White Chicken Chili

This White Chicken Chili is hearty, healthy, full of protein and happens to be gluten-free! It’s perfect for serving on a cold night or while watching your favorite football team! 

How’s everyones week back at work going? It’s going slow as snails for me. I’m still in my lazy holiday mode and would rather be laying around binge watching Netflix or movies. I think the lack of cookies and chocolate is also getting to me.

Not having that afternoon sugar rush is making me sleepy and a little cranky, that tends to happen when you go cold turkey on it. I’ve been trying to up my water intake in hopes that if keeps me full and makes me forget about all the cookies….yeah that’s going reeeal well.

Somehow water just doesn’t taste the same as a sugar cookie, crazy I know. I will say this, the water or any liquid for that matter does help me stay full longer and is definitely helping with the leftover holiday bloated feeling.

One of my favorite things to eat when I’m trying to cut back on heavy foods is a hearty soup. This White Chicken Chili is exactly that!

This chili is as delicious as it is hearty. It’s full of green chiles, shredded chicken, cannellini beans and lots of Mexican spices. Everything in this chili is lean so you don’t have to worry about ruining any New Year’s resolutions by serving yourself a big bowl of it. Most chili is actually very healthy, it’s the toppings that can really pack on the calories.

Some of the toppings I added to my bowl of chili were fresh squeezed lime juice, cilantro, a little Monterey Jack cheese and a dollop of plain non-fat Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream if you’re watching your calories. It has the same tang as sour cream, plus a good amount of protein. As long as you keep the amount of shredded cheese you sprinkle on top in check, you’ll be a-ok!

Since I’m being good at the moment, I resisted the urge to use tortilla chips to scoop up my chili, my husband however did not. His idea of cutting back for the new year is limiting himself to one pint of ice cream a week instead of two. If only my thighs were that forgiving.

If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to the chips for a scooping method, corn tortillas are a good way to go. Just because we’re eating healthy doesn’t mean we can’t eat hearty filling foods that taste good and this White Chicken Chili tastes REALLY good!

White Chicken Chili

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

This White Chicken Chili is hearty, healthy, full of protein and happens to be gluten-free! It's perfect for serving on a cold night or while watching your favorite football team!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked and shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 8 ounces diced green chiles (canned)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 15 ounces (1 can) cannellini beans
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• Limes, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for topping the chili

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, heat the olive oil.
2. When the oil is hot add in the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, corriander, salt and pepper.
3. Sautè the vegetables until tender, about 3 minutes, then add in the diced green chiles and sautè another 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and scoop out a scant 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture and add it to a blender with a 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the cannellini beans.
5. Purèe the mixture until smooth then add it back to the pot.
6. Place the pot back on the stove over medium high heat and stir in the remaining chicken broth (3 1/2 cups).
7. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add in the shredded chicken and remaining cannellini beans and simmer for another 5 minutes.
9. Stir in the chopped cilantro and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
10. Serve the chili topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, more cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 435Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 748mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 45g

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