White Christmas Chili
December 21, 2023 • 0 comments
We started making this when the kids were young and I wanted a Christmas Eve meal that would be easy to assemble, ready to eat before and after Christmas Eve church service, and deeply nourishing to offset holiday treats. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed; I used to make this as written but I think I double the seasonings now. The red and green sweet peppers make it look really Christmasy. Adapted from Taste of Home.
Ingredients
- (1 lb) dried navy beans (can sub three cans)
- (6 cups) chicken or turkey broth (made from our bones!)
- (1 large) onion, chopped
- (4 cloves) garlic, minced
- (1 tsp) white pepper, ground
- (1/2 tsp) curry powder
- (1/4 tsp) ground cumin
- (1/2 tsp) crushed red pepper flakes
- (1 to 4 tsp) salt
- (2 lbs, cooked and cubed) Boneless (Skin On) Chicken Breasts
- (1.5 cups) frozen or canned sweet corn
- (1 cup) heavy cream
- Green and Red Sweet Peppers, diced, for garnish
Directions
- Soak beans overnight OR Place rinsed beans in a pot; cover beans with water, boil two minutes, and let stand 1-4 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
- Briefly sautee onions and garlic in your favorite cooking fat (here, that's lard or bacon grease). Stir in seasonings. Add beans and broth.
- Cover and simmer about 1.5 hours until beans are tender. I start this in the morning in a slow cooker and just let it go all day.
- About 20 minutes before serving, add cubed chicken and corn; simmer until warmed through.
- Add cream.
- Garnish bowls with festive chopped sweet peppers.
Variations:
>If I don't have previously cooked chicken or turkey on hand, I put the chicken breasts in when the broth goes in, then pull the meat out after a few hours and shred or chop it.
>If using canned beans, there is no need for the long simmer. Everything can go in at the same time and once it's heated through, it's ready.