Where’s the beef? asked Sandra Wu in Cook’s Illustrated. “White chicken chili is a fresher, lighter cousin of the thick red chili most Americans know and love.” Its roots go back to the health craze of the 1980s, and the love of all things Southwestern that sprang up around the same time. Now white chicken chili can even be found in Midwestern family cookbooks. We tested a variety of recipes from both cookbooks and the Internet, and found three common problems—watery sauce, rubbery bits of chicken, and not enough chili flavor. The trial-and-error recipe presented here offers a complex, “stew-like chili with moist, tender chicken” and beans cooked to perfection.
Recipe of the week
White chicken chili
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3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat and skin
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 medium jalapeño chilies
3 medium poblano chilies, stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
3 medium Anaheim chilies, stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
2 medium onions, cut into large pieces
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, white and green parts sliced thin
Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and lightly brown on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; remove and discard skin.
While chicken is browning, remove and discard ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños; mince flesh. In food processor, process half of poblano chilies, Anaheim chilies, and onions until consistency of chunky salsa, 10 to 12 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of work bowl halfway through. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining poblano chilies, Anaheim chilies, and onions; combine with first batch (do not wash food processor blade or work bowl).
Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat from Dutch oven (adding additional vegetable oil if necessary), reduce heat to medium. Add minced jalapeños, chili-onion mixture, garlic, cumin, coriander, ¼ tsp salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
Transfer 1 cup cooked mixture to work bowl. Add 1 cup beans, 1 cup broth,
process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add vegetable-bean mixture, remaining 2 cups broth, chicken breasts to Dutch oven, bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Stir in remaining beans, continue to simmer, uncovered, until beans are heated through and chili has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Mince remaining jalapeño, reserving and mincing ribs and seeds. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into
bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Stir shredded chicken, lime juice, cilantro, scallions, remaining minced jalapeño (with seeds if desired) into chili, return to simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.
