Cook's Country Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili

Submitted by AmyZoe

"Wow. This is a delicious chili, and I must confess you could leave out the chicken and still love it. Or substitute four bone-in split chicken breasts in place of the chicken thighs. Hominy is the secret ingredient in this recipe. The folks at Cook's Country recommend serving with diced avocado and lime wedges. Recipe courtesy of Cook's Country November/December 2009."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 48 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 16 ounces white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• salt
• pepper
• 6 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on, fat trimmed)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 jalapeno chiles (seeded and finely chopped)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1⁄4 cup cilantro (fresh, finely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno peppers (drained and minced)

directions

1. Puree 1 can of beans, hominy, broth, and 3/4 tsp salt in blender until completely smooth.
2. Pour into slow cooker.
3. Brown chicken and pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
5. Cook thighs, skin-side down, until skin is well-browned and fat has rendered, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove and discard skin, then add thighs to slow cooker.
7. Pour off all about 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.
8. Cook onions, chiles, and 1/2 tsp salt until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
9. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
10. Transfer half of onion mixture to slow cooker and reserve remaining mixture in refrigerator.
11. Add remaining beans to slow cooker.
12. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, about 4 hours.
13. Transfer chicken to bowl.
14. When cool enough to handle, discard bones and shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
15. Stir in cilantro, pickled jalapenos, shredded chicken, and reserved onion mixture into slow cooker and let warm. Serve.

Reviews

[duonyte]

I'd only had white chicken chili a couple of times, and both times it was much too salty. So I was eager to try this. I reduced salt further by cooking my own cannelini beans - one pound of beans makes the amount you need for this recipe. If you soak overnight, they cook quickly while you are doing the rest of the prep. I used a 5 qt crockpot. This was very good - the lime at the end adds a lot of flavor. I did not have the pickled jalapeno, so stirred in a spoonful or so of cider vinegar. It seems to me it needed a little extra - maybe more cumin or more spice? Still, a very satisfying meal, and I froze the leftovers for quick lunches later.

 

[AJ_Seattle]

I just made this for Sunday dinner with friends. I'm always looking for another good crockpot recipe to add to my stash but sadly, this one will not be added. It was a lot of work but the end product was not worth it. It tasted sort of 'meh'--not bad, just not great. It needs more flavoring/seasoning, and possibly more peppers but the thicker texture was the best thing about this chili.