Did you know I did requests? he-he-he…. On occasion the Missus has to work on weekends. Recently, it has been my habit to cook up a decent batch of food, for the Missus to take to work with Her. I'm kinda flattered that it has gone over rather well. But I guess that there's just so much Chili-Spaghetti, Soy Sauce Chicken, and deconstructed Loco Mocos that I can serve. Recently, one on the Missus's co-workers, and one of my favorite persons in the world "MP", asked the Missus if I could make "White Chili". The Missus, not knowing what White Chili was said, "no problem". The thing is, I didn't even know, nor had I ever heard of White Chili. In fact, I still don't know what White Chili is. So of course I scoured the Internet…. and really didn't find out much, other than it is a "chili" made with white beans and chicken. In fact, I still don't know what the origin of this "chili" (is it really a chili???) is. Ya' know, I admire folks who can whip out dishes they've never tasted, nor heard of, or use ingredients they really have never worked with. I'm not that person…….
I can truly say, I've never had a chance to even consider using Navy Beans….or even Cannelli Beans (white kidneys). I looked over a bunch of recipes, and to my surprise, we had most of the ingredients here at home. This turned out to be a good recipe for left-over rotisserie chicken, it seems that we often have some chicken left over, you know the parts with less flavor (i.e. breast). This usually ends up integrated into several dinners for Sammy and Frankie, but this time, I had use for it (sorry Boyz!).
I worked within what I knew about MP, not good with spicy, nothing to salty, etc……
On the way home from work, I picked up a can of Cannelli Beans, 2 cans of Navy Beans (on sale), and a can of diced green chilies.
When putting the recipe together, the first thing I noticed was how "flat" the dish was. Even with the green chilies, it was fairly bland. I added some cherry peppers, using only the green ones (to fit in the color scheme). When reading the recipes, it seemed like the chili was not hearty enough for my taste. Until I read one that used cannelli beans pureed with chicken broth as a thickening agent. In essence, a typical White Bean Puree was used to give the dish body. The dish also sorely needed some acid, which is why I ended up adding Pinot Grigio (nice and crisp), and some vinegar seemed to complete the equation. A dollop of sour cream also added to the dish, lime added more acid, and a palate cleansing citrus, and I thought that corn tortillas just seemed right…… funny how the mind works.
Enough with the verbage, I'm sure you want me to get on with the recipe. If you love heat, you can add jalapenos, or be like me when I had my one bowl, I added several dashes of hot sauce.
White Chili
3 Cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
2 15oz cans of Navy Beans, drained
1 15oz can of Cannelli Beans, drained
1 onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 Tb Olive Oil
4 Cups Chicken stock/broth
1 4oz can diced green chilies
4-5 Green Cherry Peppers, diced
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio, or similar white wine
1 Tb white vinegar
2 tsp cumin seeds (remember to crush)
2 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnishes/Sides
1-2 Cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
Sliced scallions
Cilantro leaves
Sour Cream
Lime
Tortillas
Hot Sauce
– In a food processor, combine Cannelli Beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth and process until smooth. Put aside.
– Heat a dutch oven or similar pot on medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and garlic, and saute until fragrant and translucent.
– Add the remainder of the chicken broth, oregano, cumin, green chilies, and cherry peppers (or whatever chilies you want – but try to keep the color scheme in mind).
– Bring back to a simmer, and add wine and vinegar.
– Add bean puree to thicken.
– Bring to a simmer, taste and adjust seasoning.
– Simmer for 1-2 hours (or leave overnight, it'll taste even better), and serve with the sides and garnishes of your choice.
I'm guessing it'll taste even better with home made chicken stock. And geeez some nice cheese biscuits!
So maybe someone can tell me…… what is "real" White Chili supposed to be?
Next request……. quick Coq Au Vin…….