white chicken chili

so last weekend, inspired by the crisp autumn air, we came home from church and i made a big old pot of my white chicken chili. i don't know about you, but there is something just so cozy about coming home from a great morning at church, changing into my sweats, and smelling something good cooking on the stove. we did have to make a stop to grab a few things from the store on the way, but during the autumn/winter months, i like to keep the basics of this chili in the cabinet.

i love this recipe because its good, hearty, goes a long way, and is pretty simple.

feel free to take it and tweak it.

i should add that i make white chili because i have a pretty strong tomato intolerance, so normal chili is out the window for me. i've made it a few times (we host an annual christmas chili party for our friends) but i dont claim to be great at it, because i can't really taste it.

and, white chili is a little different flair. if you've not had it before, its got more of a tex-mex feel. its great served the same way as regular chili- i usually top mine with a little sour cream and cheese, with either fritos or cornbread. sometimes i even add in some fresh cilantro and maybe a chopped jalapeno.

so to start with, i get everything out and get ready. this time, i was making a double batch because i wanted to make enough for us to take for lunch to work all week.

the goods

i was somewhat surprised to find local chicken at walmart?

for my chili, i like to use a combo of light colored beans. this time, i used navy beans, chick peas, and great northern white beans. pretty much though, you can use whatever you prefer, as long as they are light colored 

so first step, start boiling the chicken in some salty water.

once you've got that going, drain your beans and get them ready. the recipe calls for about 1 lb of beans, so i used 6 cans (2 of each). i like my chili extra-beany.

 

as you can see, my recipe has been used several times. and i'm not very neat. ah well, its well loved!




so i also go ahead and get my pan ready to saute some onions.



so once your chicken is starting to boil, you want to combine your beans with 6 c. chicken broth (12 shown here) with 1 chopped onion and 2 tbsp minced garlic. you can add to this if you'd like, but i find this makes a pretty good base. now i made this on my stove this time, but often, i'll throw all of this in the crock pot to let it cook down. this will need to simmer for a good 4+ hours. also, you can chop your onions as fine/chunky as you prefer.

isn't this guy fun? my dad picked us up this olive oil container and its great- it makes the perfect drizzle and doesn't drop or leak

so this is my workspace to prepare to chop the onions. tip: when chopping onions, if you have problems tearing up, either put a big chunk of bread in your mouth, or cut next to an open flame, the onion juices will burn up and you won't cry!

so i put half of those chopped onions in the chicken broth & beans, and i saute the other half. i get them good and soft and golden, then add in 2 cans of chopped green chilis. i let them saute for just a minute or so.

yum.



then i add all my spices to this and stir well. i add cumin, red pepper (cayenne), a little oregano, some lawrys & some lawrys season pepper. i'm pretty generious with how much, but you want at least 2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 3/4 tsp oregano. and several good dashes of the seasoned salt and seasoned pepper.



stirred up and ready to go.



ok so once your chicken is boiled, it should look about like this.



so you want to tear/chop/whatev into small pieces/cubes. you can keep it as chunky as you like, or go for shreds. i opt for shreds..

and then, after your beans+broth have cooked down for a good 4 hours, you add the chicken and onions and peppers.

yum, huh?? now you want to let this cook for AT LEAST an hour. the longer, the better.



be sure to stir this a good deal so you don't get any stickage. also, so if you are going to have this cooking in your crock pot all day, say while you are out to work or whatever, let the beans+broth cook all day, and when you get home, have all of the chicken+onions&peppers ready to just dump in. then, dinner will be ready in an hour. if you do do this, make sure you add extra broth to the beans depending on how long you will be gone. maybe even an equal amount of water. or, just keep your crock pot on low.



and there you go! yum, huh? here is my bowl, with some fresh cilantro, ready to devour.

a little sour cream goes a long way in adding a creaminess factor to it.



and of course, some fresh cheddar cheese on top.



there you have it friends! white chicken chili! check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 lb. white beans (I like to use dried beans and soak them overnight- I combine 1/2 bag of Navy and 1/2 bag of Great Northern or something like that- I've tried a lot of different beans and they all taste about the same, just so long as they are white)

6 c. chicken broth

2 cloves minced garlic (1 tbsp)

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 4 oz. cans of diced green chilis (last time, I accidently used diced jalapenos which made it super spicy)

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne (all my spices I eyeball instead of measure, and I always use probably triple what it calls for, because I like a lot of flavor)

4 c. cooked, diced chicken (I like to boil about 2 lbs of chicken and shread it)

Chopped Cilantro

1-2 Fresh Jalapenos, chopped

Cheese+other toppings

Directions:

1. Combine beans, broth, garlic, and 1/2 onions in large pot and bring to boil. Go ahead and turn on your crock pot if you are going to use it so it will be hot. Once the mixture is boiling, transfer to crock pot and simmer 3+ hours (I've let it simmer all day before, but if you do that, just add extra broth or water)

2. In skillet, saute the rest of onions in oil until tender. Add chilis & seasoning and mix well. Add to crock pot, then add chicken. Simmer 1+ hour. Check, and right before you serve add chopped cilantro and fresh jalapeno to taste.

3. Serve and Enjoy!!