Pioneer Woman white chicken chili from The Pioneer Woman site simmers rotisserie chicken with white beans, poblanos, and corn in a creamy broth. And the pot serves 6 to 8 at approximately 480 calories per serving in 45 minutes, since the cooked chicken skips the raw-to-done wait.
Before the broth goes in, the recipe blooms cumin, coriander, chili powder, and oregano in the hot pan with the aromatics for a full minute. So the spices toast in the oil and release deeper flavor than they would if stirred cold into liquid.
Whisking the cornmeal into a half cup of broth before adding it to the pot is the step that prevents lumps. And if you dump dry cornmeal straight into simmering liquid, it clumps into gritty balls that never dissolve no matter how long you stir.
Source: The Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com)
Pioneer Woman White Chicken Chili
Course: ChickenCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes30
minutes480
kcalChopped onion, poblanos, jalapeño, and garlic cook down in a Dutch oven before five dried spices bloom in the oil. Then chicken broth thickened with cornmeal simmers with white beans, green chilis, corn, and shredded rotisserie chicken before heavy cream, lime, and cilantro finish the pot.
Ingredients
- For the chili base:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped (seeds removed if you prefer less heat)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
- For the broth:
4 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa harina
2 (15-oz.) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), drained and rinsed
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chilis
1 cup frozen corn
- For finishing:
3 cups cooked chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
- For serving:
Tortilla chips
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream
Directions
- Cook the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the onion and poblanos with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Soften the vegetables: Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened.
- Add the garlic and jalapeño: Once the onion is soft, add the garlic and jalapeño and cook 2 more minutes.
- Bloom the spices: Then add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, black pepper, and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Mix the cornmeal slurry: While the spices bloom, whisk 1/2 cup chicken broth with the cornmeal in a small cup.
- Build the broth: Then pour in the remaining 3 1/2 cups broth, the cornmeal mixture, white beans, green chilis, and corn.
- Simmer the base: Once everything is in, bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken: After 10 minutes, stir in the cooked chicken and cook 5 more minutes.
- Finish the pot: Then stir in the heavy cream, lime juice, and cilantro, and remove from the heat.
- Season and serve: Once off the heat, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, taste for seasoning, and serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.
FAQs
Can I use raw chicken instead of rotisserie?
Boneless thighs or breasts work if you dice them and add them when the broth goes in so they simmer for the full 15 minutes. And raw chicken releases its own juices into the pot, which adds body that pre-cooked rotisserie meat does not.
But a rotisserie bird saves 20 minutes of active cooking and the meat shreds easily since it is already tender. So if weeknight speed is the goal, stick with store-bought rotisserie and shred it while the aromatics cook.
How do I control the heat level?
The source page says removing all the jalapeño seeds dials the spice down, and leaving out the jalapeño entirely makes it mild. Since poblanos and canned green chilis are both low on the heat scale, the jalapeño is the only real kick.
And for more heat, leave the seeds in and add a pinch of cayenne with the dried spices during the bloom step. But add cayenne a quarter teaspoon at a time, because it intensifies as the chili simmers and you cannot take it back out.
What can I use instead of cornmeal to thicken?
The source page suggests masa harina as a direct swap, and it dissolves a bit smoother than regular cornmeal since the corn is treated with lime. And both need a full 10-minute simmer to hydrate properly, so do not cut that time short.
Another option from the page is mashing some of the white beans with a potato masher once they soften in the broth. But if you go that route, skip the cornmeal entirely because using both makes the chili too thick and pasty.
What sides work best with white chicken chili?
The source page recommends cornbread, a side salad, or jalapeño cornbread for a crowd. And for a full Pioneer Woman spread, the pioneer woman taco seasoning mixed into sour cream makes a quick dip for the tortilla chips alongside each bowl.
But keep sides light and crunchy, because the cream and cornmeal already make the broth rich and filling. And a simple avocado salad with lime dressing echoes the cilantro and lime in the chili without adding more heaviness to the table.
How should I store and reheat leftovers?
The chili keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and it freezes well for up to 3 months according to the source page. And the cream-based broth holds up better frozen than you might expect, since the cornmeal stabilizes the texture.
Reheat on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of broth if the chili thickens too much overnight. This same low-heat approach works for reheating the pioneer woman sloppy joes filling, since both dishes concentrate as they cool and need a little liquid to loosen back up.
