The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates

White Chicken Chili

Blaise Doubman

Believe it or not it is getting to be chili weather. I know people who cook chili all year long but I am not one of those people. I only cook chili during the colder months of November through February. Maybe once in awhile I will cook up a pot in March but it is rare. I just find that I enjoy chili so much more when the weather is cold and I feel I need something warm and comforting. A majority of the time I will fix, what I call, Indiana chili. It is basically ground beef with a couple of cans of chili mix and some other spices. My absolute favorite chili of all time though, is called “Friend of a Friend Chili” and I shared it here with everyone about a year ago. You can visit my website and find the full length recipe there. It is absolutely delicious! 

The recipe I am sharing today is just as delicious, however is a white chicken chili, with no beef. It is so good! Food historians will tell you that white chicken chili got the name because all of the ingredients in the chili are white. Chicken, milk, cannelloni beans, cream cheese. But I think the real reason is because there are some chicken chilis that are not white and still have a tomato based product added as well as black beans and things of that nature. This one is not really white in a sense of the word because there are green jalapeños in this, as well as green chilis and yellow corn. But, there are no tomato products. You can make this chili as thick or thin as you wish. Want a thick chili? Add less chicken stock. Want a thinner chili? Add more chicken stock. Same goes for the spiciness. Add as much, or as little, spice as you desire. 

White Chicken Chili

This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

1 large jalapeño pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white all-purpose flour

7 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup whole milk

2 can cannelloni beans, drained

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cans mild green chilis, undrained

2 rotisserie chickens, skin and bones removed and chicken shredded

2 cups whole kernel corn

8 oz cream cheese, softened 

Start by melting the butter in a large stock pot over medium high heat. 

Once melted, add in the diced onion and diced jalapeño pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about a minute. 

Add in the white all-purpose flour and stir. Cook for about a minute. 

Add in the chicken stock and whole milk in small splashes as you continue to stir.

Add in. the drained beans, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and mild green chilis.

Stir and let this come up to a boil. 

Once at a boil, add in the prepared chicken, corn and cream cheese. 

Stir until the cream cheese is completely melted and dissolved.

Bring up to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 2 hours, while stirring occasionally so the bottom of the pot does not burn. 

Turn the heat off and enjoy.

Top chili with lime wedges, avocado, sour cream, cheese and or dipping chips.

Ask and Answer: Sally M. from New Castle would liker to know if she can substitute cream of chicken or cream of celery in her green bean casserole since members of her family are allergic to the mushroom in cream of mushroom soup. Absolutely! Yes, that would be great.