Since Puxatony Phil promised us six more weeks of winter, and the weather man guaranteed the east coast frigid rain and serious snow this weekend, I thought you might enjoy a chili recipe to keep you warm on this wet February weekend.

The other day I soaked and cooked a big batch of white beans.  I only used half of them to make my Crusty and Creamy White Beans with Swiss Chard so I put the extra beans in the fridge to save for another time.  Later in the week, our friends, Joel and Mary Stuart, came over for dinner so I decided to invent my own White Bean Chicken Chili recipe with the extra beans.  I loved creating this meal because the only thing I needed to go to the store and buy were the chiles.  Everything else I already had in my pantry or the fridge.  I remember when I first entered ‘grown up world’, I felt like I was always spending lots of money to cook because I had to buy spices and every single ingredient in a given recipe. (Olive oil and spices add up when you’re getting started, but it’s worth it, I promise.)  My mother-in-law assured me that over time I would ‘build a pantry,’ and she was right.  I love just opening the cabinet and seeing what I can use.  Try limiting yourself to just buying produce and meat one week at the grocery store and resorting to the pantry for the rest.  It’s a great way to experiment and be adventurous in the kitchen.  You also get to put to use all those canned goods and dried beans that you’ve been ‘saving.’  Perfect in anticipation of spring cleaning (or if you’re snowed in)!

I usually make a tomato based chicken chili but the white beans in the fridge needed to get used and I was eager to experiment with a new soup to hopefully add to my repertoire of go-to freezable meals.  I’m glad that I gave this chili a try because the results were quite nice flavors and good texture.  The combination of spices worked well together, even though I was a little nervous about it being too spicy for our guests, especially with the chiles.  If you don’t like heat in your chili, I would suggest going a little lighter on the spices.  I had planned on putting a chopped green pepper into the chili as well, but ultimately omitted it because the chiles gave my hearty soup enough color.

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon rice flour
• 2 4 oz. cans chiles, chopped
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4-5 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you want your chili)
• 4 cups cooked & drained white beans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn

Note on cooked chicken: I did this a day in advance because I knew I would be pressed for time the following day.  I used 3 bone-in, skin on chicken breasts. Rub with olive oil, s&p, put in pyrex dish and baked them in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes.  You can also just cook boneless chicken breasts on the stove top.  I prefer the oven because you don’t have to tend to your chicken the whole time it’s cooking.

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven on medium heat.  Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and soft.  Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring.  Add rice flour and cook for one minute, creating a roux-like concoction.  Add chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper and stir for another 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, chiles, beans, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, turn down to a simmer on medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes.  (If the chili is bubbling a lot, turn the heat down more.)  Add chicken and corn.  Cook for 30 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and more spices to taste.  (I always add a little bit of everything at the end.)

Serve warm with fun toppings.  I used white cheddar, sour cream and avacado.  We also enjoyed a yummy salad, grilled peppers stuffed with spicy pepper jack cheese (made by Joel on ‘The Egg’) and Food Should Taste Good sweet potato chips.

I made this chili early in the day and just let it sit on the stove top until dinner, reheating slowly before Joel and Mary Stuart arrived. You can’t really overcook this chili.  Long and slow cooking, makes for a great chili.  Chili, like soup, gets better with time.  David and I ate it for dinner two more nights, each time the flavors melded together better.  I just wish I had more of that chili to eat tonight.  It would be perfect for another cold, rainy night in Atlanta.  Stay warm and dry!

Tags: Bill Murray, celiac, chicken, chili, gluten-free, groundhog day, puxatony phil, recipe, white bean

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 1:41 pm and is filed under recipe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.