I've been talking about making white chili since last winter, but I finally decided to do it this week when I realized that it would fit nicely into my (currently rather restricted) budget.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
One pound great northern beans
Cooked chicken - I had about 3 cups
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
about 2 tbsp chicken soup base
4 oz can green chilies
about 1 tbsp dried oregano
about 2 tsp chili powder
A few notes about these ingredients:
Beans: I almost always buy bulk organic beans from the natural foods store - this time was an exception, simply because I was on my third grocery store of the day and I just didn't want to make it four. Bulk organic costs about the same as conventional in a package, so in any other situation I would get the bulk organic.
Chicken: The cooked chicken was leftover from an whole chicken I baked a few days ago - it was all white meat, but I think either white or dark would work just fine.
Soup base: I am well aware that soup base and bouillon are full of assorted strange ingredients. I probably won't buy them again, but I will use what I have left in the pantry. You could probably use stock to cook the whole recipe, as long as it wasn't too salty - that might prevent the beans from softening.
Chilies: The can of green chilies is a nod to convenience and tradition. If you prefer to use fresh peppers and avoid cans, I'd suggest one or two (depending on your desired spice level) Serrano peppers, either chopped up or left whole and removed at the end like a bay leaf.
Spices: If you've ever made chili before in your life, you are probably aware of one glaring omission in this list - cumin. I had every intention of using it until I realized I didn't have any. =(
Recipe:
Because I am horrible at doing prep-work in an appropriate time frame, I did a quick soak for the beans. Cover with water, bring to a rapid boil, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for one hour.
Drain, rinse, and return the beans to the pot. Cover with water again - 2-3 inches above the level of the beans, and cook until they are getting soft - almost edible texture.
While the beans were cooking, I chopped up the onion and garlic, and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. After about five minutes, I added the green chilies and the chicken, hoping to infuse a bit of flavor into the chicken, which was a little bland. I cooked it all together over medium heat, stirring, for about five more minutes - the chicken was already cooked, so I didn't want to overdo it.
When the beans reached their almost-edible consistency, I added everything else into the pot - the chicken/chilies/onion/garlic mix, along with the chili powder, oregano, and soup base. I don't reconstitute soup base when adding it to a recipe like this - there is plenty of liquid already, so I just add it into the pot.
Once everything went into the pot, I cooked it for about another hour, and tasted to adjust the seasonings. The absence of cumin was a serious liability - I ended up adding more chili powder and oregano, along with some garlic powder, white pepper and just a bit (about 1 tsp) of curry powder.
Next time I will add an extra can of chilies, or do the serrano peppers, but I like things a bit spicy. I will also check to make sure I have cumin.
I added a spoonful of lebni, which complimented the flavors quite well. Sour cream or yogurt would also be just fine.
This chili turned out to be enjoyable, and even better as leftovers, but I will make some adjustments next time.
Total time (including the rapid soak of the beans): 3:15
Estimated cost: under $6
Estimated cost: under $6
Serves: 4-6 adults as a one-dish meal
Tastiness factor: 3.5 - not bad, but needs some modifications
Easiness factor: 4 - not difficult, just time consuming
Easiness factor: 4 - not difficult, just time consuming
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