Tuxedo Chili

If you're tired of chili, skip this post.  I never get tired of chili; I make several different kinds.  For our neighborhood chili cook off, I decided to make a new one.  Why not?

We had about three times this much chili!

Some were deep, dark chocolatey-looking pots, and some were phew-eee hot as hell.  One was piquant, truly; it was vinegary.  Mine was simple, light, and flavorful.  Of course.  Cool thing about it was how easy and  fast it was.  Filling, but not heavy.  I borrowed the recipe from Food52 where The Runaway Spoon took the runner-up slot in that website's chili contest.  Why not try a winner? (Though I didn't win any prizes in the 'hood's cook off!)

This is a fit-any-diet white chili made with ground chicken.  Simple, pantry-type ingredients and a short cooking time make for a quick supper.  I could not find shoepeg corn and used regular yellow frozen corn.  Add tomatoes?  Up to you. (I added some to my leftovers just because I had some that needed using; we liked it that way, too.)  I thought the cheese and cilantro garnish was perfect, but did not care for the sour cream as it made the chili taste like a dip to me.  Just cookin'.

There's mine--red pot on the right.  I didn't win.

 Tuxedo Chili from The Runaway Spoon  (recipe cut in half)   3  generous servings 

• 1/2 medium white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 # ground chicken
• 1t dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1t dried cumin
• 3/4 t chili powder  (I added a bit more)
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1  15 oz can great northern or canellini beans
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1  15 oz can black beans
• 1/2 package (8 oz) frozen white shoepeg corn
• 1/2 4.5 oz can green chiles (Or a whole can if you like them; they're not hot.)
• 1/2 t kosher salt (my addition)
• a few drops of Tabasco

 garnishes:  grated cheddar, sour cream, fresh cilantro

1. Chop the onion and garlic finely.  Add to the oil in a Dutch oven.  Saute over medium high heat until soft and translucent.  Do not brown.  Remove the onions and garlic to a bowl and set aside.  (If the onions brown and overcook, the final color of the chili will be muddy.  It will still taste delicious, but won't look as nice.)  ...  Add the ground chicken to the pan and cook until browning slightly, breaking it up into small pieces.
2. Mix the oregano, cumin, chili powder, pepper and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle it over the chicken.  Add the onions and garlic.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the water has reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the white and black beans.  Divide the white beans in half.  Put half in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Pour the pureed beans into the chicken mixture, stir well, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining drained white and black beans, corn, and green chiles and simmer until cooked through and thickened, about 15-20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and Tabasco if needed
4. Serve in a big bowl with grated cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro.
5. Holds overnight well and freezes beautifully.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce