Description
Mexican-inspired slow cooker white chicken chili brings comfort to weeknight dinners with minimal prep work. Hearty beans, tender chicken, and zesty spices create a soul-warming meal you can enjoy without hours of kitchen labor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 to 2 lbs (680 to 907 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or mix
- 1 (15 oz/425 g) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups (946 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 (4 oz/113 g) cans diced green chili peppers, preferably fire-roasted, drained
- 1 cup (150 g) frozen corn kernels
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps ground cumin
- 1.5 to 2 tsps kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- shredded monterey jack cheese
- lime wedges
- chopped cilantro
- sour cream
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Preparation: Layer whole chicken breasts in the slow cooker, creating a base with onions, celery, and mild green chilis to establish a flavor-rich foundation.
- Seasoning: Distribute minced garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, oregano, and a bay leaf evenly across the chicken to infuse deep, aromatic complexity.
- Liquid Integration: Pour chicken broth over the ingredients, ensuring complete coverage and allowing the liquid to penetrate the entire mixture.
- Cooking Process: Activate the slow cooker at HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours, enabling the chicken to tenderize and spices to harmonize thoroughly.
- Final Additions: Introduce cannellini beans and corn kernels during the last 30 minutes of cooking, allowing them to absorb the rich, spiced broth while maintaining their distinctive textures.
- Meat Preparation: Extract chicken breasts, shred into delicate morsels using two forks, then reintegrate into the chili, creating a cohesive and satisfying dish.
- Flavor Refinement: Remove the bay leaf and calibrate seasonings, adjusting salt, cumin, or black pepper to achieve a perfectly balanced flavor profile.
- Serving Presentation: Transfer the robust chili into serving vessels and embellish with monterey jack cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, and optional hot sauce for a personalized finishing touch.
Notes
- Prep Like a Pro: Chop onions, celery, and green chilis uniformly to ensure even cooking and consistent flavor distribution.
- Spice Strategy: Toast ground cumin and coriander briefly before adding to enhance their aromatic qualities and deepen the chili’s complexity.
- Liquid Logic: Use low-sodium chicken broth to control salt levels and allow personal seasoning flexibility during final taste adjustments.
- Shredding Secrets: Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes after cooking to retain moisture, making shredding easier and preventing dry meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg