White Bean Chicken Chili My Way

It's stinking cold outside. 

You should be eating this!

This soup/chili hybrid will warm you down to your core and is filling enough to be served for the perfect cold-weather dinner. The spice of the peppers is tempered by the creaminess of the broth, and the smoky cumin and sweet corn are the perfect match!

You'll need:

2 cartons of chicken broth

1 can of Rotel

2 can of cannellini beans, drained

1 small red onion, diced

1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced

1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen corn

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp. cumin

juice of half a lime

1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder (optional)

Kosher salt

pepper

Dice up your peppers and onions.

Add your butter and flour to a big stock pot over medium heat.

Whisk in the flour.

Whisk it until it darkens just a bit and is totally combined (this is called a roux and is what will thicken your soup).

Add your veggies and stir until coated with the roux.

Salt the veggies.

One of my best cooking tips is to salt at every addition. Bear in mind the salt levels in your stock or broth and make sure to taste as you go!

Pepper the veggies too!

I love McCormick's pepper grinder- so handy, and the pepper tastes so fresh!

Drain your beans and give them a little bath.

Add the chicken stock to your sauteed onion and peppers.

Add your drained, rinsed beans.

Add the cumin.

Add a good sprinkle of Kosher salt then grind in some black pepper.

Add the lime juice...

Add your raw chicken breast and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and cut it into bite-size pieces. Return it to the pot.

Cooking the chicken this way makes it incredibly tender and flavorful.

What's even better, you don't have to clean a separate pan or pot!

Pour in roughly a half cup of half and half (you can go with heavy cream if you really want to get crazy!). Simmer for about 15 more minutes before serving.

This soup is fantastic sprinkled with habanero cheddar (or any cheddar, for that matter!) and chopped cilantro!

It's thick and creamy- the perfect marriage of a soup and a stew. 

The peppers and onions still maintain their texture and complement the creaminess of this dish perfectly.

This soup freezes beautifully.

In fact, I thawed some today at lunchtime and ate it alongside a delicious cheesy biscuit.

GF hack: omit the flour and add a combination of 1/4 cup cold broth or water to 1/4 cup cornstarch, mixed completely. Add this mixture (called a slurry) to your soup and bring to a rolling boil. Stir frequently. Enjoy!