Did They Eat It: White Bean Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite recipes, it's one I can count toward my Life List Goal of having a handful of recipes I can make off the top of my head. It's pretty quick to make, I know how long the process takes at this point so I don't mess up and serve dinner at 8.

First of all you need 2-3 large boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded up. I boil them for 45 minutes to an hour and then use a fork to shred them. I don't like the shredding part and it would be nice if you could find shredded chicken in nature I think.

You need an onion, diced up and 2-3 cloves of garlic minced. I didn't take a picture of that but I think you can imagine it, I should have a standard diced onion picture I can just insert. To cook the onion you need some (1-2 Tbsp) of the 32 ounces of broth you'll be using. Pour that into your heated dutch oven.

Add the onion and garlic and cook to wilt, 1-2 minutes.

A good time to make sure your camera battery is recharged is before you start cooking for a little feature on your website. <sad trombone>

I didn't do that so now you have some grainy pictures of cumin!

And OREGANO!

And tabasco.....a lot of you're us.

Now add the jar of white beans, liquid and all.

Now add the rest of the broth.

Bring to a boil and then add the shredded chicken. This is a picture of the pot that should have the shredded chicken in it. Gah. Look I got dinner on the table ON TIME. I can't do it all.

Once you add the chicken, combine well, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. I simmered for about an hour because I was so worried about making dinner late again.

Here's the final product again.

Did They Eat It?

Logan: Love! Ready to eat before I leave the house for my weekly work bowling league. I forced my co worker to have some to share the love.
Max: Yum. Yum. Yum. I'll eat it in my lunch and for dinner tomorrow too thanks!
Melissa: So so so good. I like a bit of cheese and a dab of sour cream on top and some chips on the side to scoop it up with. I also like to put 6-8 shakes of tabasco in my portion as well. Delicious.
Madison: Well I like these tortilla chips.

Here is the recipe:

White Bean Chili:

32 oz carton of Chicken Broth
1 Lg. Onion, diced
2 rounded tsp. jarred minced garlic (or 2-3 cloves minced)
1 48oz jar great northern white beans
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
5-6 dashes tobasco
2-3 lg boneless skinless chicken breasts halves

Boil chicken 45 minutes to 1 hour, shred with a fork. Set aside.

Pour a bit of broth into a medium heated large pot or dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring until onion is wilted. Add cumin, oregano and tobasco. Then add the rest of the chicken broth and the jar of white beans, including liquid.

Bring to a boil.

Add chicken, combine well & simmer, covered for at least 30 minutes.

Optional (but highly recommended): add 1/4 cup of orzo about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

Comments

[Nichole]

That looks and sounds delicious, and I have every last ingredient in my house right now. Even the hot sauce, which I very rarely buy, but the perfect storm of triple coupons and a sale made it free last month. This will be tomorrow night's dinner.

[Amy]

This is the second white chili recipe I've come across in the past week. I think it's a sign.

[Lisa]

I always enjoy reading your 'did they eat it' posts.

I made a similar white chicken chili last week - except I was more lazy and used a rotisserie chicken.....

[katrina]

when using canned beans, it cuts WAY down on the 'side effects' if you drain and rinse the beans. I just dump them into a wire mesh collander and run them under the sink.
If you need the extra liquid, add more broth, or (oh my!) you could use a little white whine to saute the onions.

[Lisa]

I've never ever boiled chicken (can't stand the smell) but I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and do it 'cause this recipe sounds amazing.

So do you boil them starting in cold water, or do you get the water boiling first, THEN put the chicken in and boil 45 min to an hour?

Why isn't there a cookbook for cooking idiots like me?

[ella]

Yum!!!
I think this would also be good with pork too!

[Ageekymom]

I've been making this recipe for years now. It's my favorite kind of chili. I also add a couple of those small cans of chopped/minced green chiles to give it a little more kick and I add Monterey Jack cheese during cooking, as well as serving more cheese on the side. I make this in big batches (often in the crockpot) and freeze it.

[opkikid]

Want to get around the shredded chicken thing? Dump everything into a crockpot on low for 8 hours (including the uncooked chicken breasts). Then, shred the chicken right in the chili when it's done cooking. It should be so tender it takes very little shredding.

