Easy White Chicken Chili

I’ve seen a lot of recipes around the internet for white chicken chili, and I have been wanting to try one.  I think I was paralyzed by recipe overload though, because it took me a while to make a decision and do it.  The one I ended up on was so easy, it seemed too easy.  I kept thinking of things I could or should add because it just seemed too easy.  Should I start with some onions and garlic, like I start most soups?  Should I add some green chiles?  Should I add some more spices?  How about some onion powder or garlic powder?  In the end, I only ended up adding green chiles for a little spice, and that was still really easy because it only involved opening up a can.  (It’s still very mild.)  I did add some cilantro as garnish, because anything Southwest or Mexican-ish must have cilantro, in my humble opinion.  Oh, and I used a squeeze of a lime wedge in my bowl, which I would highly recommend!

The result?  Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this easy of a soup was this good!  I mean, it was really flavorful and hearty and seriously can be done in 20 minutes!  You could totally fool guests with this and let them think you slaved over the stove for hours because the flavors are really big, and the soup is extremely satisfying.  Tim loved it too, so I will be keeping this recipe in our regular soup rotation for sure!

Of course, if you are super ambitious, you could boil your own chicken and make your own broth.  But seriously, it’s not necessary.  Don’t be mislead (like I was) by how easy this looks, because it really is outstanding!  And bonus – it’s healthy too!

Easy White Chicken Chili

Adapted from MyRecipes

• 12 oz. of green salsa
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 4 cups of fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans
• 1 4 oz. can of green chiles
• 1.5 teaspoons of cumin
• salt and pepper to taste (I didn’t add any salt)
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• sour cream for garnish (optional)
• lime wedges for garnish (optional)
• multigrain tortilla chips (optional)

Remove meat from rotisserie chicken and shred into bite sized pieces (about 3 cups of chicken).  Set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat green salsa for two minutes.  Add in chicken, broth, beans, green chiles, cumin, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.  I actually let mine simmer for about an hour just because I had the time.

Top bowls of soup with chopped scallions and cilantro, a scoop of sour cream, and the juice from a lime wedge.

We served ours with multigrain tortilla chips, and they were a wonderful accompaniment!

You’re going to love this one!