... White Chicken Chili

When the weather is like this... (which is has been in Kansas City for the last couple of weeks)...

You'll do anything you can to make it feel like Spring.  Brightly colored flowers is one of my favorite ways...

But even with them brightening up my home, there's no changing the single-digit temps outside.  So, in order to warm things up, I made a big batch of chili.

I'm not a huge fan of stewed tomatoes (as indicated here), which makes this recipe one of my faves.  The green chilies and chili powder really heat things up and the ground cumin adds a great smoky flavor.

Let it simmer on the stove all day long and serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream, a few tortilla chips... and a cold beer never hurt anyone.

White Chicken Chili

serves 8-10

1 pound large white beans
6 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
1 tablespoon oil
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and half of the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more.  Add more chicken broth, if necessary.  In a skillet, saute remaining onions in oil until tender.  Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly.  Add to bean mixture.  Add chicken and continue to simmer 1 hour.  Serve with topped grated cheese.

Taylor's Notes:
In order to not spend the entire day in the kitchen, I use canned white beans (2 cans).  It'll cut your kitchen time down to an hour-ish.  Other than that, the recipe is very quick and easy.  I typically get the bean mixture going on medium heat and then while the chicken is cooking, I saute the remaining half of onions with the chilies and seasonings.  You can leave it all simmering on the stove for hours - the longer the better as the flavors all meld together.  


Enjoy!