I make a lot of chili during the Winter. It’s so hearty, warming and comforting in the cold weather. Red, tomato based chili recipes are wonderful but my favorite version in the world is this Italian inspired white chicken chili. My recipe is a riff on a similar dish my Nana Lulu would make when I was growing up. I put it together quickly earlier this week and purposely made a huge amount. That way we’d have dinner for days!
I let the white chicken chili simmer for two hours. That let it really develop big flavor and thicken. Once it was done, I just had to serve it! I scooped it into pretty bowls and dug right in with no shame. I didn’t even need to have shame because this was a pretty lean and healthy dish! Oh my goodness, all of my favorite Italian flavors were there in full force. Pssst…the next day it was even better. I also loved that this white chicken chili was a one pot wonder. Any recipe that has me doing fewer dishes makes me so happy. I hope you all enjoy this Italian comfort food classic! xoxo
This white chicken chili is simple, pure cold weather comfort food that's easy on the waistline! It's full of Italian flair for huge flavor.
- 1 dash olive oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 whole onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 1 pinch truffle salt
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper
- 1 dash worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cans cannellini beans drained. 15 ounce size
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups baby spinach packed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus the rind
- 2 whole bay leaves
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the chicken in it until it is cooked through completely. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and rosemary and let them get fragrant. Season the mixture with the salt and black pepper. Deglaze the pot with the Worcestershire and apple cider vinegar, scraping up any brown bits.
- Pour in the cannellini beans and chicken stock. Then finish by adding the spinach, parmesan with its rind and bay leaves. Let it come to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Let the chili simmer for 2 hours to thicken and develop big flavor. Remove the bay leaves and the parmesan rind when it is done. Then scoop it into pretty bowls and serve immediately! Leftovers are even better the next day.