[Carrie Ann Fuller]

I love how you feature the dinner recipes - thanks for sharing! I am totally with you on the shredding chicken thing - not one of my favorite kitchen past times for sure!

[Thea Gyde]

My husband is to cooking what your husband is to working out - a perfecting robot. He has a good method for shredding chicken. He puts it on the stand mixer for a few minutes and voila! Shredded chicken. Showoff. (I generally detest ANY extra dirty dishes - especially large mixer bowls - so I prefer to stick to the forks while I cuss.)

[AmyinMotown]

I was going to suggest a rotisserie chicken too --and they are $4 on Wednesdays at Westborn Market. Delicious on their own and the leftovers would probably be great in this!

[fnc]

I love your Did They Eat It posts, and I love Maddie in particular! Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm just curious why you most often post about recipes with pretty much the same ingredients - usually a Mexican-y meal of some sort with the beans and the chili and whatnot. Do you guys always eat these same ingredients in different forms, or are you just coincidentally posting about these? Just wondering, because personally I can't stand to have the same "flavor" every night - has to be a different protein and different taste (Italian with some tomato base, Asian with some soy base, etc.). Also, I'm sure you've heard of this, but I highly recommend www.relishrelish.com. Thanks!

[Julie]

I made a very similar version of this recipe (same name, slightly varied ingredient amounts), and my family loved it as well. Something about this dish appeals to the masses, although I'd never have thought it.

[deanna]

it warms my little buffalo-born heart to see you cooking with frank's red hot. [it is the only hot sauce in my humble opinion!]

if you like this recipe, i have a super easy black bean turkey chili recipe for you as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1lb extra lean ground turkey
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 jar/can of salsa of your choosing
1/2 bag of frozen corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
a drizzle of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Brown turkey in olive oil until cooked through.
[2] Add tomatoes, salsa, black beans and seasonings. Cook until heated through.
[3] Add corn and continue to simmer a few minutes until done.
[4] Garnish with whatever you like: cilantro, cheese, sour cream, chips, etc. Eat!

Seriously, super easy and takes all of 10 to 15 minutes of prep time. I usually use Goya Pico de Gallo as the salsa because it has good chunks of veggies, but you can do whatever. Also, could easily substitute the chicken or ground beef instead of the turkey. Add a little sugar if it's to acidic from all the tomatoes. You can add carrots or other veggies if you'd like as well, depending on what your family likes to eat!

[Yolanda]

I could read a Did They Eat It post several times a week. They are the most accessible cooking posts out there. I made an excellent white chicken chili at Christmas from Cook’s Illustrated. you have to be a member to their site to get the full recipe, but it looks like someone has copied it here: http://thingsicook.blogspot.com/2007/01/cooks-illustrated-white-chicken-chili.html . But I suppose you wouldn’t actually want another variation on a recipe your family loves and that you know by heart. So, umm… forget I posted that :-)

[Raine]

I made this for my family tonight and we all loved it. Yummers!

[Dave M]

Dear Melissa,

Please don't cook us for an hour and a half. Forty-five minutes, tops.

Sincerely,
Chicken Breasts

[Kate]

I've been following your laptop saga on Twitter. Do you have a PayPal account and would you be comfortable taking donations? You've been so inspirational to me (and I really mean that, even though saying it makes me feel sort of twee and Hallmark-y) that I'd love to make a contribution to your computer fund.

[Melissa Summers]

Oh gosh that is super nice but just reading my babbling is donating in essence. Thank you so much.

Sent from my iPhone with fat fingers on tiny keys.

[computing virtualization]

My friend says-"I have been making this chili for about 5 years & it is a total hit everytime. It is also a great low carb recipie for anyone who is doing Atkin's or southbeach. It is very filling."

[glb]

Love the "did they eat it posts". Maddie cracks me up..but only because I don't have to deal w/a picky eater. I fix white chick chili..in fact, may make it for a rainy day coming later this week.

However, boiling the chicken..not so much. Have you thought of roasting a chicken extra when you make roast chicken, letting it cool and shred and freeze in smaller batches? That's what I usually do. Also, we like dark thigh meat...more flavor. The poster that mentioned the crockpot is right on, also. I sometimes use dry beans, soaked the night before, makes it dirt cheap.

