It is football and tailgating season once again! And whether you’re watching the game in person or at home, chili is a favorite food item with football fans for good reason. It’s a warming comfort food that can be made ahead of time and feeds a crowd. It’s also versatile and can be customized for many tastes with a variety of toppings. I posted our favorite beef chili in a blog post earlier this year.
Today’s post is a modification of traditional red chili. White chili became a thing in the 1980s in the Southern and Midwestern culinary scene. It uses chicken or turkey instead of beef or pork and light-colored beans rather than red kidney beans. Tomatoes and red chili powder are omitted and replaced with chicken broth and green chilis.
This chili recipe comes together quickly with the use of rotisserie chicken. Many of the other ingredients are pantry staples. It has a mild heat that can be intensified by leaving the seeds of the jalapeños in the dish or by adding ground cayenne to it. The broth is thickened by mashing some of the white beans. The long list of potential add-ins guarantees that this chili is customizable for a wide variety of palates. It’s a great dish during football season for so many delicious reasons!
White Chicken Chili
White Chicken Chili (adapted from cooking.nytimes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes, Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (about 5 cloves) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika or chili powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, undrained
- 2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- half a lime, plus lime wedges for serving
- shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, pickled jalapeño slices, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips, for serving
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Sauté the onions & jalapeño, then add the spices, herbs, and seasonings.
Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, and diced green chiles with their liquid to the pot. Bring the chili to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has reduced by half, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Add the broth, beans and green chiles to the pot.
Remove the pot from the heat and use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. Continue mashing the beans until the broth is noticeably thicker.
Use a potato masher to mash some of the beans.
Return the pot to the burner over medium heat and stir in the chicken and corn. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Cook until the chili is heated through.
Serve the chili in bowls topped with a lime wedge, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeños, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
Serve the chili with the desired toppings.
This is filling and warming comfort food for football season! ~Linda
White Chicken Chili (adapted from cooking.nytimes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes, Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (about 5 cloves) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika or chili powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, undrained
- 2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- half a lime, plus lime wedges for serving
- shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, pickled jalapeño slices, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips, for serving
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, and diced green chiles with their liquid to the pot. Bring the chili to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth has reduced by half, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. Continue mashing the beans until the broth is noticeably thicker.
Return the pot to the burner over medium heat and stir in the chicken and corn. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Juice the lime half over the pot, then taste for seasonings and add more salt, black pepper, and cayenne, if desired.
Serve the chili in bowls topped with a lime wedge, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeños, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.