White Chili with Chicken
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Blender, hand or standing
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried small white beans Navy, Great Northern, or cannelini (see note)
- ½ tsp koshering salt
- 2 ea Poblano chilis
- 4 ea Anaheim chilis Or Hatch
- 2 ea Jalapeño chilis
- 1 medium white onion peeled, trimmed, split in half top to bottom
- 8 medium garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1 ea pickled Jalapeño pepper
- 2 tbsp Jalapeño pepper pickling liquid
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 qt chicken stock low-sodium, home-made, instant, store-bought
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 4 ea boneless skinless chicken breast about 2 pounds
- 1 lb cheese Pepper Jack, shredded, divided
- 2 tbsp lime juice fresh from 2 limes, or bottled
- 1 ea lime cut into wedges for serving
- 1 cup cilantro leaves fresh, chopped coarsely, divided
- 6 ea scallions spring onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cover beans with 1 gallon (4 quarts) water. Add ¼ cup salt and stir until dissolved. Cover and let rest at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 24. Drain and rinse beans.Note: you could also prepare it in a pressure cooker.
- Adjust broiler rack to 8 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high.Place poblanos, Anaheims, jalapeños, onion, and garlic on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Toss with one tablespoon oil using your hands to coat. Season with salt.Place under broiler and broil, turning peppers and rearranging vegetables occasionally, until peppers are blackened on all sides and skins are wrinkled all over, 15 to 20 minutes total. Gather up foil and form a sealed pouch. Let chilies rest for 5 minutes.
- Place chilies and chicken stock in a large bowl. Peel chilies under the chicken stock, leaving skins and seeds behind. Transfer chili flesh to the cup of a hand blender or a standing blender. Add broiled onion, broiled garlic, and the canned jalapeño (do not add jalapeño pickling liquid).Blend until a smooth purée is formed. Set aside.
- Heat remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chili purée and cook, stirring, until incorporated. Strain chicken stock into the pot, pressing on skins and seeds to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard skins and seeds.
- Add soaked beans and chicken breasts to the pot, adding water as necessary until beans and chicken are fully submerged.Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken breasts register 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer chicken breasts to a bowl and let rest. Continue simmering broth and beans until beans are fully tender, about 1 hour total.Remove 1½ cups of beans and transfer to a standing blender or the work cup of an immersion blender. Blend until completely smooth, adding enough liquid of the beans and chicken to blend it.Stir back into the pot.
- Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir back into stew. Stir in half of the cheese until melted. Stir in the jalapeño pickling liquid, lime juice, and half of the cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
- Serve immediately with extra shredded cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, and scallions.
Notes
Note: goes reallyk well with the Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins.