I’ve been on the hunt for a new chicken recipe. I feel like I don’t have much to pull from in my bag of tricks for the ole chicky-chicky. With the weather cooling off I’ve been jonesing for some good soup. On my search for a “knock your socks off” kind of recipe I stumbled upon this one in one of my Food Network magazines.
I’m typically NOT a fan of white chicken chili. I apologize in advance to those of you who love it, but I kind of think it tastes like glorified cardboard. There’s just not much flavor there. I need flavor EXPLOSION in my mouth when I eat.
So, when I saw this one I was a little hesitant to try it, but the recipe sounded intriguing and it called for cilantro so I just KNEW it had to be good.
HOLY TOLEDO, FOLKS!!! I LOVED it!!! I stood at the pot waiting for my cornbread to finish and I couldn’t stay out of it! THAT’S how good it is. To top it off… it’s SO healthy! The worst thing in it is the cheese!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a link to it on their website otherwise I’d share it that way, so I’m going to share my version of it with you. I did make a few tweaks, but only to the quantity of ingredients.
Rock Star White Chicken Chili
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
3 cans white beans (2 drained, 1 undrained)
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1½ tsp. cumin
1 large jalapeno, half minced, half sliced and reserved
2 cloves garlic
1½ cups shredded Monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese
½ cup cilantro chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
Heat oil in stock pot. Sauté onions until translucent. Add chopped jalapeno, garlic, green chilies and cumin. Sauté several minutes until cumin is toasted (it will become very fragrant). Add cubed chicken and continue to sauté covering the chicken in all the oniony goodness for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, and all beans. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for about 15 minutes until it begins to thicken. After the liquids have thickened mash the beans with a potato masher until about half the beans are mashed and the consistency is thick, and creamy. Add the corn and cheese. Right before serving add the chopped cilantro. Garnish with sour cream and jalapeno slices if desired. Serve with corn bread for extra decadence.
Tips:
* The original recipe instructed to add the cilantro as soon as you add the corn, but I found that if you’re not going to serve this immediately the flavor of the cilantro loses it’s vibrance, which is what makes this dish so over the top. If you plan on serving the entire pot go ahead and add the cilantro to the whole dish. If you plan on eating it over the course of a few days or freezing it add the cilantro to each individual bowl.
* If you want to switch it up you can certainly substitute the corn with hominy.
* I used roasted split chicken breasts instead of a rotisserie chicken. I think they have less fat content since you’re not using the dark meat and only part of the skin is attached. I like to buy these when they’re on sale because the breasts are typically MUCH bigger than the ones that are already boneless and skinless AND you get the tender with it, too. When I know I’ll be baking a casserole I do double duty and roast my chicken at the same time. Simply lightly coat in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for about an hour. Let it cool slightly and then pull the breast and tenderloin off, put in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze until needed.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Definitely make the cornbread to go with it.
Peace, love and white chili makeovers!
Crazy Cowboy Wife 