Momma's White Chili

People, you all need to have this recipe. Amazingly comforting, perfect for this time of year, HEALTHY, and so easy just to throw together - literally.

This recipe comes from my mom's recipe notebook, so I'm not sure where it is originally from. She often got recipes from newspapers and magazines, but this one is hand-written. This was one of my favorites growing up. It's very flavorful and almost spicy, but has a nice richness to it that even kids can enjoy. This White Chili is great paired with cornbread, yeasty rolls, or even on top of a simple refried-bean burrito, which is how it was always served at my house. It borders a soup as opposed to a chili; I'm not really sure why it is called "chili", except for the fact that it has so many beans in it.

Momma's White Chili

1/4 cup chopped onion

1-16 oz. can of chicken broth

1-4oz. can of chopped green chilies

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. cilantro leaves

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

4-16 oz. cans of Cannellini beans, drained (or any white bean - Navy beans, Great Northern beans)

1. Saute the chopped onion in a small amount of chicken broth for about 2 minutes, then add the remaining broth.

2. Then add the green chilies and the spices - garlic powder, parsley, cilantro, cumin, and red pepper flakes. 

3. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the cooked chicken and beans; cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. My mom added a note to the bottom of the recipe with a tip for thickening your chili - mash one can of beans! Perfect.

5. Eat and enjoy!

  

I made more than this recipe calls for and used WAY more chicken broth. I really like the flavor that the cumin adds - sort of a smoky, spicy, mexican flavor, so I added extra of that. I ended up cooking my chili down a little by simmering with the lid off - it brought the liquid level down about a half-inch in my giant pot. 

Here's a great cheat for this recipe - use a rotisserie chicken! It decreases the health factor a bit, but overall it is still a very healthy meal packed with protein and warm-your-soul goodness. I used half of a "family size" bird, although it looked just the same size as the "regular size" birds next to it. The use of a rotisserie chicken truly makes this a one-pot dish: my kind of cooking.

This White Chili is a great alternative to the traditional (and sometimes very boring) chicken noodle soup. My husband had the idea to add rice to this, although I think that would change this traditional recipe a bit too much for me. :)

Happy Cooking!!