elleCUISINIERS

My husband and son needed to take a pot of chili to a church meeting tonight and I did not have any ground beef in the house. Not wanting to run to the store just for that (considering the high cost of gas these days!) I decided to look up recipes for white chili. I knew I had chicken in the freezer I could thaw. After viewing several recipes, looking through what ingredients I already had on hand, and considering my time available, this is my spin on White Chili:

Low Fat White Chili

2 to 2.5 lb. boneless chicken breast
1 large onion chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
10 cups of water
6 cloves of garlic minced
2 oz. chopped canned green chilies
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
2 to 3 cans Great Northern beans drained
salt to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup of water

Place chicken breasts and onion in dutch oven with water and salt and bring to boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Removed chicken breasts and cut into cubes on board and return to pot. Add minced garlic and spices along with drained beans.
Allow to simmer on low for a while (I let mine slowly cook for two hours, but this is not necessary). Adjust salt to taste. Add cornstarch to a cup of water and stir until dissolved. Add this to the soup to thicken. Serve with cornbread or over rice in bowls. My husband said this was the best stuff I've ever made - go figure!