HR Lady’s Crowd Pleasin’ White Chicken Chili

Last night I was suffering from What-the-Hell-Am-I-Gonna-Make-for-Dinner-It's-Already-FiveOClock-itis, so I thought, hmmm wonder if anybody else has that problem? I thought I'd share my emergency pretty good dinner that's ready in no time recipe. Most of the ingredients I always have in stock around here. Try it out and let me know what you think. It was real popular at our Women's Guild Soup and Sandwich Fundraiser Luncheon.



2 TBSP Olive Oil- divided
1 ¼ Lb Chicken Breast Cubed about ¾ inch in size (I prefer to use boneless skinless you could also substitute leftover turkey or baked chicken –though I’d stick to the white meat)
1 med. Onion finely chopped
3 TBSP Cumin
3 TBSP Chili Powder
1 TBSP Garlic Powder or 4 cloves fresh garlic
1 TBSP Oregano (Mexican Oregano, if you can find it –it’s made by McCormick)
2 TBSP Corn Starch
2 TBSP Cold Water
1 C. Chicken Broth
6 Cans (14-16 oz.) Navy Beans w/ liquid (DO NOT DRAIN)
1 TBSP Salt


Cook chicken in 1 Tbsp oil until golden (about three minutes each side)
Set chicken aside. In large Dutch oven, warm 1 Tbsp Oil over medium heat. when pan is warm combine and add Onion, Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic and Oregano. Sauté lightly until onion becomes clear -2 to 4 minutes. Add Chicken broth and heat to a low boil. In a small bowl, Mix Cornstarch and water until smooth and add to chicken broth mixture. Stir until smooth. Add Beans w/ all liquid from the beans and salt (some canned beans are particularly salty, so you may want to taste before adding salt). Heat to boiling, stirring frequently then reduce heat to low, add chicken and simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. You can actually make this early in the day and then just bring it back up to a boil then turn down and simmer for ten minutes –needs plenty of stirring.

You can also make this in the crock-pot by simply cooking the chicken, heating the broth to near boil and adding broth and corn starch mixture to crock-pot before combining all other ingredients. Cook on High first 2 hours. Low for last 4 hours. It holds up very well to extended cooking (beyond 8 hours) in the crock-pot).

Excellent served with a tiny sprinkle of “Fiesta or Taco Blend Cheese, A dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of chopped green onions and tomato. AND chopped fresh jalapeños –if you want to spice things up!

You can also stretch the recipe by serving over yellow rice (or plain old white rice if you prefer).
Makes about 8 servings alone or 6 served with Corn Bread or Buttermilk Biscuits

If you have any great recipes that you'd like to share, feel free to e-mail them to me.