It's official, football season is upon us. We love this time of year as the days get shorter and the nights get colder because it means we start making some of our seasonal football favorites. The first being Southern Living's White Bean Chili. We found this recipe in our Southern Living Favorites Cook Book from 2007 after we had a request for chili that didn't have a "red" meat base.
What an incredible find!
The chili is thick and chunky with bite-sized pieces of chicken. The base is a combination of seasonings and blended white beans and the white shoepeg corn gives the taste of kernels fresh off the ears. The best part are the green chile peppers. They give the chili a spicy taste without much heat.
It's a great dish for those who don't care for spicy chili. With some of the picky eaters at our house, this is a meal that everyone enjoys.
With Fall upon us and football games to attend, this is a great time to make a hearty chili for your next indoor or outdoor sports crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
- 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen shoepeg white corn
- 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs
Preparation
Sauté chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 7 minutes; add garlic, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in chicken pieces, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in 3 cups water and next 5 ingredients; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
Place 2 cans of beans in a blender; add broth, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
Stir bean pureé, remaining 2 cans of beans, corn, and chiles into chicken mixture in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Garnish, if desired.