Roasted poblano peppers add a smoky kick of spice to this delicious chicken chili. Oven-roasted boneless skinless chicken breasts with white beans in a spicy chicken broth. This chili is enriched with a little cream at the end give it its white color. Thick and hearty, my Roasted Poblano White Chicken Chili is great cold-weather comfort food.
I bake the chicken breasts while the poblano peppers are roasting over the open flames on the stovetop. The chili’s are charcoal black when they are done and the skin wipes off easily after you let them steam briefly in a covered dish. By baking the boneless skinless chicken breasts, you can easily shred them using two forks. The result is a perfectly cooked chicken that is still tender and juicy. It is added to the chili just before serving, no one wants a tough, overcooked chicken.
The spices in this chicken chili are very similar to what you think of as the traditional beef and tomato-based chili. Sautéed onions and garlic get a little extra heat with the addition of a diced jalapeno. Cumin is the spice that you automatically associate with traditional chili and this Roasted Poblano White Chicken Chili is no exception. The smell alone is worth the effort of making this delicious chicken chili recipe.
Toppings are key to chicken chili, the freshness they bring to the hot steaming bowl of White Chili is what makes it. You can use as many or as few of these toppings as you like to make this White Chili your own.
These are some of my favorite toppings:
- Fresh or pickled jalapeno slices
- Diced green onions and slices of red onions bring a nice kick
- Either Monterey Jack cheese or Queso Fresco cheese (or both). Queso Fresco is my favorite and it’s very easy to make yourself if it isn’t available in stores near you.
- Fresh Limes brighten the flavors of the spices
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Diced avocados add a creamy texture that will knock your socks off.
Under an hour to make this recipe, it’s cold-weather comfort food at its finest. Here is my recipe for Roasted Poblano White Chicken Chili:
Roasted Poblano White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Baked and shredded
- 2 Quarts Chicken Stock
- 3 15-Ounce Cans Cannellini Beans Drained and rinsed
- 1 15-Ounce Can Corn Drained
- 3 Poblano Peppers Roasted, seeded, 1/2-inch dice
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Jalapeno Seeded, fine dice
- 1 Cup White Onion Diced
- 3 Teaspoons Garlic Crushed and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 3 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Lime Juice only
- 1/2 Cup Cornmeal or Masa
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Toppings
- Jalapeno Slices fresh or pickled
- Green Onions Diced or whole
- Red Onion Slices
- Sour Cream
- Avocado Diced or sliced
- Tomatoes Diced
- Cilantro Chopped
- Lime Wedges
- Tortilla Chips or Fritos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Place chicken breasts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with 1-teaspoon salt, bake for 25 minutes
- Roast poblano peppers over the stovetop burner until the skin is charcoal black, place them in a bowl, cover to let steam for 5-minutes, wipe off the skin and rinse loose skin off. remove the seeds and dice
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions until translucent, add garlic, jalapeno, and spices, saute for 1-minute
- Add chicken stock, cannellini beans, poblano peppers, and corn. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer
- Using 2-forks to pull it apart, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces
- Add the chicken and cornmeal, stir for 2-3 minutes until the cornmeal thickens the sauce, then remove from the heat
- Add sour cream and lime juice then serve with your favorite toppings
Nutrition
