White Bean Chicken Chili

I looked for a long time for a good chili recipe, and never found one that quite did it...so I ended up with this, which is fairly simple, and lends itself pretty well to scaling up or down, and also lasts a good long time in a crockpot for parties and such.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 6 quarts

Ingredients

• Chili

• 4  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 2  medium-large yellow onions, diced
• 2  celery ribs, split & chopped
• 3  lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (quarter sized chunks)
• 4  garlic cloves, minced (minced garlic in a jar is fine)
• 5  jalapenos, seeded & minced (or 6 if you like it hot)
• 2  tablespoons chili powder
• 2  teaspoons dried oregano
• 4  teaspoons ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 3 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock (not broth)
• 1 (8 ounce) can great northern beans
• 2 (8 ounce) cans white kidney beans (cannellini )
• 3⁄4 cup flour (approximate measurement, corn starch in smaller measurements would likely work as well)
•  optional  green tomatillo sauce (1-2 cans tomatillos, or a half dozen fresh ones, and 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a blender)

• Topping

• 1  tablespoon sour cream, per serving
•  minced green onion, 1 dash per serving
•  fresh cilantro, 2 dashes per serving (2 parts cilantro 1 part green onion)
•  shredded monterey jack pepper cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock/soup pot over medium-high heat
2. Once hot, add in celery & onions, and stir occasionally for 5 minutes
3. Add chicken into the center, and stir constantly for 7-8 minutes[ unitl outside of chicken looks cooked]
4. Add garlic, jalapenos, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt & cayenne pepper, stir in, and let sit 2-3 minutes [stirring occasionally].
5. Stir in stock [and tomatillo sauce if you are using it] & bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes
6. Add beans & stir gently for 2-3 minutes
7. Add flour a spoonful at a time, stirring in after each spoonful, until chili reaches desired thickness [you may not need all the flour, or you may need more]
8. Remove from heat and serve, or you can pour into a Crockpot to leave on ‘warm’ for several hours if needed
9. Serve with topping on each bowlful.