White Chicken Chili for Two. We have had a few really chilly days here in the Maritimes, with dark cloudy skies and drizzle and much cooler temperatures. Its been soup weather.
I am a huge fan of Tex-Mex Flavors. I have a real love of all of it, tacos, chili, enchiladas, etc. It all pleases me beyond belief.
I came across this White Chicken Chili for Two recipe in a book I bought recently entitled 5-ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan. As soon as I saw it, I bookmarked it to make at some point.
But you know me, I cannot leave well enough alone. Her basic recipe sounded very delicious, but I wanted to put my own stamp on it and so that's what I did.
I didn't really change an awful lot. I added a few more seasonings, and some corn. The end result was a hearty soup which was not only delicious, but pretty healthy as well.
Not quite as robust as a meaty red chili, but incredibly tasty and I confess, I like this one a whole lot more, probably because it uses chicken instead of ground beef. And I do prefer chicken over beef most of the time.
When I was in the local grocery shop on Saturday morning I lucked in and was able to get a large package of free range boneless, skinless chicken thighs, marked down by 30% if you used them that day.
I couldn't lose! I brought them home and poached the lot to use in recipes over these next few days. Normally I poach chicken breasts, but chicken thighs have so much more flavor, I couldn't lose.
Its very easy to poach chicken and the end result is very handy to have to use in recipes such as this one. I simply popped the chicken into a large saucepan and covered it with some cold water.
I added some peppercorns and a bit of salt to the water, along with a broken bay leaf, an onion, a piece of carrot and a stick of celery which still had some leaves attached.
Normally I wouldn't go to that much trouble when poaching chicken, but I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and make myself some chicken stock to use in the chili recipe at the same time.
I brought it to the boil, then reduced it to a simmer and cooked it, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes. Then I took the pan off the heat and let it cool down, with the chicken in it, for about 20 minutes longer.
At that point, I removed the chicken from the saucepan, and strained out any other solids from the broth, returning it to the saucepan and boiling it down until I had the exact amount of stock that I needed.
You don't need to go to all that trouble if you don't want to save the stock. You can just use a bullion cube or a can/container of chicken stock.
The chicken was very tender and easy to hand shred. Hand shredding allows you to separate any bits you don't want to eat, bits of skin, fat, etc. and discard them. It also makes for some very nicely sized bits of chicken.
I used three for this recipe and have plenty more to use another day. My tastebuds are tingling just thinking about it!
You do need salsa verde/green salsa for this recipe. Its not that hard to find in North America, and I am happy to say that it had already become readily available in the UK before I left to come back to Canada last Autumn.
I had been able to get it on Amazon, and also at Waitrose. I adore salsa verde. The brand I bought was Gran Luchito. You can also get it online at MexGrocer.
In order for it to be a true white chili you do need to use the salsa verde. It has a lovely mildish flavor with a tiny bit of a zip. Its made with tomatillos, not tomatoes, and green chilies.
You also need to use white beans. I used one can of white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
Everything for this white chicken chili basically gets put into a saucepan and heated together. There is no frying of anything, etc. Like I said I added a few bits.
First of all I added some frozen corn. I like corn in my white chili. It adds a tiny bit of color and some protein. This is a soup which is filled with protein. Chicken, white beans, corn.
I also added some additional seasonings. I did not use salt at all actually. My stock was plenty salty enough. I did add ground black pepper and the ground cumin suggested in the original recipe.
I added some onion and garlic powders. I felt they would give it an additional flavor boost. I was right.
Such a simple addition, but such wonderful flavors. Simple really.
That's basically the changes I made. You just bring it to the boil, and then simmer it for a time so that the flavors have a chance to meld and ripen.
I scattered some grated cheddar cheese over the top to serve and added a dollop of sour cream. I thought about baking some corn bread to have on the side, but decided to go simple with just crackers.
Oh boy but this was some delicious. Hearty and light at the same time! The flavors were WOW!
So delicious in fact that I am quite looking forward to having the second serving today for my lunch. Not only is this incredibly delicious and simple to make, but it is also relatively low in fat and fairly healthy.
Low in carbs, high in protein, low in fat . . . until you add the cheese and sour cream that is, not to mention the crackers on the side.
I felt that I could enjoy a bit of cheese and sour cream on it however as it was incredibly low in fat and sugars. A tiny bit of indulgence on what was otherwise a delicious and healthy meal!
You can totally freeze the leftovers if you want. Pop it into a thick zip lock baggie and freeze it flat on a baking sheet. You can store it in your freezer for up to 3 months that way.
This is going to be a favorite in my kitchen and I think you are going to like it as well. At least I hope that you will! If you love Tex-Mex, you are really going to love this!
White Chicken Chili for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min
This is a delicious light version of a chili, which I actually prefer over the heartier beef version. Its actually quite healthy in comparison, but lacks none of the zest and flavor. I love it with a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheddar sprinkled over top.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock
- 2 cups (about 500g) salsa verde
- 1 (15-oz/425g) tin of white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup (about 80g) frozen corn
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs poached and shredded
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
To serve:
- Dairy sour cream
- grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Combine the stock, salsa, drained beans, chicken, corn, cumin, and garlic and onion powders in a saucepan.
- Gently heat over medium heat just to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave to simmer on low for about 10 to 15 minutes so that the flavors can meld properly, and the chili is piping hot.
- Serve divided between two bowls. Top each with a quantity of cheese and a dollop of sour cream to serve.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I'm definitely making this one as it sounds so delicious! And ideal for those cooler days we can get in summer - a nice change from salads, too :)
ReplyDeleteSalsa Verde is available here (amazingly enough) and everything else I have at home in my larder and freezer, *adds salsa verde to shopping list*
I always have poached chicken in the freezer. We buy in bulk when on special (both breasts and thighs) for the very spoiled dog, but I sometimes sneak some for us to eat as well. I love to use it shredded in your lovely Chicken Soup with Gnocchi that my husband often requests.
I am liking your recipe, poaching, suggestions.
ReplyDeleteI make a White Chicken Chili . . . somewhat like yours.
My grandchildren beg me to make it again and again.
That is all the encouragement I need.
I like the thought of adding corn.
I use a Pepper Jack cheese instead of a cheddar . . .
Garnish it with the Pepper Jack instead of the sour cream.
I so enjoy your blog/recipes!