Skillet White Chicken Chili Dip 
It’s the middle of December and my instagram feed is filled with people enjoying their holiday traditions – cookie baking, tree lighting, sledding and party filled evenings. I can’t help but love this time of year, even if a little hustle and bustle comes with it. Between Brian and I, we have four families to celebrate with, meaning lots of good food, fun and love.
On Christmas Eve we head to Brian’s mom’s, all 25+ of us (and growing!) for a day filled with hot toddies served in her original set of Tom & Jerry mugs from the 1970’s and the annual Shuv-unda game (more on that soon). We forgo a big meal with lots of prep and instead everyone brings their favorite appetizers, a tradition I’m totally a fan of.
I fell in love with its smooth base and surprise bites of chicken throughout. And coincidentally, the pops of color from the peppers and cilantro is quite holiday-esque. The salsa verde gives it some tang and the way the cheese bubbles and browns……. dang, so good. And nobody will even know it’s a little lighter thanks to the bean puree.)

INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (14.5 ounce can) white beans, drained
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • juice of a half lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 2 cups mozzarella/cheddar cheese combination, divided
  • 1/3 cup diced red peppers
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon salsa verde (I like the jar from Trader Joe's as it's just spicy enough. If you buy a different kind, taste and see if you'd like some spice. If so, add a bit of tabasco!)
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush olive oil onto bottom and halfway up sides of a 10 inch cast iron skillet. (You could also bake in any vessel you normally use for baking dips, relatively the same size.)
  2. Reserve ¼ cup of the drained beans, set aside. Add the rest of the beans, sour cream, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Taste and add a little salt if needed. Stir in chicken, corn, cilantro and 1 cup of cheese.
  3. Spread onto bottom of skillet, then evenly sprinkle remaining ¼ cup white beans, red peppers and salsa verde on top of the mixture. Cover with remaining cheese. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until dip is bubbling and browned on top. Serve immediately. Can be rewarmed as needed.