve it with crackers, garlic bread, or anything else you may like.