Although I've posted a couple similar recipes in the past, this time I tweaked it a little bit, and made a thick, delicious white chili this week for dinner. The thing is, I blended part of it in the blender this time to give it a nice, thick, smoother texture and the end result gave it more of a chili color, verses the last time I made it, and left it liquid, it stayed white. So although the photo looks darker, it's still a white chili as you use white beans as compared to kidney bean or pinto beans, and of course you use a few other spices to give it that Tex-Mex kick. I also used a bit of Xantham Gum as a thickener (just about a teaspoon) but it's not necessary for the recipe so I'll leave that up to you. Play with this recipe a little bit. Adjust seasonings to your family's tastes. You can even add the darker beans if you wish.
White Bean Texas Chili
1 pound cooked boneless chicken, diced
1 med. onion chopped
2 t minced garlic
1 T canola oil
2 cans white beans (like Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans (about 15 oz. each)
5-6 c chicken broth or water with 5-6 bouillon cubes or chicken soup base
2 cans (4oz) chopped green chili for mild or 2 jalapeno's, minced for more of a kick
1 t salt
1 t ground cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 c cream, half and half or milk
1 c shredded cheese
Sour Cream, Salsa or Guacamole to serve as a garnish
In saucepan, quickly saute the onion in the oil, add chicken and garlic, cook about 2 minutes more (don't burn the garlic) and add the beans, broth, chilies, seasonings. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer 30 minutes. If you want a smoother, thicker soup, remove about 1/2 the batch and process briefly in a blender or food processor. Return to the pan. Do another batch if you want it even smoother. Rewarm though. Remove from heat, stir in cream and cheese (or you can serve the cheese along side it for people to add their own). Serve.
