With all of the snow and arctic temps this winter it’s nice to seek comfort in delicious, slow cooked meals. With that in mind, we’re sharing another sure-fire winter hit from our friend Jeanette, Jeanette’s Healthy Living . . . Perfect for a cold wintry day. Serve it with lots of fixings for extra fun!
I’ve been thinking of making this for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to it for whatever reason. I think I was worried my kids wouldn’t like it simply because it wouldn’t look like the chili they’re used to. White food tends to scream boring and bland. To amp up the flavor in this White Chicken Chili, I did three things:

• Toasted whole cumin and coriander before grinding them
• Used three types of chili peppers – fresh jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, and fire roasted green chilies
• Used leftover Chicken “Carnitas Style” which was braised in onions, garlic and spices
• Served the chili with fun and fresh toppings – diced avocado, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro leaves, Pepper Jack cheese, and baked blue tortilla chips

The chili itself is dairy-free, so choose your toppings according to preferences and dietary needs. My husband is lactose intolerant, so he topped his chili with avocado, scallions and cilantro.
To go along with this chili, I made a batch of gluten-free dairy-free Cornbread and Steamed Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Red Pepper Olive Oil.
I gave a container of this White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies to a friend of mine who’s just finishing up her chemotherapy treatments and she said it was the best chicken chili she’s ever had. I was so glad she enjoyed this nutrient rich chili, packed with goodness.

Ingredients

• • 3 14.5 ounce cans white beans
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
  • 4 sliced pickled jalapenos
  • 2 green bell peppers
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cups Chicken Carnitas or roast chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 4-ounce can fire roasted green chilies

• fresh cilantro leaves
• fresh avocado, diced
• scallions, chopped
• shredded pepper jack cheese
• Greek yogurt
• crumbled tortilla chips
• fresh lime wedges

1. Place one can of beans in food processor and process until smooth. Rinse and drain remaining beans. Place in slow cooker.
2. In a small skillet, toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds until fragrant. Transfer to spice grinder (I use an old coffee grinder) and grind until fine.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add jalapeno pepper, pickled jalapeno, bell peppers, onion, celery and garlic and saute until onions and peppers are soft. Add ground cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and saute another minute. Add to slow cooker, along with chicken broth, chicken and fire roasted green chilies. Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours. Serve with toppings as desired.

Check out this recipe and more at Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog