In which we turn 9 peppers of varying heat into delicious chili.....

White Chicken Chili begins with these little gems. Look at them all snuggled together. It's like they know they are about to become part of something amazing!

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sources....Cook's Illustrated. 

I am hoping this link will work because the recipe is so worth the time and effort (and it is really quite easy.) 

Here is the link.

Pearl

 Years ago (fall of 2005) Chris surprised me with a "just-because" gift that some women might not appreciate. Kitchen gadgets and knives and such are ALWAYS a hit with me and I do know not always with others. This particular gift was something I had wanted for a long, long time. My 6-quart pro KitchenAid stand mixer has graced my countertop ever since. She is like a boat....and I have named her. Her color is "Meringue" and is a matte finish white with silvery accents. Pearl is part of the family. We love her.

Pearl recently got a new brother. He looks a lot like her but is a little tougher and chops everything he comes into contact with.  As a sort of "anniversary", "Just Because" and "We Make Way Too Much Salsa Without One of These" we got our new Food Processor. In homage to one of Massachusetts' most notorious "celebrities" and given the dangerous nature of the blades...and the color theme, I introduce you to: Whitey.

Whitey

 Whitey Chops. Whitey Chops Good. So a few steps in the recipe are captured here but please do review the link and make this!! Three kinds of chiles are in this chile (two are chopped here with onions). I prepped all of the vegetables and chicken in the morning so we were ready to cook it later in the afternoon. We brined the chicken breasts (bone in, skin on) and chopped the Anaheim and Poblano chiles (3 of each) with two onions. This was about 8 pulses in Whitey. See what I mean? It's a good thing these things don't work with the top off!

 

Chili is like soup. You are building flavor in each step. You do NOT add any extra seasoning until the very end because the flavors intensify as you progress. So by the end you truly know what you're working with. Above you can see we browned the chicken (season the chicken before you cook it - despite what you just read.) Once it's browned, remove and set aside (this chicken is not done so don't taste it!) 

If you're lucky like me, you have a sous chef who will happily brown the chicken while you chop the peppers in your new toy "Whitey."

Add those chopped peppers and onions and as well as two of the jalapenos, minced, some garlic, minced (6 or 7 cloves) and cook for about 10 minutes. Puree a cup of the mixture with a cup (or more in our case) of white beans. Next add the puree back in and about 3 cups chicken broth (Here we added some beer - we chose an IPA since it goes well with spicy heat) and add the chicken back in. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer, cover, let simmer for 20 minutes or so (or until the chicken is 165 degrees). Remove the chicken AGAIN and let cool a little bit - until you can shred it comfortably. We got impatient and shredded using forks.

 

Here you can see some of the finishing ingredients.  Note the cheese cloth covered beans. Chris hates beans. So we wrapped beans in cheese cloth to cook them and I just add them into my chili when we eat. Not a bad option. I don't need a ton of beans in my chili so this works well. (This got added with the puree above).

Once the shredded chicken is added back in, add cilantro, scallions, 1 minced jalapeno and lime juice. Season to taste. And when I say season to taste, I mean it. Taste it....think about what flavors you sense. Add some salt, pepper - taste again. Make it taste right. It's the only way I can describe it. Most soups or chilis will be pretty bland and as you add seasoning - POW it comes alive. If you think it needs more 'fresh' to it, squeeze more lime into it. Feels like it doesn't have enough "edge" - pepper (ground pepper)...maybe it needs a touch more garlic? (Powdered garlic isn't as good as the real thing but I use it!) Serve with your favorite chili toppings and tortilla chips!

DELICIOUS!

 And lest you think Fenway has been missing....here is a pic I snapped of her on a walk earlier this week. She is not camera shy!

 

Our assessment? This chili is the best chicken chili I've ever had. Definitely making it again. I might roast some of the peppers at the husband's suggestion. This was something I had considered for this go around but wanted the flavors to be free of smokiness. When Chris suggested it - it was decided we would do it the next time.