White Chicken Chili

I arrived home late afternoon yesterday to find my house a bone-chilling 58 degrees after being gone all weekend with family. It was icky outside and although I felt exhausted, I needed a warm and hearty meal on the table by dinner time. The problem? Time. I needed something that would fulfill the "warm-me-up" comfort food craving but I needed it to be ready in less than an hour.

Solution? This chili! It definitely did the trick. The heat from the peppers mixed with the lime juice was truly satisfying to the pallet. I have a feeling this chili only got better as it sat in my fridge last night so tonight, for Halloween, Todd and I will be indulging in this little "treat" as I hand out other little treats to the neighborhood. 

White Chicken Chili

Yield: Approx. 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

1 (14.5 ounce) can white beans1 (14.5 ounce) can northern beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans
2 ½ Cups Corn
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large jalepeno pepper, minced
2 large poblano peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Two (2) 32 oz. containers of reduced sodium chicken broth
2 limes, juiced, plus lime wedges, for serving
1 rotisserie chicken, skim removed and meat shredded 
 ¾ Cup chopped cilantro leaves
 Sour Cream, for topping
 Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

Drain and rinse the can of white beans. In a medium bowl, mash with a potato masher until chunky. Set aside until needed. Drain and rinse the rest of the beans and set aside as well.

Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Add in the cumin, coriander, and chili powder, salt, and pepper and continue to sauté for 1 more minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken broth and lime juice. (I also threw the in the entire lime skins while simmering.) Then, add in all of the beans and simmer for at least 20 more minutes.

After 20 minutes of simmering, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and cilantro and simmer another 10 minutes. After that, you are ready to eat; however, the longer you allow the chili to simmer, the more time your soup has time to develop flavors.

Serve the chili in individual bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges. 

Todd insists that I should really label this more as a soup... but I refuse to do so. Although it's a bit brothy, it's consists of chili powder and a staple meat. That's a chili to me... let me know what you think!

Happy Cooking... and happy eating!

-The Little Bitchin Kitchen 

Source: Adapted from Patrick and Gina Neely's recipe @ The Food Network