White meat, white beans make quick cool chili

Just for a change, a white chili seemed like a good idea. Instead of the usual red meat, red kidney beans and tomato sauce, here is white meat – chicken, white beans – Great Northerns or even Maine grown Yellow Eyes, jazzed up with chopped chile peppers.

I think I first ate this at a party somewhere and thought, well, that’s different. It reminds me a little of Chile Colorado made with pork, that “other white meat,” and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if that is how a cook was inspired to use chicken instead, which would after all be a lower-fat way to go than either pork or beef.

Nowadays, there is a lot of turkey available year-round, ground or breasts, nearly as available as chicken, and it would work just as well as in this recipe. I like to buy local meat when I can, and chicken is a little easier to find than turkey. So chicken it was.

I like recipes like this for winter because I can cook them on the same kitchen stove that heats us. It is a good one for the crockpot, though. Make more than you need, and freeze some for a fast supper another time. I always have to make cornbread to go with chili, red or white, in order to avoid disappointing Jamie for whom chili is really an excuse to eat cornbread.

White Chili

Serves 8 to 10.

1 pound white beans soaked or 4 cups cooked white beans

2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken, breasts or thighs

1 medium onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 4-ounce cans of green chilies

3 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups of chicken broth

Soak the beans overnight or bring to a boil and set aside for one hour. Cook the beans covered with water until they are barely tender, then drain. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Put all ingredients into a large pot, mix well, and simmer for two to four hours, checking from time to time to make sure there is enough liquid, adding more water if necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Looking for … Brown Bread. Does anyone actually make them anymore or do the canned brown breads reign in Maine? Does your family have a fine old steamed brown bread recipe that you are willing to share?