Hatch green chiles

White Chicken Chili

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I couldn’t ever find a white chicken chili I liked, so after trying several “meh” recipes, I decided to make my own.  Threw this together on a whim thinking it would at least be a quick, easy weekend prep to weekday meal kind of item.  But it turns out that Barry declared this his favorite thing I’ve ever made, so I figured I better share.  I make this pretty spicy but you can adjust (or eliminate) the heat easily. ~Robin 

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Ingredients: 

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, diced*
  • 4 medium jalapeño peppers, seeded, diced (reduce for lessened spice)
  • 4 4-oz. cans (2 c.) chopped Hatch** green chiles; don’t drain (I use mild on these – more for flavor than heat)
  • 4 cloves minced fresh garlic (or about 2 tsp. minced jarred garlic)
  • 1 1⁄3 c. low-sodium chicken broth (can always add more if you need it, but you don’t want it too soupy)
  • 4 c. cooked shredded chicken breast
  • 3 cans cannellini beans, drained well
  • 3 T. fresh lime juice (I just juice one small lime)
  • 1 T. cumin
  • 1 – 3 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I do the whole tablespoon because I like it spicy!)  
  • 2⁄3 c. cilantro (about 1/2 a bunch) chopped; reserve some for garnish
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp. garlic salt
  • Optional garnishes/accompaniments (not figured in WW points): sliced avocado, shredded Monterey jack cheese, tortilla chips, and/or a cilantro sprig.

Instructions:

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on med-high heat. Then add onion, jalapeño, chiles, garlic, and sauté for 5-7 minutes (until veggies soften).

Reduce to medium heat. Add drained beans, chicken, broth, cumin, lime juice, garlic salt (sounds like a lot of garlic, but it’s a whole lot of food too — trust me), cilantro, & red pepper flakes. Cook for 12-15 min.

Serve and garnish as desired.

Weight Watchers Info.: This makes a whopping 11 one-cup servings.

Old SmartPoints:  4 points per cup

Freestyle Points:  1 point per cup

*For easy onion dicing, using a ‘gator chopper will save you some tears, literally. They have varied dicing sizes, so be sure to check on that before purchasing – I used one with a ¼ inch dicing size, but you could use a larger one as well. I used to hate chopping onions before my folks got me this for Christmas one year. Now I can chop without tears and much more quickly.  

**You can use any chopped green chile, but I prefer Hatch chiles.