White Chicken Chili

Burr! It’s cold out there. Temperatures here in Indiana have been below freezing. I don’t know about you, but I like to serve my family warm and filling soups and stews on those cold winter nights. 

 They seem to stretch farther and since they don’t require as much time to prepare, I give the appearance like I have my act together.

As long as I feed him, The Studly Muffin is a happy camper.

I have a few soupy recipes I want to share with you over the month of January, but this first one is one of my favorites.

I LOVE chili. And this White Chicken Chili is a yummy respite from a traditional tomato based chili. This is similar to a Mexican Chicken Soup my mom used to make when we were younger. I actually shared this particular recipe in a long ago forgotten post years ago (we are talking nearly 11). It is still one of my favorites. 

I like to serve it with tortilla chips, extra cheese and a little diced avocado for good measure.

I DON'T have a picture of the finished product. That would be too industrious today 😀

White Chicken Chili

2 cans of great northern beans

1 large onion, chopped

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon hot sauce (less if you like a milder chili)

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Two 4-ounce cans chopped mild green chilies, chopped

2 pounds skinless chicken breast halves cooked and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (about 6 ounces)

1/2 cup sour cream

In a skillet cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until softened.

In a pot, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in hot sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken, and Monterey Jack and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, 20 minutes. Stir sour cream into chili.

If you want to make this dish more economical, you can use more beans and less chicken. Don’t skimp on the spices…This last time I made this I added some dried wild garlic I got from my mom PLUS some smoked paprika.

Yummo!