Green Chile Chicken Chili

Hey ya’ll!! I know, I know. It’s taken me some time to get this up to ya’ll and I’m SORRY! I started a new job and finding the balance of filming, cooking and posting to the blog as well as to Instagram and Pinterest was escaping me. No fear though, I have done a lot of work in the background, so now I’m ready to get these recipes cranking out for ya’ll. So thank you for your patience, and I’m telling you, it’s so worth it, because THERE’S A VIDEO with this one!! So let’s talk about the inspiration behind this soup. It’s creamy without a roux, slurry or cream and rich and has a ton of flavor!

The Inspiration

One of my favorite things are hatch green chiles. They have a unique smokiness to them that’s also a little fruity to go with their spice level. Sometimes, you’ll get a batch of hatch green chiles that are very spicy, but most times, they offer a subtle heat that carries throughout a dish, but doesn’t burn out your palate. While it’s hard to find fresh chiles here in southern Maryland, this recipe gets the flavor from canned green chiles and hatch green chili powder from Trader Joes. If you don’t have a TJs by you, that’s ok, it’s available at Savory Spice Company where you can order it right to your doorstep. Using these gives the chili and incredible depth of flavor that keeps you coming back for more. I wanted to bring a chili to the blog that wasn’t tomato based, didn’t use beef and wasn’t the typical “white chili”, and boy does this deliver! Let’s get into the deets to talk about the rest of the ingredients.

The Deets

Ok, so there’s more to this chili than just green chili flavor, theres also the beans! I know, before you say anything about the beans, hear me out! One of the best parts of white chili to me are the beans. They add a lot of heartiness and are responsible for the creaminess this chili delivers! They break down and release the starch in them which gives you a great thickness to the broth and holds on to all of that flavor! Another great addition to this soup is the chicken thighs. You can make this recipe with breasts, but you wouldn’t get the same richness or flavor, although I bet it would be good still. The thighs are juicy and get better as they braise in the liquid, they add so much to the finished soup. They also don’t dry out, meaning you have tender bites of chicken with every bite. The last thing that takes this chili over the top are the toppings. It’s completely customizable, but for me, avocado, cilantro, cheese and a little raw onion are perfect! That’s enough of the talking, check out the tips for making to enjoy this as the temperatures drop again this week!

Tips For Making

This recipe is actually very easy and there aren’t too many tips to get a great dish, and that’s the best part!

• With this white bean style chili, you can use any white beans you’d like, so don’t stress if you don’t have the exact combination I used. Just make sure you used canned or that your beans are already softened.
• In a pinch and don’t want to sear the chicken first? You’ll still get a delicious chili, but it won’t be quite as deep in flavor.
• You can also keep this vegan by skipping the chicken all together and using veggie stock. I’d recommend the No Chicken Chicken Stock by Imagine if you do!

That’s it ya’ll. A great white chicken chili that’s rich in flavor and easy to make. I’ll actually be eating it myself today again. That’s how good it is! Don’t believe me, just check my IG stories…I’m sure I’ll be talking all about it. For the cornbread made in the video, check out this recipe and for a gluten free version, check out this one!

Don’t forget to tag me in your photos online @lizeeangel or using #lizeeangel. And as always, comment below and please, like, share and follow me on youtube, instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest!