Tasty Tuesday: White Chicken Chili

My house smells so good right now...



I spent this morning feeling sad (read that as, very, very, veeeeery sad) about the U2 concert being postponed until 2011. I am bummed big time about that. We were going to the concert with some friends of ours from WA. The husband, Dan, is a big U2 fan (like me) and the wife, Melissa, tolerates U2 (like my husband). I spent so much time thinking about our friends and the concert this morning that I decided to make Melissa's White Chicken chili for dinner. Melissa is a fantastic cook. You should definitely check out her recipe blog: Cucina Pazza

Anyway, this is the perfect dish for tonight. It's made and waiting for us to enjoy when we get home from the kids' swim lessons.

White Chicken Chili

1 rotisserie whole chicken from your local grocery store deli section
3 cans Great Northern Beans- drained and rinsed
2 cans Ortega mild fire roasted chilis - chopped (I usually only put in 1 can)
butter, oil, or margarine- whatever you use for sauteing
1 onion -chopped
2 Tbsp chopped garlic (today I used two pressed gloves of garlic)
2 containers mild fresh salsa (it's got to be fresh- not the jar stuff & don't drain it, use the juice, too)
1 - 32 oz carton chicken broth
1 small bunch cilantro - chopped (optional)
chopped avocados, cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips for garnish


Saute your chopped onion and garlic.

While that's cooking, start tearing the white and dark meat from the chicken. Don't be afraid to use the dark meat (it adds a lot of flavor to the soup).

Add the torn chicken, broth, white beans, chili and fresh salsa to the crockpot.


Mix well.
Simmer on low heat for two hours.

Add the chopped cilantro (I add a small bit but mainly I let people add it to their own bowl).

Continue to simmer while you prepare your selected garnish (at least 20 minutes).

Serve with avocados, cheddar cheese and sour cream on top.

Check out other wonderful recipes at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.