Finally, it’s that time of year again when I can start making all of my chili, soup and stew recipes. These are some of our family’s favorite meals. This White Chicken Chili recipe is one I got from AllRecipes.com years ago and was one inspired by the dish served at Cha Cha’s Restaurant. I’ve never eaten at Cha Cha’s, but I can attest to the great flavor and budget friendly appeal of this version. It’s important to stir the Monterey Jack cheese into the hot chili broth – it makes a scrumptious, creamy chili bowl and you’ll be sure to go back for seconds!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1, 4 oz. can jalapeno peppers (I use the jarred, diced jalapenos in mine)
1, 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans of your choice (I use navy beans)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Fritos corn chips
Sour cream and sliced jalapenos for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender and all ingredients are well mixed, about 3 minutes.

Mix the chicken broth, chicken and white beans (with their juice) in a large Dutch oven or soup pan. Add in the onion, peppers and spice mixture. Simmer on low about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, remove from heat. You can add the cheese to the pan and stir until mixed before serving individual portions, or you can allow each person to add the cheese to their bowl in the amount they want. We do the individual portion method at our house. Some like more, some like less, some don’t want cheese at all. Serve with extra shredded cheese, Fritos, sour cream and jalapenos as add-ins.