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The following recipe was inspired by a few things:

  • boys.
  • tailgating.
  • grody weather.
  • avoiding tailgating.
  • my love of sour cream.
  • poblano peppers from the farmer’s market.
All of those things kind of go together, in this instance.  First, last weekend we had grody weather, and I’m most definitely a fair-weather tailgating fan.  Since I wanted to avoid tailgating and it was cold AND I had some poblano peppers, I decided to make something cozy and spicy to eat with Jay and his friends, Matt and Adam, once they were done drinking excessively and napping and heckling people.  It was a fabulous plan, and it involved sour cream.
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White Chicken Chili with Roasted Poblanos

This is easy, healthy, and wonderful.  6-8 servings is what is depicted here.

  • 2 lbs ground chicken (white or dark meat – your choice)
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3-5 poblano peppers
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1 cup white wine or beer
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 can white beans
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnishing (optional)
  • sour cream, for garnish
  • queso fresco or other white cheese, for garnish
  • salsa, for garnish
  • tortilla chips or cornbread, for serving
For the peppers, we’re going to roast and chop them like we did when we made Argentinian BBQ.  You can do this while you’re making the rest of the chili, or in advance.  It’s easy!
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I had some small poblanos from the farmer’s market so I used 5, but 3 large ones would suffice.
Turn on the broiler, and put the peppers directly on the rack of the oven.
Broil the peppers until black ALL over, turning with tongs every 7 minutes or so.  Once the peppers are blackened, put them in a bowl and cover them to let them cool.  While they cool they will steam and their skins will come off easily!
Wait at least 20 minutes for the peppers to cool enough to touch – you can definitely make the rest of the chili during this time!
Pull out the stem and seeds of each pepper.
Then, pull off the skin.  If some is left it’s no big deal!
Now, cut the peppers into strips and chop them into large pieces.  They’re ready to go in the chili!
Hokay, let’s start on the chili.  I use ground chicken, but you could use shredded, canned, or chopped chicken too!
s
For this recipe, a large pot is a must.  If you have a ceramic dutch oven, use it!  I got mine half off  at Marshall’s Home Goods, which is like Mecca.  Srsly.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in the bottom of the pot until it is very hot.  Dump in the chicken.  It should sizzle!
Using a wooden or plastic spoon, break up the meat as it cooks.  If it starts to get too brown turn the heat down a little.
While the chicken cooks, chop up your onion, celery, and garlic.
Once the chicken is cooked through, after about 11 minutes, make a well in the center of it to make room for the veggies.
Add in the celery, onion, cumin, and coriander.  My coriander is seeds, but ground would work exactly the same.
Stir in the veggies and spices, and add a layer of salt, too.  Let the veggies cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and wine or beer (skip it if you aren’t a lush like I am) and let it cook for another 2 minutes.
This is smelling fantastic.  Once the wine has reduced a bit, add in 2 – 4 cups chicken stock, depending on how soupy you like your chili.  I say add a lot!
Now stir in your chopped poblano peppers and drive to your boyfriend best friend’s house because they have the beans and cilantro.
Not really.  If you were normal, you’d add in the peppers, beans, and cilantro all at once.  But I had to go to Adam’s to feed boys.

Adam loves tailgating and chili!

Adam and Jay have been bff’s since 3rd grade, before dirt was invented.  They’re really stinking cute together in a non-gay way, they’ll have you know.
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Back to the chili!  This is also a good time to tell you that you can make this ahead, like I did in this instance!
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Add in one can (and the juice!) of any kind of white beans you like and 1 big handful chopped cilantro.  Then simmer the chili until you’re ready to serve it!  The longer it sits, the better it gets.  Iloverhyming.
Look, Adam has an orange spoon that matched my pot!
Serve this with salsa, cilantro, chips, sour cream, cheese, and any other toppings you can think of!  Lime wedges would be FABULOUS.
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Make this the next time you’re feeling like a healthy, cozy meal, and let me know how it turns out!