Creamy Kickin' Chicken Goulash

It's chilly here in the Midwest. I'm not complaining at all tho, because at the moment, NOT A BIT OF SNOW is covering the ground! For December.... that's pretty freakin' rare 'round here. Nonetheless, it's def not sandals weather (though occasionally, with weather in the 40's range, you will spot Midwest peeps attempting to rock them lol). Back to the subject, when it's cold out I reach for warm, hardy comfort foods. Soups, stews, casseroles, CHILLY, cookies, pastas, and GOULASH are just a few of my CHILLY time favorites! I especially, love spicy food in the winter. I'm a firm believer that spicy foods are healing foods (for serious). Next time you feel a cold coming on and have a stuffy nose, eat something spicy (not your Grandma's version of spicy tho) and BAM, no more nasal congestion, I promise! Just stating the facts here peoples.  :)

You know you want some :)

 Growing up, to me, goulash was like the fancy, legit version of the boxed family favorite Hamburger Helper. Not that I haven't eaten my fair share of ALL the varieties of Hamburger Helper, but nothing really compares to a homemade goulash, not even Hamburger Helper. Even better, goulash is quick, super easy and might be considered a kitchen sink type of dish (at least in my mind, hardcore Hungarians might disagree). A decent goulash really just depends on what you have in your cooking arsenal or cupboards, pantry, and fridge! Meat, noodles, veggies, spices, and a sauce of some sort all cooked in one big pot and you have what I call the fixin's of a nice goulash. For this concoction, I decided to combine 2 of my all time favorite foodie things into one delicious and harmonious dish, hence spicy, Creamy Kickin' Chicken Goulash was born!

Whatcha Need :

~1.5-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders cut into bite sized chunks
~ 2 decent sized jalapeno peppers diced (seeds and all if you want it Kickin') or 15-20 jarred jalapeno slices, diced (if your not into super spicy you could use a green bell pepper as well)
~ 14 oz can of beans, not drained (I used white kidney or Cannellini beans, but red kidney beans would be yummy too)
~ 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, not drained
~ 1 can of water
~ 2 TBSP Butter or Margarine
~ 1 Medium Sized Yellow or White Onion, chopped
~ 1-1.5 cup small or med. pasta noodles uncooked (like rotini, elbow macaroni (which I used), or bowtie noodles)
~ Additional Spices~ 2-3 tsp Chili Powder, 1 tsp Lemon Pepper, 2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, And 1 tsp Garlic Powder (for less spicy use more garlic and less peppers and chili powder)

In a large sauce pan combine diced peppers, chopped onion, bite sized chicken chunks, butter, and spices. Cook on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stirring occasionally to prevent possible burnt bird.

Once the chicken is done, pour directly into the same pot the UNDRAINED canned tomatoes, beans, and one can of water and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to come to a low slow boil on medium heat, which takes about 15-20 minutes. (If you wanted to speed up the process you could turn up the heat, but then you will need to stir the mixture more frequently and keep a much closer eye on it.) I like to do it a little slower to let the flavors really develop and mingle together, but if your crunched for time or your starving by all means crank it up.

Once the mixture starts to bubble and boil dump in the uncooked noodles and stir. Continue boiling and frequently stirring for about 10-15 minutes depending on the pasta you use or until noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Turn off the heat and fold in the sour cream. The sour cream helps mute some of the heat and adds a nice creamy layer of goodness to this goulash. If you don't do sour cream, you could use a plain yogurt or some low fat cream cheese too. 

 

Garnish with green onions, chopped cilantro, and or crushed tortilla chips and ENJOY! Either way it is delicious, easy, ingredient flexible, warm and hardy, and it all happens in one large pot so you won't have a sink full of dishes to worry about afterwards! Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner. Hope you enjoy!