White Chicken Chili Recipe

Anyone who knows me knows that I love experimenting with food and trying new things. Anyone who also knows me knows that I love chili. So, this past week I tried making a homemade white chicken chili from scratch, and it actually came out pretty good! I usually have a surplus of homemade chicken stock in our fridge, so I figured why not?

Ingredients:

large chicken breast (baked or rotisserie style)
6 c. chicken stock
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tbs cumin
1 1/2 tbs chili powder
1 large onion
2 cans (15.5 oz each) white cannellini beans
16 oz frozen sweet corn
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
3 sweet mini peppers (red, orange, yellow)
6 cloves garlic (or 2 cloves elephant garlic)
3 limes
cilantro bunch (for recipe and garnish later)
crushed tortilla strips or chips (for garnish)
sour cream (for garnish)
avocado (for garnish)

In regards to peppers, remember: you can add what you like. If you like more heat, add more jalapeño. If you don’t like heat, take it out. Personally, I love heat, but some in my family do not so I had to accommodate all the preferences. On another note, I just love the variety of colors that the sweet peppers add to the chili!

To begin, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Dice the onion and various peppers and add them to the olive oil and sauté until very aromatic. Once aromatic, mince the garlic and add it. Don’t add the garlic too early because if it happens to burn, your dish can develop a bitter taste. While the onion, peppers, and garlic are sautéing, add the ground coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Allow that all to cook together for a few minutes.

A note about garlic: You can either use regular or elephant garlic. If you’re using regular garlic, use roughly 6 cloves. If you’re using elephant garlic, 2 is sufficient. I personally love elephant garlic because it is very aromatic and has a sweet taste akin to a shallot. It is still garlic, don’t be fooled! But it does have a slightly different taste. For size comparison, I placed one clove of elephant garlic next to a lime.

Add the chicken stock, beans, and the juice of two limes. Shred the chicken breast and add to the chili. Allow this all to simmer for about an hour. Most recipes call for 30-40 minutes, but I really like to let the flavors marry for a while before serving. About 20 minutes before being done, add the frozen corn. About 5 minutes before being done, add 1/4 c. chopped cilantro.

Once finished, top with cilantro, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and wedge of lime.

The thing I like about making chili is that you can really make it your own. If you like more spicy flavors, add more heat. If you don’t like spicy flavors, take out the heat. If you love or hate the taste of cumin, add what you please! Chili is such a versatile dish that is great for a cold or snowy day, game days, or even lazy Saturday. There are few things I love more than the smell of a dish slow cooking in a home all day long.