White Chicken Chili with Green Chiles

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A creamy-tasting white chili that never sees a drop of cream. Rotisserie chicken and canned cannellini beans do the heavy lifting, and blending a cup of the beans with broth thickens the pot into something silky and rich. Green chiles, cumin and a squeeze of lime keep it bright, and the whole thing comes together in about 40 minutes on a Tuesday.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cans (15 oz each) cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (about 1 lb, skin discarded)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels (optional)

• 1 lime, juiced, plus wedges for serving
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 2 cups tortilla chips, lightly crushed

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Add the diced onion and poblano with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until softened and the onion edges are just starting to brown.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, for 60 to 90 seconds — the spices should smell toasty but not smoky. This step is what keeps the chili from tasting flat.
3. Set aside 1 cup of the drained beans. Add the remaining beans, both cans of green chiles (with their liquid) and the chicken broth to the pot. Scrape the bottom to lift any browned bits, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
4. Combine the reserved 1 cup of beans with 1 cup of the hot broth from the pot in a blender. Blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds until completely smooth and creamy — no cream needed. (A stick blender in a tall measuring cup works too.) Stir the purée back into the pot.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the chili visibly thickens and coats the back of a spoon. If it tightens too much, loosen with a splash of broth.
6. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and the corn, if using. Simmer 5 minutes more, just long enough to heat the chicken through — any longer and it goes stringy.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and half the cilantro. Taste and adjust with the remaining salt and the black pepper; rotisserie chicken and canned beans vary a lot in saltiness, so season at the end, not the beginning.
8. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, Monterey Jack, sliced jalapeño, the remaining cilantro and crushed tortilla chips. Serve with lime wedges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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