Black and White Chicken Chili Recipe

Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers | America's Test Kitchen, 2009

Though chili is an American classic, there really isn’t a single classic recipe. It can be made with ground beef or stew meat, venison, pork, or poultry, beans or no beans. Some chilis are tomato-y, thick, and spicy. Others are brothy and light. Says Jennifer of her brothy chicken-based chili with black and white beans, corn, and green chiles: “I came up with this chicken chili recipe after eating something similar at a local restaurant. I wanted a healthy chili that was quick to make and good for us. This is now one of my family’s favorite meals and a recipe I go back to all the time. It’s great on a cold winter day or for a festive Cinco de Mayo party. I recently won a chili cook-off at my office with this recipe!”–The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
One 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
One 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
One 8-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, oregano, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
3. Return the chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the thickest part of the breasts registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Transfer the chicken to a plate. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and return it to the chili; add the beans, corn, and chiles. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
5. Off the heat, stir the cilantro into the chicken chili and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.