White Bean Chicken Chili

It was one of those days. Not exactly gorgeous outside. Ended up a lazy day. Pulled some chicken from the freezer expecting cutlets for Chicken Marsala. Have a load of mushrooms to use up. Wouldn't you know it. Boneless, Skinless Chicken thighs. I should have noticed, but I just threw them in the frig the other day to defrost. Now I had to use them. So I googled. Came up with a few good choices.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Chicken

Broiled Chicken and Artichokes

or maybe this one...
Herb-and-Cheese-Filled Chicken Thighs

The grilled chicken sounded real good, but looked like it might rain, so I thought I'd be nice and not drench the husband! I think it drizzled instead of poured. and only for a little bit. Too late now. The broiled chicken seems really easy and really simple, so I'm saving it for another day. The stuffed chicken thighs really topped my list but I was in lazy mode today, so I'll have to put that off for another time. but it's definitely on the "must try" list.

Well, you probably guessed from the title of the post. I went with simmering. Much easier on a day of nothing but laundry and errands. We had a nice big bowl of White Bean Chicken Chili that I found at epicurious. and it was good. Really good.

Those other three contenders are really high on the list, I know there's more chicken thighs buried deep in the darkness of the bottom bin of the freezer. Unless they're the long lost cutlets I was looking for!

I didn't have aniseed, so for that matter, I didn't even miss it! I added a tablespoon, maybe a little more of ancho chile powder. Used olive oil instead of the corn oil. less garlic, more cumin and no cilantro. My daughter, Miss Picky, thinks it tastes like soap. Trust me, I know from soap, I was a fresh kid. I bubbled many a time after saying the wrong thing to my mother, cilantro does not taste like soap. At least not to me.

So no cilantro but it needed something green, so I added a whole bunch of baby spinach. It was a really nice addition. We liked this. It's very similar to Susan's Chili Blanco Especial, which I usually make and we love. So I stole her idea of the tortilla lining the bowl! Great idea!

White Bean Chicken Chili
from Bon Appétit at epicurious.com
Printable Recipe


2 tablespoons corn oil
1 large onion,chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon aniseed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 7-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 cup whipping cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, aniseed and dried red pepper. Sauté 5 minutes. Push onion to 1 side of pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sauté chicken approximately 5 minutes.
Drain beans; reserve 1/2 cup bean liquid. Add beans, broth, chilies, cream and reserved bean liquid to chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.) Ladle chili into bowls. Top with cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.

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