After a long hot week, the temps finally dipped and the cool air reminded us of the crisp, comfortable days of fall. What better way to celebrate the upcoming change of the seasons, than by cooking up a big batch of white chicken chili!
We got the recipe from my awesome sister-in-law, Mel (who is an excellent cook!), who got it from her friend, who got it from his friend…and well, you get the idea. It’s that good! It freezes well, so I made a big batch for my sister and brother-in-law when they were expecting their first child. I made a batch for our friends whose son was born early and spent considerable time in the hospital.
We added our own touches along the way and it’s since become a family favorite. I was excited to see what Jax thought of it!
A Good Place to Start
Rotisserie chicken, onions, Great Norther Beans, black beans, corn, green chilies, chicken broth, garlic powder, cumin, ground oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, sour cream, cheese, heavy cream, avocado, tortilla chips.
As you can tell, I’m not ashamed to buy generic or store brand food. Most of it tastes the same (or even better!) than the name brand stuff. Plus, it’s cheaper…and you all know that I’m a SAHM and we only have one income. Don’t you think Tostitos should start sponsoring us? I mean look at that product placement!
Yeah. Anyway…
Time to dice up some onions. My friend, Laura, taught me this trick! Peel an onion and cut it in half. Then cut it in slices vertically. Like this…
Then, cut it in even slices the other way. Voila! A perfect dice! That’s a good thing…then they all cook at the same rate.
Saute the onions with the garlic powder in a little bit of olive oil until the onions are translucent. They’ll look like this…
Add the beans, chicken broth, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Meanwhile, roast up those peppers! You can roast them on a grill, under the broiler, or on a gas stovetop (like I did). Roasting peppers gives them a delicious smokey flavor. I got these fresh poblano peppers from my local farmers market – deeeelicious! If you don’t feel like roasting the peppers, go ahead and substitute 2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chilies.
Roast them over medium-high heat, tuning frequently, until they are black and charred all over.
Remove the peppers from the heat and cover with plastic wrap or put them in a baggie. The steam will help separate the skin from the pepper. When they are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all off. The blacken bits will add a smokey flavor to the chili.
Chop up the chilies.
Cut the kernels off of one large cob of sweet corn. (I got mine from the Farmer’s Market.) Don’t cook it before hand! The corn will cook in the pot of chili. If you don’t have fresh corn, one 15 oz can of corn, rinsed and drained, will do just fine.
Add the chilies and the corn to the pot.
Heat until ingredients are hot and the flavors mix, 20 – 30 minutes minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bones and chop into bite sized pieces. Add it to the pot as you go.
About half hour before serving, add the sour cream, cheese, and whipping cream. Simmer on low heat. After you add the dairy, do not boil! Boiling will cause the dairy to separate and scorch – not good.
Dice up an avocado.
Serve your masterpiece topped with avocado and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Jax was in bed by the time our chili was done…so, I’ll give him a taste tomorrow and let you know what he thinks!
Holy Lotta Hotta Chili (White Chicken Chili)
Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken from the deli, shredded
- 1 or 2 medium onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 (15 oz) cans of Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, reduced sodium preferred (drained and rinsed)
- 1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth (I like to use the reduced sodium kind)
- 1 ear fresh corn on the cob
- 2 large roasted poblano peppers, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried, ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream (I like to use the reduced fat version)
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or if you’re like us, dump in the whole 2 cup bag of shredded cheese!)
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream (this is why it tastes so good)
- avocado, for garnish
- tortilla chips for serving
Directions
- Saute onions and garlic powder in oil until onions are translucent.
- Add beans, chicken broth, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
- Add shredded rotisserie chicken, corn, and green chilies.
- Heat until hot, about 30 minutes.
- 30 minutes before serving, reduce heat and add sour cream, cheese, and whipping cream. Do not boil!
- Serve with avocado and tortilla chips.
An Early Start 