White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

This might be my new most favorite chili. It is hearty, filling, and explodes with a earthy, tangy Southwestern  flavor, a nice twist to a traditional "comfort food" favorite.

While I was out doing enduring the nightmare hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, shipping, and driving, my better half was at home preparing a warm, healthy and delicious dinner. This is a wonderful meal to come home to after a stressful day!

White Bean Chicken Chili (makes 4 servings)


Ingredients: [printable recipe]

2 cups chopped or shredded pre-cooked chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 roasted jalapeno peppers
2 roasted poblano peppers
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 stocks celery, with green tops if possible

6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander

2 (15-ounce) cans Cannelloni or white beans
1 cup black eyed peas, (cooked separately for 1 hour)
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

Start with roasting your poblano and jalapeno peppers for about 30-40 minutes, you don’t have to, but it really makes a big difference in the overall taste, we highly recommend this step!

Start cooking the black eyed peas according to package directions. They usually take about 1 hour, so you can do this earlier or, cheat and buy a can!

We bought a herb roasted pre-cooked whole chicken at the grocery store, they are pretty good and convenient. After a little work, we got about 2 cups of shredded meat. Or you could cook a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, chop or shred it, set aside.

In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, and 1 stock of celery (with green top), pulse until you have a consistency of chunky salsa. In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium high heat and add the garlic, onion and celery, cook until vegetables turn translucent, about 6-7 minutes.

Once the roasted peppers have cooled and peeled, add them to the food processor and pulse for just a few seconds until roughly diced, again, we’re looking for the consistency of chunky salsa. Add that mixture to the pot and stir to combine, reduce heat to medium low.

Add the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, and let simmer for a few minutes, gradually add the chicken stock, add the Cannelloni beans, the other stock of celery chopped, and when the black eyed peas are soft enough, throw them in too. Let simmer on low heat for 10 to 20 minutes to let flavors blend and the base to thicken.

About 10 minutes before serving, add the chicken, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Top it off with more cilantro, some crumbled queso fresco cheese and serve with warm corn tortillas or cornbread.

This Chili always tastes even better reheated the next day!