Chicken and white bean chili and a trip to the Keys

I have been spoken to firmly about why I haven't been posting, so I'm back now and deciding to update this woefully neglected blog.  In my defense, I spent the last two weeks in FL with my Mama - she had surgery (nothing complicated), and I flew down there to help take care of her, cook, grocery shop, all that good stuff.  We also managed to make a trip down to a family friend's home in the Keys...in my opinion, there's nothing more healing than salt water and the sound of the ocean.  Our friends - who you would recognize if you were at our wedding, as Richard gave the father of the bride speech, he was one of my Dad's closest friends and he and his wife have always been close with me and my Mom - have the most lovely house on the Gulf of Mexico. 

Slice o' paradise

View looking out towards the ocean

John's favorite island creature...6 iguanas live here (that I counted)

In Miami - and the Keys - it was 90 every day, with the occasional thunderstorm.  Coming back here was a bit of an eye-opener, as it's currently 50 outside as I type this. I do love the fall, however, and as my body temperature seems to rival that of Jacob's in the Twilight series, every minute of cool weather is wonderfully appreciated. I am 100% okay with being pregnant in the fall and wintertime.  Doesn't mean I'd trade that ocean time for anything, though :)


Anyhow. I'm back now, and since it is about 40 degrees cooler here, I've gone ahead and decided it's time to start rolling out the fall recipes. My favorite chili is this white bean chicken chili, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe on the Food Network.


You'll need: a large Dutch oven or pot for the chili, a trusty chef's knife, wooden spoon for stirring, a baking dish to roast the chicken, and your cutting boards.


(You may also need to make a snack for any other people in the house once they understand that the prep work and cook time for this recipe makes it take close to an hour and a half to be ready to serve):

Salt and vinegar almonds are a-ma-zing - as is light Aloutte garlic and herbs cheese with pretzels.

Chicken and White Bean Chili
2 large onions (I use sweet yellow or Vidalia)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3-4 cloves minced garlic (I, um, use 5...we really love garlic here)
2 red bell peppers, diced large
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 jalapeno
1 can of Mexicorn
1 can white cannellini beans
1.5 tsp chili powder
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you like)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes*
3-4 large boneless chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper
Seasoning salt


*I actually like using one can of 28 oz tomatoes and one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, but this is what I had on hand...if you like a stronger tomato flavor, stick with the recipe as written, otherwise, you can make it a bit milder by using the diced tomatoes instead.


Here's the mise en place for today's recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.


Get your prep work out of the way - chop up your onions, peppers, and jalapeno like so:

Once your prep work is done, go ahead and add just the onions to your pot with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil - more if you like. The other 2 T will be used with the chicken.  You're going to want to cook the onions over a medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, until they are very soft and translucent. 

Almost there! After the onions are translucent, add the garlic and saute for another minute or so. 


Then, you'll want to add the bell peppers, corn, jalapeno, and seasonings to the pot, and cook for a few minutes.

Before seasoning

After seasoning

Add the crushed tomatoes and cannellini beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, and then let it sit uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Next, time to prep the chicken. I didn't photograph the chicken prep, but basically what you want to do is place the chicken in the baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and use seasoning salt and pepper to taste.  I used a Tuscan herb flavored olive oil that some of our friends brought us from an olive oil bar in Chicago - it's absolutely delicious, but regular olive oil works just fine as well.  You'll want to roast the chicken breasts in the oven for about 35-40 minutes.

They may not look like much, but they're all mine.

Once the chicken breasts are done and cooled a little, chop them into chunks and add them to the chili, as follows:

You'll want to let this simmer for another 20 minutes or so before serving. And finally...

Feel free to put whatever toppings you like, and serve :) Enjoy!