Keep up the good work! Love the blog.

[Kelly]

I personally love this recipe and particularly love the Franks Red Hot addition, but sadly my husband will not eat beans...

[kati]

More assvice re: shredded chicken. I put a bunch of thighs (but you can do breasts) in a crock pot on a Sunday afternoon. Cover with chicken broth, cook on low for a few hours. Then, ask someone else to shred it!

Then, I make a few things that week with the shredded chicken (next on my list is this recipe!). Also? Chicken quesadillas. BBQ chicken (just reheat on low in a pot for 40 minutes or so with the BBQ sauce of your choice and a dash of liquid smoke. Advantage: My 8 month old with no teeth can eat it). Chicken soup. Chicken with peanut sauce over soba noodles. Chicken salad sandwiches.

[Katherine]

You can also poach the chicken breasts (fancy word for boiling them) in the chicken broth you are going to use for the soup - it gives the soup a bit more flavor.

We do something similar for quick and dirty chicken soup - throw in rice or noodles and some pre-cut veggies at the end.

[Leslie]

My take on shredded chicken? I put frozen boneless chicken in the crock pot with a can of chicken broth, two kitchen tablespoons of garlic, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours, use a fork to shred or basically move the chicken around with a fork. It's that simple. If you make enough, you can use the chicken for multiple recipes.

[LizP]

I have two questions ...

What are great northern white beans? Could I use cannelini (sp?) beans?

Do you find beans in a jar in the same section as canned beans? I have never seen beans in a jar (midwest thing?)

Thanks! I love your "did they eat it" posts!

[Heather]

Long time reader, first time commenting. Just jumping on the "I love 'Did They Eat It'?" bandwagon. I love schmancy food and own a 100 cookbooks. Now I have two small children (my oldest, 2, is starting her picky phase) and my husband and I work full-time. I just want to get a tasty dinner on the table that doesn't cost me $50, 3 shopping trips and 4 hours to make that we'll all eat. I'll be making this pronto. Thanks Melissa!

[Cheryl]

I am making this *right now*. I couldn't find the jarred beans so I just bought 3 15.5 oz cans of beans. I also put some caldo (bullion) and garlic powder in with the chicken while it boils. Cannot wait to eat this tonight!

[Cheryl]

I am making this *right now*. I couldn't find the jarred beans so I just bought 3 15.5 oz cans of beans. I also put some caldo (bullion) and garlic powder in with the chicken while it boils. Cannot wait to eat this tonight!

[WindyLou]

Hiya - frozen chicken breasts w/ a small amount of water will shred on their own in the crockpot on high for a few hours. I think the trick is putting them in frozen(?)

I've made several recipes that call for shredded chicken and never had to shred it by hand when using the crockpot method. Also, you can cook a shit ton of chicken at once and put it towards several different recipes (tacos and enchiladas come to mind)

I love a good chicken/navy bean chili - I love adding canned green peppers (from the "ethnic" aisle) Adds a nice touch of color and a little spice.

[Meg McG]

There's no need to boil chicken breasts! A low-low simmer for 25 minutes would be fine!

[Alyce]

This sounds delicious. I have some leftover queso fresco that I might crumble on top instead of sour cream because I have all of these ingredients and it looks so wonderful.

[Kathy]

I love your 'Did they eat it?' posts too! And I am a vegetarian and can't fully appreciate the recipes, to boot. BUT I STILL LOVE these posts. Thanks for doing this!

[Kay]

I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it. It was very tasty and I will certainly make it again. Thanks for the recipe!

[Kathi]

I made this yesterday for my family. We used the crock pot - put it all in before we left for the day and it was ready for dinner. We put in the chicken breasts frozen (a trick I learned from your shredded chicken taco recipe). I added the orzo when I got home, and pumped the crock pot up to high for 20 minutes. It was perfect.

Everyone in my family loved it. I've decided that I'm making anything that your entire family likes.

[Kelly]

Made this tonight and it got rave reviews from the adults present. The kids got chicken nuggets. Yes, I'm that mom.

[Erin]

Made this tonight and WOW. So simple and so tasty. Thanks for posting it!