I had never heard of white bean chicken chili before until I went to The Cheesecake Factory and tried to find something low calorie and healthy. This was a great find. Yummy! It was delicious So I tried to taste the flavors involved in it. I have tried to recreate it by taste. There’s was more complex but mine is tasty. Not just like Cheesecake Factory, but it is healthy and delicious. Why not give it a try?
I am going to give you the recipe in two ways. Scan through and you will find a second way to make it very quickly.
First, the way I made it from scratch.
I have not tried the second way yet but I know that it would be nearly as good.
I boil my own Great Northern beans-1 pound - follow directions on the package.
In a separate pan saute’ 8 to 12 ounces of chicken breast diced, with one large onion chopped.
I use a nonstick pan, so I don't add any fat
When the onion is translucent and the chicken is lightly browned- about 5 to 7 minutes; add 1 to two cloves of garlic – peeled and finally chopped.
I used poblano peppers – Hatch green chiles would be even better- but they are only available seasonally in late summer. Whichever you use follow these easy directions.
*Place 2-4 chili peppers under the broiler on high or on the BBQ for about 5-6 minutes per side- yes burn the skin. Remove from heat and put them in a paper bag or pot with a lid, allowing them to steam. This makes the peels slide off easily. You can peel and chop them after about 5-10 minutes. The more seeds you remove the less heat the pepper will have.
IMPORTANT * Wash your hands several times after touching chili or use gloves when handling the peppers. It will burn your eyes if you touch them. – Yes, I learned that the hard way. 😊
**If you don’t want to deal with the peppers use canned- they have green salsa that would be good. But it is really easy to do the peppers , so don’t let it scare you. They are so good.
To the pot of beans add 2 Tablespoons of chicken bouillon to taste – I used Better Than Bouillon. Any of them will work great.
Then add the chicken mixture- and the chopped peppers- ½ cup green chili salsa – known as Salsa Verde
1 tsp of chili powder to taste. Le tit simmer for at least 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
To Serve
Ladle hot chili into a bowl with white or brown rice in the center. Top with homemade Pico de gallo or store bought salsa. I sprinkled mine with crushed red peppers. (Pizza peppers)
Top with sour cream, if you like. You could easily omit the rice and sour cream to cut carbs and fat. There are already carbs in the beans.
Quick and easy variation
On medium heat add 3-4 cans of beans (drained) in a pan and add 4 cups of chicken broth
In a separate pan saute’ a large onion in butter or olive oil till soft – then add to beans.
Add about 2 cups of diced cooked chicken. Rotisserie is great, but you could use canned or leftover chicken too.
1 jar of green chili salsa – Salsa Verde - about 16 oz
Chili powder to taste about ½ - 1 tsp
Let simmer for 15-30 minutes. Add more chicken broth or water if it’s too thick
To Serve
Ladle hot chili into a bowl with white or brown rice in the center. Top with homemade Pico de gallo or store-bought salsa. I sprinkled mine with crushed red peppers. (Pizza peppers)
Top with sour cream, if you like. You could easily omit the rice and sour cream to cut carbs and fat. There are already carbs in the beans.