“Make It Snappy” is presented by Goldfish Swim School of Chapel Hill. With recipes that only take 45 minutes or less to prepare, Christy helps you stay afloat at dinner time!
A big pot of chili is a no-brainer on a cold, January day but during resolution season, it can be hard to prepare comfort food in a healthier manner. This White Chicken and Kale Chili is hearty but light and doesn’t rely on extra fat for creamy texture. The secret is in the beans! Rather than leaving the beans whole in the recipe, we’re mashing them and relying on the released starch to thicken the stock, much the same way a potato would thicken chowder. It’s an added bonus that cannellini beans are full of nutrients like protein, fiber and antioxidants.
Our grocery store shortcuts this month are classic staples – rotisserie chicken and bagged greens. You may, of course, prepare your own kale and roast your own chicken, but when we’re already struggling to get back into routines after holiday break, any time savers will reduce the stress in your house!
Chili is actually a very simple stew that comes together quickly. The trick here is to closely follow the cooking method to create a depth of flavor that makes it taste like the pot has been slow cooking all day. Be sure to follow the instructions in order, rather than dumping all of the ingredients in at once. We are working in steps to build layers of flavor that can’t develop if everything is put into the pot at the same time!
The first step to build a base layer of big flavors is to “bloom” our dried spices in hot oil, which will open them up to release extra flavor. This spice paste can burn quickly, so be sure to listen to your nose. Once the mixture becomes very fragrant, go ahead and add in your onion and garlic, or be ready to remove the pot from the heat if you’re not prepared to move on to the next step.
Following the instruction method is also important for preserving ingredient integrity. We’ll add our kale early, which will eliminate some of the bitterness and we’ll add our chicken and cilantro last. This will prevent the chicken from over cooking and becoming dry and will ensure that the cilantro doesn’t break down too much.
I highly recommend using a wooden spoon for this recipe, as you will often be scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to pick up and incorporate the dark bits that collect inside the pot. These dark bits contain so much deep flavor, it’s important to capture them all. No flavor left behind!
While this base recipe is delicious and won’t break your resolutions, you are welcome to garnish your chili to your family’s tastes. If you like your chili on the creamier side, feel free to stir in cheese or sour cream. If you like it to be thicker, try stirring in crushed tortilla chips. Like it spicy? Go all out with jalapenos and hot sauce!
WHITE CHICKEN AND KALE CHILI
By: Christy Bray Graves
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS
For the Chili
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 large bay leaf
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 – 15 oz. can of cannellini beans*, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 15 oz. can of green chile enchilada sauce
- 2 – 4 oz. cans of Hatch green chiles, diced
- 1 – 32 oz. box of chicken stock
- 2 cups prepared kale**
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, rough chopped (optional)
To Garnish
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Tortilla strips
- Hot sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven, spread 2 TBSP of olive oil. The stove burner should not yet be turned on. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder bay leaf and cayenne pepper if using. Use a wooden spoon to stir and coat the spices in oil.
- Turn the heat on to medium-high and allow the spiced oil to heat through, 1-3 minutes or until the spice paste is very shiny and becomes fragrant. Do not let the spices burn in the hot oil! If you are not ready to move on to the next step by adding onions and garlic, be sure to remove the pot from the heat.
- To the spiced oil, add the diced onions and minced garlic. Stir to coat the onions in the oil and allow to cook 3-5 minutes until onion is soft, stirring often. If the bottom of the pan becomes too dry, stir in a bit more olive oil, or splash in water and use the wooden spoon to scrape up and stir in the dry bits from the bottom of the pot
- As the garlic and onion cook, use a fork or potato masher to roughly mash the cannellini beans. Once the onions are softened, stir in the mashed bean paste.***
- Add the enchilada sauce, green chiles and kale, stir to combine.****
- Slowly pour in the entire box of chicken stock, stirring to combine as you go, making sure to use the wooden spoon to scrape the pot where flavor has collected along the bottom and sides.
- Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium-low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring often and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot.
- As the chili simmers, remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and roughly chop into bite size pieces.
- Once the pot has simmered for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and add the chicken and cilantro, if using. Stir to combine and be sure that the chicken is heated through.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. (If the chili isn’t thick enough, try stirring in some crushed tortilla chips, but be sure not to add extra salt). Serve, garnish and enjoy!
NOTES
*Any white beans can be substituted; navy beans or great northern beans work well too.
**Prepared, chopped kale can be found with the bagged greens in the produce department of the grocery store.
***The broken-down bean paste is what will give your chili a thicker, creamier texture without adding extra fat.
****Kale is hearty enough to add at the beginning of cooking, cilantro is not. Add the kale before you bring the bot to a boil and some of the bitterness will cook out of the kale. If you add the cilantro at this point, it will break down too much.
As a wife and mom of three young boys, I often consider myself a master “chaos coordinator.” Between running our family business, Chapel Hill Toffee, managing our household and balancing busy schedules, I love to create quick and simple recipes that I know my family will enjoy – and my kids will actually eat!
My recipes are more of a guide than a perfect plan. I will always encourage you to use what you have on hand and make substitutions to suit your tastes. I invite you to share your own ideas, questions and final products with us on Facebook and on Instagram by tagging @christybgraves and @wchlchapelboro.
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