White Chili

This is a great twist on a classic.

Ingredients:

About 1 lb. boneless chicken (breasts or thighs etc.), cooked

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 to 1 bell pepper diced (or 1/3 cup jalapeno peppers for the "lightning" version)

5-6 cups soaked and cooked white beans, you'll mash 2 cups

2-3 cups chicken or turkey stock, to desired consistency

2 tbsp. southwestern or fajita seasoning, we used 1 tbsp. Southwest Chipotle and 1 tbsp. Fiesta Lime (see comments below)

A little salt & pepper if you think you need it

1/4 cup lime juice (about one lime)

How To:

1. Cook chicken in boiling water, about 20-30 minutes (if you dice it first, it will cook more quickly). In the meantime, dice your onions and peppers, mash 2 cups of Northern beans, and mince your garlic. When chicken is done, chop into small pieces.

2. Heat a butter in a Dutch oven or medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until onions are translucent and giving off a strong aroma, about five minutes. Add garlic near the end and cook until the garlic smell is strong, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, mashed beans, whole beans, stock, seasonings, and lime juice.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.

If you like cilantro, stir in 1/4 cup chopped just before serving. You can also serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped avocado and/or corn cakes.

Comments:

This was a recipe favorite from my friends, Steve and LeAnn, and I modified it only a little bit. They make the White Lightning version (with Jalapenos) but since with have a 7-year old who is not a fan of "heat" we did not make that version. However, my husband did stir a spicy dried pepper mix into his bowl. I thought this was a great meal, very filling and delicious.

Remember to soak your beans in advance for maximum nutritional benefit. Soak one bag of dried beans for two days (in salted water, switching out occasionally) and then cook and store your beans for future use. This makes it really easy to always have cooked, soaked beans available for recipes (say goodbye to those cans)!

Regarding the seasonings, it's best to make up a bunch in advance but you can certainly wing it each time. Just throw a few shakes of each of the suggested ingredients above that you have on hand, mix, tweak, and then add. For Fiesta Lime Seasoning, try the following combination: chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, savory, coriander, mustard, rosemary, garlic, onion, and lime zest. Follow the link above for a homemade Southwest Chipotle.

 

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This recipe was shared at Wednesday Extravaganza, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Freaky Friday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Fight Back Friday.