When it’s Chilly, White Chicken Chili!

White Turkey Chili is just so delicious – it satisfies that chili craving on a cold winter’s day (but it’s also different than your average chili.) The recipe uses ground turkey and other really easy to have on hand pantry items, and it’s easy and quick to come together – a perfect weeknight meal that isn’t boring. The dish is also good for entertaining because it’s hand-off when cooking, and can be made ahead and simply reheated.

White Turkey Chili (serves 4-6 as written, can be doubled or tripled) 

adapted from epicurious.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 lb chicken boneless breast or thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 lb ground turkey

3-4 cups or more chicken stock (homemade is always preferrable)

1/4 cup pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapenos (keep seeds in for SPICY version)

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried summer savory

2 15-16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (you can also mix it up with White Northern beans, or garbanzo beans, or one can of each of those)

salt and pepper, to taste

Suggested toppings:

Chopped green onions

Sharp white cheddar cheese

Sour cream

crackers

Hot sauce (such as Tabasco, or Chrystal)

Directions:

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cubed chicken and ground turkey and saute until no longer pink, 4-5 minutes.

Add stock, barley, jalapenos, marjoram and summer savory to turkey mixture. Cover and simmer until barley is tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Add beans to chili (hold some back if you want to mash about 1/4 cup for a thicker stew/chili.) Let cook another 15-20 minutes to thicken.

Check for salt and pepper and serve with suggested toppings, above.