Recipe: White Chili

What this chili lacks in color it makes up for in flavor thanks to green Tabasco sauce and onions and peppers. Together with cornbread (from scratch!), its warm temperature and flavor was perfect on a fall day that decided to act like it was winter. The inspiration for the dish goes to my friend Haynes' white chili from earlier in the week; our regular catch-up chats inevitably include discussing we've cooked recently.

I like how the Cooking Light recipe suggested topping it with plain yogurt instead of say, sour cream. Once you mix it up, all that matters taste-wise is that it's something creamy to contribute to texture and flavor. Yogurt is starting to rival my affair with sour cream, a staple that has long held my heart (I don't think it's normal to enjoy eating it straight). I added green pepper and cut down on the chicken from the original recipe; it gave me four servings.

White Chili

2  teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chicken broth

5  teaspoons green hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large chicken breasts, cut in halves

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1  (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, drained

plain yogurt

2 tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions (about 1)

Cook green pepper, onion and garlic in oil in a large pot; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture; cool.

Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot; simmer 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt; sprinkle with green onions.