white chicken chili
hi friends, lovers, & people probably related to me —
128 — um so i did an update on my phone like a week or so ago & i lost everything in my notes app, my ideas for goes well with, my restaurant list, the list of every movie/book i’ve seen/read in the last year & a short story i’ve been working on for almost six years. no it’s not in the cloud. i checked. that is all. everything is ephemeral & everything is copy
you have to dress like chessy from the parent trap when you make this. even the boys. no exceptions.
full confession, i saw this white chicken chili on instagram (@babytamagooo) & was like i want to make something like that bc honestly for me hasn’t been quite cold enough for a beefy red chili. her recipe sounds /looks delicious love the (@haileecatalano) nod with the crispy chicken skins & is v. similar to this one. chili is flexible! i like a bit more spice / heat & i don’t love celery in my soup regardless of how small it is & also i went grocery shopping while tired & bought boneless skinless chicken thighs & also i really wanted two types of cheese. that is all. i hope you make this & i hope you think it’s as delicious as ryan & i did bc it was gone in two days
ingredients for white chicken chili
1 package of chicken thighs (boneless & skinless bc i was half asleep)
1 white onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
2-3 poblanos
1 bunch of scallions
1 bunch of cilantro
1 can of white beans (i used great northern, but pick your favorite)
2-3 jalapeños & or serranos
1 can of chopped green chilis (cermak on north has hatch(s)
1 lime
4-5 cups of chicken broth (or in my case chicken bouillon + water)
chili powder
cumin
oregano
salt & pepper
ingredients for the toppings
sour cream
fritos scoops
monterey jack & sharp white cheddar
limes
hot sauce (i like cholula best for this)
cilantro
scallions
steps
1st take your poblanos and either broil them in the oven or char them over your burner, set aside so they can cool. then get out your dutch oven or another heavy bottom pot, splash in a bit of olive oil and cook your chicken thighs till they are starting to burnish in color and stick to the bottom of the pot - remove, and then add your garlic (grated, chopped, sliced, your pref), the onion (chopped), the spices + some salt & pepper. cook till fragrant. while this is going on peel & chop your poblanos this will be a bit sticky don’t worry you’ll get through it, add them + the jalapeños & serranos (sliced) & the can of green chilis. then add the chicken back in & cover with chicken broth. let it all hangout for awhile on medium or so.
2nd chop 1 bunch of cilantro & slice one bunch of scallions add half of each to the pot reserving the rest for garnishing you want a mix of green & white parts regarding the scallions. drain & rinse the white beans before adding them to the pot — at this point the chicken should be cooked through — remove & shred it before adding it back to the pot. using a wooden spoon press down on the beans a bit to smoosh them & thicken the chili. taste it & adjust seasonings as needed. i added a bit more salt & pepper here as well as the juice of 1 lime. let this hangout on low for a bit while you shred the cheese & taste test the fritos scoops (necessary of course)
3rd ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, the shredded cheese, scallion & cilantro mixture, fritos, some black pepper, more lime & more fritos. eat 1 bowl + as many bowls as you need until full.
particularly good things i consumed recently
fall activities. beer tasting @ work — always have been someone who has a beer socially (like with bob, or at a baseball game or if i’m in ohio), but the tasting lsp ran for the womens’ group at work has me looking for a le tub. the soft serve @ small cheval — not sure why it took me to the fall to have it 2x in one week, too busy mourning the freeze i guess. i ran the chicago marathon! slower than i thought lol but overall such a fun & good experience — so grateful for all the support both for the chicago parks foundation, on the course (bridget & philip, audrey, ashton, becca, chloe, kate & janel, bob (my dad!), brendan & ryan, kaitlyn & mrs. curtis, molly & my mom making it for the post race pizza & megz in spirit) the faraway friends (kristi & megan) who tracked me along the way, & all the congratulations afterward (too many to list here bc running a marathon makes you popular)! kate’s for a cozy weeknight soup hang — there was wine, there was snacks & there was gremlins. mike & jolieta’s laos wedding — beautiful & delicious, seriously the best sweet & sour chicken of my life & spending the next day casually eating pieces of steak in the sun is a top tier sunday. a very long walk w/ ryan that included dumplings on the way home, chengdu bistro 4ever. short janky runs in the park post marathon — the leaves are absolutely beautiful, my strides are not. cafe tola — for some v. delicious breakfast empanadas (faves were the rajas, the birria & the chicken mole) before the last farmers mkt of the szn.
books, tv shows & movies. veep — we finished it & wow was it v. funny. god of the woods — teenage runaway? class conflict? family drama?, summer camp in 1975?. ordinary human failings — growing up irish, 90s england, tragedy & the things that make up a life, probably some of the best writing i’ve read all year. alien & aliens — scary but not as scary as i thought it would be, making me want a to wear a leather jacket w/ a jumpsuit
things. these plates are remarkably satisfying to look @ & also freaking expensive. this spread in chicago mag had me wanting an italian beef asap. & these pants have gotten me lots of compliments. if you like compliments you should get them too & we can match
currently consuming
contemplating on how i really need to clean out my closet / purge things/ post them on depop/ pull out my jackets. maybe i’ll do that today.
as always,
mk
p.s. just saw that it’s going to be a bit warm next week. so nevermind going to go about my usual & perfect sunday then maybe make elaborate nachos instead