In Arctic Conditions, Consume Copious Amounts of White Chicken Chili
A quick, comforting soup to keep the bones warm and the freezer full
New York was downright frigid this week with temperatures in the single digits.
There is only one rational response to these unpalatable conditions: Bring on the soup.
I am unsure how much soup my body consumes between the months of November to April, but I estimate it to be hundreds of bowls. Spicy soups, creamy soups, comforting soups, light soups, hearty soups, soups that take a long time to cook, soups that don’t take a long time to cook. I love them all.
But when the weather took a turn this week, all I wanted was a big bowl of white chicken chili. A soup that is somehow hearty yet light. It has a broth made of rich tomatoes and tomatillos that gets a heavy dose of acid from lime juice that brightens the whole thing up. There’s cilantro but also so much cheese if you want (duh—I always do).
In a sea of beige, starchy and heavy foods synonymous with winter, this white chicken chili is warming, flavorful, and spicy. Its bright colors immediately cure my seasonal depression.
And of course, it makes killer leftovers.
I recently made this white chicken chili recipe with my mom over the holidays. It’s a recipe handwritten by my mom (always the best kind of recipe IMO), but my mom claims to not know where it comes from (if you DO know where this comes from, PLEASE let me know because giving credit is IMPORTANT!). My mom also didn’t have any recollection of ever making this dish? But oh boy, did we devour it after weeks of heavy meat, loads of carbs, and infinite amounts of sugar during the holidays.
Bow down to the chick
I’m a sucker for anything with the heat of a jalapeño pepper (technically I used a serrano pepper), but the real star of this show is the rotisserie chicken.
Rotisserie chicken is a workhorse for leftover fiends like myself. Succulent, perfect meat with no effort and limitless opportunities. It’s the not-so-secret shortcut to soups, salads, enchiladas, tacos, casseroles, pot pies, chicken salad, etc. etc. Consider this the first of millions of times I will inevitably sing the praises of rotisserie chicken.
This particular recipe also uses a combination of pantry products and fresh produce. There are canned tomatoes (a staple in my pantry) and fresh tomatillos, a great thing for Type A planners with stocked pantries who also get a thrill out of going to grocery stores.
If you’re looking for a white chicken chili that doesn’t require a trip to the grocery store and truly uses a lot of stuff you likely already have at home, I’d recommend NYT Cooking’s version that also sounds delectable.
All told, it took me maybe an hour to make, including lots of time for simmering that I always add to soups because I like to let everything meld together really well.
Don’t skimp on the toppings
Ok let’s talk toppings, also known as the best part of this entire meal. Copious toppings are non negotiable for me, and I want all of them.
Similar to the soup itself, the key is creamy, comforting things combined with bright, zippy things. Balance is beautiful.
Of course there have to be crunchy tortilla chips—I’m a hint of lime gal.
But there also has to be a lot of shredded cheese (like a lot and ideally a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack because cheddar is supreme and Monterey Jack melts well and is pretty). I also absolutely need a generous spoonful of sour cream.
To cut that richness, you gotta have some kind of acid. I like Tabasco sauce, but any hot sauce or perhaps some sriracha will work, too. More lime juice, too. And I simply cannot eat this without a mountain of cilantro that some may consider “going overboard.”
Sliced avocado is great. And so are fresh or pickled peppers.
Freezers ❤️ soup
I ate this three times this week, but as the recipe notes, one batch makes eight to ten servings. IN OTHER WORDS, I AM SITTING ON AN ADDITIONAL WEEK’S WORTH OF DINNER!!!
So, I ladled up the rest of the chili into deli containers (I have these in the 16-ounce and 32-ounce sizes) and put them into the freezer. At some point in the coming weeks, I will be tickled when I cannot fathom making dinner but remember I have these on hand.
I also had a bunch of leftover tomatillos, which I used to make a simple tomatillo salsa. It too immediately went into the freezer, and will be used for tacos or maybe some nachos in the near future.
BA’s great podcast, “Dinner SOS”, is one of my favorites. Like how can one feel seen while listening to a show about cooking?
This week’s episode was about what to cook in winter, a season not particularly loved because uh … everything is dead.
But dare I say, I felt downright invigorated after listening to this episode. Braises! Frozen vegetables! Baked pasta!
I also bookmarked a few new BA recipes that I want to try like rice cooker risotto, sheet-pan salmon with rice cakes and kimchi, and herby cauliflower fritters.
I just started Stanley Tucci’s somewhat-new book “What I Ate in One Year” after reading and loving his book “Taste” a few years ago. I’m only a few pages into it, but I love reading about what he ate while filming “Conclave” in Rome—one of my favorite movies of last year that I’m rooting for at the Oscars.
Also, I cannot accurately convey the amount of joy I felt while reading
’s excellent Ina Garden walking tour in Paris.
Obviously I’m an Ina head (I can neither confirm or deny that I regularly wear this shirt and wore it to her Brooklyn book tour …), so I immediately bookmarked all of the spots. But it’s also clear that Justine put so much thoughtful work in tracking down these places. I fear that my wallet would simply combust into flames within seconds of walking into E. Dehillerin.
That’s all I’ve got for today! See you next week!