Colorado White Chili

There are probably almost as many recipes for white chili as there are red, and, like its tomato cousin, I think most of them have the same basic ingredients. Mine uses white beans, white corn, green chilies, chicken breast, chicken broth and spices to make a nice, mildly spicy soup-ish type chili. There is no dairy in this recipe, so it's not as high in fat as recipes with cream or milk included, and since it calls for chicken breast meat, there is little meat fat, either.

Sometimes I top it with a spoonful of sour cream when I serve it, but when I made it last week I just spooned on some chopped avocado -- some good monounsaturated fat. We eat it with plain, warm tortillas or tortilla chips.

This dish is not very photogenic, but it makes up for its visual inadequacies in the taste department. My recipe comes from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer.

Colorado White Chili

1 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4.5 oz can diced green chilies
1 T. cumin
2 t. oregano
½ t. ground cayenne pepper
pinch ground cloves
15.5 oz. great northern beans (do not drain)
15.5 oz. white corn (canned or frozen)
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
5 c. chicken broth


In a large pan, combine oil, onion, garlic, and green chilies. Saute until tender, but do not brown. Stir in spices, beans, corn, chopped chicken, and chicken broth. Cook and stir until heated through. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Garnish with jalapeño slices if desired.

(To freeze: cool completely. Freeze in a freezer bag. Thaw completely. Simmer until heated through.)

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