white bean chicken chili

I rarely get excited about a soup. They never leave me feeling as satisfied as I had hoped and then I'm left eating ten cookies to make up for the fact that dinner was far from delicious. But this white chicken chili is one of my favorite soups because it is packed with flavor and doesn't take long to throw together. I love making a batch of soup because it's easy to pack for lunch to take to work and the best part, this soup is super healthy but doesn't taste like it! Usually I am hesitant to make soups that come together in less than three hours because I feel like that's not enough time for all the flavors to... meld? come together? whatever, this soup proves me wrong.  I topped my soup with a little extra cheese and tortilla strips but there are so many more options like avocado slices, sour cream or salsa. You can also adjust the spiciness of the dish by using more or less green chilies. 

White Bean Chicken Chili

serves 5

1 pound dried Great Northern beans (or 3 cans)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 (4.5 oz) cans of chopped green chiles, undrained

3 cloves of garlic

3 tsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

6 cups chicken broth

5 cups cooked chicken breast

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Rinse beans and place in a large pot and cover with water, about 2 inches above beans. Let beans soak overnight. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and saute onion until tender. Add green chiles, garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and beans. If you are using canned beans instead of dried beans, add the beans an hour into simmering so the beans don't turn to mush. 

Bring to a boil then cover pot and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender. Add chicken, 2 cups of cheese, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Sprinkle individual bowls of soup with cilantro. 

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated