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White Chicken Green Chili

Name: White Chicken Green Chili
Prep time: 1 d
Cook time: 12 h
Total time: 1 d 12 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 12 Anaheim green chili peppers; 5 Poblano peppers; 5 Serrano peppers; 1 1/2 cup dried white beans; 1 medium-sized yellow onion; 1 shallot clove; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 5 carrots; 3 Ribs celery; 2 teaspoons real salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon cumin; 1 tablespoon oregano; 2 tablespoons cilantro; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1 small whole chicken; water; Cilantro; Fresh cracked pepper; 1 avocado; 1/2 cup soaked cashews; 1/2 cup water

Alicia November 24, 2022 1 Comment

5 / 1 Review

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White chili with crema, avocado and cilantro

Green chili shaded white with white navy beans and rounded out with savory, pulled chicken: this hearty soup is bound to warm your bellies and titillate your tongues. The healthy white chicken green chili gets rich broth from the full chicken simmering with the vegetables while the chili cooks. It’s a 2 in one combo that saves time while still allowing you to make it 100% from scratch. Added bonus, we use the whole chicken and reduce waste! #headtotailcooking

I remember the first time I tasted white chicken chili on a work trip to South Dakota. It was delicious!

That version was full of cream and cheese and lacked vegetables, so I decided to make a healthier version. This recipe has all the taste plus more nutrient-rich veggies, no cream, and homemade broth free of preservatives.

In addition to flavor, the simmered bone broth can provide healthy gut-healing nutrients like collagen, amino acids, gelatin, and glutamine when made from high-quality, pasture-raised animals. White beans add weight and creaminess while roasted green peppers give spice and depth of flavor.

Making the White Beans for the Soup

For the softest beans that are the easiest on your stomach, you will need to soak and sprout them and boil them separately from the rest of the soup.

Soaking and Sprouting to Ease Digestion

Soaking and sprouting beans help to break down anti-nutrients and increase the nutrient availability in the beans.

One day before making the soup, rinse the white beans before pouring the beans into a large glass bowl. Fill the bowl with water and cover it with a dishtowel. Let the beans soak for 8-12 hours.

BEAN SOAKING TIP: Make sure the container or bowl you are soaking the beans in is large enough. The beans will double in size as they absorb all that water, so they need room to grow.

Drain the water from the white beans. Cover the drained beans with the dish towel again and let sit for another 8-12 hours. Using the dish towel, cover the bowl to protect the beans from light. As the beans sit in the dark they will begin to germinate and create little sprouts. That means they have sprouted!

This process is basically the little bean, which is the seed for the bean plant, getting ready to be the next big bean plant. It also is a sign that the nutrient profile of the bean has switched from one to protect the seed to one to nurture the germinated sprout.

You can tell that the sprouting process is complete when you see tiny little sprouts sticking out of the beans.

You can read more about breaking down lectins and lectins potential side-effects in the Plant Paradox book review.

Boil the White Beans

Boil the soaked and sprouted white beans in a medium-sized pot. The white beans need to cook at a low boil for about 60 minutes until they are soft and tender.

Cook the beans until the desired tenderness on their own before draining and adding to the soup.

Choosing the Right Peppers

This recipe calls for roasting Anaheim, poblano, and serrano peppers yourself at home in the oven.

First, you will want to de-stem and de-seed the peppers. The best way to do this is to slice off the tops and make a slice down one side. Then pull out the stem and the fleshy part that holds the seeds. It’s a good idea to give them a good rinse afterward to get all the seeds out. Removing the seeds is important to control heat. If you want it hot, then feel free to keep a few seeds in there.

Then simply throw the peppers on a baking sheet and roast at 450 for about 15 minutes or until the flesh is soft and the skins are slightly blackened.

Alternatively, you could roast peppers on an open-flame grill. If grilling, rotate the peppers 3-4 times to get each side equally roasted. Either way, you will want to see some parts of the skin blackened when you are done.

ROASTED PEPPERS TIP: For this recipe you can keep the pepper skins on, assuming they are not too black. If the peppers roast a little too long and blacken, you may want to remove the skins.

In Colorado, you can sometimes find roasted pepper stands at farmers’ markets. These are really cool to see and offer some of the best peppers! You’ll see a big metal cylinder rotating over an open flame. Peppers tumble around inside as they evenly roast. If you have these peppers, they will definitely work!

After you have your roasted peppers, you will need to de-stem and seed them. Cut the tops off of the peppers, split in half and then remove the seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers to add to the soup!

Making Broth and Chili at the Same Time

This recipe calls for 12 hours of cook time because you are slow-simmering your broth at the same time that you are cooking your chili. Don’t let that scare you though! It’s almost all inactive time. Just get things started and let the heat and time work their magic.

Adding the whole chicken allows the nutrients from the bones to seep into and add flavor to the broth. After the long simmer, the chicken meat will be falling off of the bone. This is why I recommend using unbleached cheesecloth to contain the bones for easy removal.

Using the cheesecloth allows you to easily remove the whole chicken in one piece. Once the chicken is removed, you can easily separate the skin and bones from the meat, saving the skin and bones for additional broth and eventually returning the shredded meat back to the chili.

Cashew Crema on Top

Cashew crema or cream is a very simple mix of cashews and water. It makes a thick and creamy sauce that works in place for creme fraise.

The cashews need to be soaked in order to blend well and make a creamy texture. I recommend 8 hours of soaking and 8-12 hours sprouting. This is a similar process to the white beans described above

If you do not have time to soak the cashews, you can flash boil them for 4 minutes and they will blend smoothly as well. This method doesn’t offer as high of a nutritional profile but will still have great texture and be tasty and nourishing.

Garnish and Serve

This thick white chicken green chili is garnished with fresh cilantro sprigs, sliced avocado, and cashew crema. Both the avocado and cashew crema add creaminess and cut the spice. The cilantro gives a little extra flavor and a hint of freshness.

This chicken chili also pairs excellently with organic blue corn tortilla chips!