The crock pot is awaiting its fall unveiling. We’re planning to go apple picking over the long holiday weekend so the inaugural slow cooked dish will be Mom’s celebrated Apple Butter.
But, I still found a way to make some warm, hearty comfort food to combat the cooler weather and my kids’ adjustment to the long draining school days.
White Bean Chicken Chili is a welcomed alternative to its better-known sibling, Beef Chili. The biggest difference, it tastes much lighter and seems healthier. My family tends to err on the side of eating too much red meat so, I was thrilled to use white meat rotisserie chicken as the base meat alongside cannellini bean mixture.
My kids were quite skeptical when I informed them, ten minutes before dinner, they’d be eating White Bean Chili. The chicken omission was almost a game-changer. The minute I reassured them that it’s a chicken dish and they’d get to sprinkle lots of shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top along with blue corn chips, they were sold – and so was I!
In fact, they were so excited to crush blue corn chips they completely forgot to complain about cannellini beans. My kids have never eaten cannellini beans, nor do they eat regular beans. And, anything kidney-shaped usually makes their stomach turn.
But, the mixture of the beans and the chicken shreds and the broth and the garlic and the onions and the cheese and THE CHIPS create a mild yet hearty dinnertime dish.
I kept this first batch relatively mild- no jalapeno peppers, no chillies, lime juice, no hot sauce. Yet, I did add in some half and half to cream up the base.
This dish is so simple to prepare, it’s ideal for weeknight or weekend dinners.
Next time, I’ve been committed by my 10-year old to make the White Bean Chicken Chili in a hollowed out bread bowl.
See what happens when I experiment with new dishes?
The bar always gets raised…
Enjoy.
White Bean Chicken Chili
serves 6
- 1 whole rotissiere chicken, shredded w/out skin
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 can corn (11oz.)
- 2 cans cannellini beans (14 -15 oz.)
- 14 oz. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 cup Monterey Jack shredded (add as much as desired)
Instructions:
- Saute onions and garlic in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes. At the same time, heat chicken broth in pot.
- Add your chicken, sauteed garlic and onions, corn, beans, cumin, coriander, oregano to chicken broth pot.
- Determine if you need more broth or add some water to make less thick and then cook for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Next, add half and half.
- Sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese atop each individual chili bowl. Serve with bread or tortilla chips.
Wow! That’s mouthwatering. Making me feel hungry. 😀
Sounds delicious and something that my picky eater just may eat.
I made this tonight and my family loved it. My oldest child doesn’t eat chicken, so we told him it was deli turkey and he ate it. I added carrots and shredded a whole zucchini in the vitamix first. I didn’t have the corn. The baby even ate it. Kudos!