White Chicken Chili with Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce

So Tasty from Scratch — or Use Short Cuts

Whether made entirely from scratch or using our shortcuts, this chicken chili with white beans and Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce is hearty and delicious. The tomatillos give it a unique tanginess, and you can use mild or hot green chiles, to your liking. 

White chicken chili recipes call for white beans like cannellini beans instead of pinto or kidney beans. I don’t love cannellini beans but Rebel does. I wondered if we could find another type of white bean we’d both like. Since I’ve really come to love runner beans – which are larger and meatier than most beans – I looked to see if there was an over-sized white bean.

I found these corona beans, and we both agreed they’re perfect. They’re big and balance out the chunks of chicken plus they hold up to the tangy sauce and spices.

Like all chili recipes, this white chicken chili tastes even better if made a day ahead, and it freezes well. Another make-ahead tip is to cook the beans or Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce the day before making the chili.

Whether you make the full, from-scratch version or the shortcut one, we hope you enjoy this chili as much as we did. It’d be super for a tailgate party or for supper any night now that the season’s changing.  

~ Lee

print recipe

White Chicken Chili with Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce

by Burnt Toast Food Blog September-28-2018

Make it from scratch or with shortcuts – this delicious, tangy, mild or hot chicken chili features white beans and a tomatillo-Hatch green chile sauce. A healthy and hearty dinner; naturally gluten free and dairy free.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried white beans, such as corona, cannellini or great northern
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 to 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

To Cook the White Beans

1. Pick over the beans and rinse. Cover with about 6 cups of water and refrigerate. Soak the beans for 4 hours or overnight. 2. Drain the water and place the beans in a large pot with 4 cups fresh water. Bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally and check to see if more water is needed. If so, add boiling water to keep the cooking temperature even. Simmer the beans for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until very tender when pierced with a fork. The beans shouldn’t be so cooked as to be mushy, but for better digestion, they need to be soft. 3. Drain and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Set aside. If made ahead, cool 15 minutes and then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Make the Chili

1. Medium chop the onions. Mince the garlic. Wash and pat dry the chicken, and cut into 1” pieces. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until just hot but not smoking. Cook the chicken in small batches, without crowding. Flip once until just beginning to brown on each side. Remove to a bowl, add more oil if needed, and repeat until all the chicken is browned. Set the browned chicken aside. 3. Add more olive oil if needed. Sautee the onion, scraping up the browned bits of chicken, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. 4. Add the cumin, coriander, chile powder, and cayenne pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. 5. Mix in the browned chicken and cooked white beans. Pour in 3 cups of the chicken broth and the Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting the seasoning as needed. If the chili is thicker than you like, add more chicken broth. 6. When finished, stir in the chopped cilantro and serve. Notes: You can make the Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chili Sauce and cook the white beans a day ahead. Or to save time, try any of the following: - Cut up an already cooked deli rotisserie chicken, and skip to step 3.

- Substitute 2 cans of white beans.

- Use prepared tomatillo sauce (not salsa) and add 2 cans of diced mild or hot green chiles.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 2 hours 20 mins Total time: 6 hours 30 mins (including time for beans to soak) Yield: 10-12 servings