White Chicken Chili~chicken thigh recipe
White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 5 mins.
Cook time: 35 mins.
Total time: 40 mins.
I’m a big comfort food person, like huge. All of the food I like to eat is comfort food. Why would you choose to eat anything that isn’t? One of the things at the top of the list is this chili…or pretty much any type of stew, soup, chili. There is nothing more satisfying on a cold day than to come inside to some hot soup and fresh bread, literally nothing! I knew for sure that I wanted to include the recipe for this chili as soon as I started this page. It has just the right amount of heat, perfectly creamy, and so delicious! My Dad is actually responsible for this recipe which he found on a YouTube video. It’s been “tweaked” a bit to better suit our taste but it’s stayed very true to being simple, quick, and delicious! The other good thing about this recipe is that a lot of chilis or soups need to cook for long periods of time to develop flavor, and this one does not. The secret to it is in the chili powders which are PACKED with flavor! However, if you don’t have them on hand and don’t want to buy both, (they are around $6-8 a piece) you can substitute it with a can of green chilies to taste along with regular chile powder for a cheaper option. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious! The recipe also uses chicken thighs but can also use breasts or leftover chicken from other meals. However you choose to do it, you won’t be sorry you tried it! This recipe will make about 6 servings. You can definitely cut it in half if you’re just feeding two. All the measurements can be split exactly in half. Lets get to it!
You’ll need:
2 cans of Cannellini beans
2 cans of Great White Northern beans
1 small onion
1 Bell Pepper
6-8 chicken thighs (depending on size)
2 C of chicken broth plus extra
1/2 C of water
1/2 C of heavy whipping cream
2 tsp pf flour
2 tsp corn meal
4 Cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile powder
1/2 tsp Ancho Chile powder
1 tsp Oregano
Garlic salt
Black pepper
First step is to prep your veggies. Chop up your onion, pepper, and mince your garlic. Next, lightly season the chicken thighs with garlic salt. Rinse your beans as well.
Next, start browning your chicken in a hot pan with some olive oil. Chicken thighs will take a good bit of time to fully cook… about 12 mins or longer depending on the size. They will also need to rest before cutting them up, so it’s always good to start them first. Once they are browned on each side, take them out and let them sit to rest.
In a large pot, saute’ the onions, peppers, and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat for about 5 mins till the onions start to become translucent. Next, add in the ancho chile powder, chipotle chile powder, oregano and 2 tsps of flour and let it cook for 3-4 mins. Then add in 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 tsps of flour and let that simmer. It will begin to thicken up after a few minutes, and that’s when you know you’re ready to move on. Add in the beans, and a little garlic salt and black pepper to taste. Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the beans.
The next step depends a little on your taste and how you want the consistency of your soup to turn out. Add in the heavy whipping cream, and then add the water and chicken stock till you reach the consistency you want! I like mine to be a little, so I add almost a whole cup of chicken stock extra to mine. You can also choose to add in the liquid from the beans instead of rinsing them if you want a thicker broth… it’s whatever your preference is! Let it simmer for at least 5 more minutes and then taste to see if you want more spice or salt. Let it simmer for as long as you like or serve immediately. When you’re ready to serve, smash some of the beans in the chili to thicken it up a little.
I really like to serve this with yummy fresh corn , and boy oh boy is it a good combination! This recipe can be made in a 8x8 pan, or in muffin pans, or if you have a bunch of little helpers, mini muffins are always a hit! My corn bread recipe is NOT fancy, but it’s delicious, so I thought I’d share it too! I grew up making this with my Mom, and the recipe comes from this cookbook she got as a wedding gift over 30 years ago. She then gave to me when I got married. A lot of my favorite baking recipes came out of this book. It’s dogeared and stained all over, but it’s still my favorite!
1 C AP flour
3/4 C corn meal
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 TBS of butter
1 Egg
2/3 cup of whole milk
Maple syrup/sugar
Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Melt the butter and mix with the egg and butter. Add to the flour mixture and stir together till mixed. You can choose to add 1/4 cup of sugar or just pour in some maple syrup (my favorite) for a sweeter taste. Bake at 425 degrees (cooking time will vary depending on size). I find that mini muffins take about 6-7 mins.; large muffins take about 12 mins., and an 8x8 pan takes about 18-20. Just cook till a little golden on top or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean!
I hope you enjoy this on the next cold day you have, and don’t be afraid to let some kiddos help you out… and just incase you don’t think this is an accurate depiction of what cooking with kids looks like, my niece and I dropped a whole egg on the floor, but we still had fun! I know I remember my older sister and Mom letting me help them, and I definitely loved it! Hopefully, my niece will just look back at this and think how much fun it was and not how messy an egg is all over yourself!
Just incase you thought I was lying about the egg on the floor…