White Chicken Chili

As with every chili I make, each time it's a little different. But these are the basic ingredients for most batches.

White Chicken Chili
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chile peppers
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper OR 1 tsp. chow chow (more on this later...)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken*
1 (15 oz.) cans white beans
1 1/2 cups white corn kernels (frozen or canned)
shredded Monterey Jack, sour cream and tortilla chips for serving

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne/chow chow. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken, corn and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if necessary. Remove the mixture from heat. Top with cheese, sour cream and chips, if desired.

Having received a delicious version myself, I have found this is one of those good "drop off" meals (like when a friend welcomes a new baby) along with cornbread muffins. Just keep the heat level to your friends' liking.

* To save time, while the onions are cooking, I'll poach chicken tenders (the size cooks quickly) in the chicken broth separately, remove them to shred, then add everything -- broth and all -- back to the main pot.

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