Easy White Chicken Chili

Honesty moment: the night I whipped this up for dinner was a night that I did NOT feel like cooking.  In fact, I had already told everyone that they will have to "fend" for themselves, which normally means that the kids would have had a bowl of cereal and Cory would have {gladly} eaten a bowl of cereal or a PB&J sandwich. :) But then I remembered that there was a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, originally intended for chicken salad for lunches...that I had completely forgot about.  Wanting something southwestern, I scanned the fridge and pantry and gathered ingredients to come up with a white chicken chili.   And please be advised that I was in total shock that we had the ingredients on hand. Lol! That never happens! :)  

 

I would have loved some fresh cilantro to add in and tortilla strips to garnish the bowls with but I had to work with what was available. ...and it turned out to be a tasty dish,  if I say so myself.  Which is why I wanted to share another easy, couldn't-be-simpler, weeknight dinner idea.   

 

Let's get started!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Rotisserie Chicken, {skin removed, meat pulled}

1 Large Onion, Diced

2 Tablespoons sliced Jarred Jalapeno {or 1 fesh Jalapeno Pepper, seeds removed}

3 Cans White Cannellini Beans

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin

2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

4 Cans Chicken Broth

 

Optional Toppings:

Avocado Slices

Sour Cream

Tortilla Strips

Fresh Salsa

Cilantro

Cheese

 

 

 

{Start by pulling and shredding your meat from the rotisserie chicken.}

{In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and diced onions and begin sauteing.}

{Meanwhile, open your cans.  Rinse and drain your cannellini beans}

{Take half and add them to a large bowl.  Mash them and set aside.}

{The mashed beans will act as a thickener to your chili and add some texture.}

{Stir your onions to evenly brown.}

{Add in your minced garlic and jalapeno pepper.}

{Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and mix well to meld the flavors together.}

{Add in your pulled chicken meat and mix well, coating each piece with the {now} flavored oil and thoroughly mix together with the onions, garlic and jalapeno.}

{Sprinkle in the cumin and chili powder.  Mix really well.}

{Pour in your chicken broth and let this simmer over low heat to warm the chicken.}

{At this point, taste your broth for seasoning!  I needed to add in more salt.  I also added more cumin and some dried oregano.}

{Once your pot starts to bubble, add in the mashed beans.}

{Next, pour in your whole beans.}

{Continue to simmer and let all of those yummy flavors develop. :) About 15 minutes.}

{At this point, I thought it would be a good idea to thicken this up a bit, though it would have been perfectly fine as is - as a "southwest chicken soup" instead of "chili"! }

{To thicken the chili, I made a slurry using 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water.  I combined them to make a thick paste.}

{Slowly stir in your thickening cornstarch paste and continue to stir.}

{After about 10 more minutes of slowly simmering, the chili should have a heartier consistency. :)}

{Serve it up with the toppings of your choice and enjoy!} 

 

I was regretting not having a warm slice of buttery cornbread to serve with this but I appreciated how quick, super duper easy and relatively healthy this dinner was. It's a keeper!

 

xoxo, thanks for reading! ♥