White Bean & Hominy Chicken Chili
This recipe is full of cozy flavors and textures from the steeped hominy to the beer and bean purée-infused stock. It doubles as a light chili or hearty soup…you be the judge. Either way, it’s the perfect warm-up when you need it from the inside-out.
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1.5 lbs. ground chicken breast or thigh (I use a combination of both)
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 medium poblano pepper (seeds & ribs removed), finely diced
- 1-2 jalapeño or green chile pepper (seeds & ribs removed), finely diced
- 7 large or 10 small garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 2.5 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 12 oz. can or bottle of good light beer (like a pilsner or lager)
- 3-4 c. low-sodium chicken stock, divided
- 1 14-16 oz. can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14-16 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 14-16 oz. can white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 3-4 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled
- fresh lime wedges (optional)
- chopped fresh chives or cilantro (optional)
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Warm the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then add the ground chicken and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Use the end of your spatula to break the chicken into small chunks. Let cook for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. Stir occasionally.
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Add the diced onion and peppers to the pan and let cook an additional 3-5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Then add the minced garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and all of the remaining seasonings (dried oregano through black pepper). Stir briefly and let the seasonings become fragrant (about 1 minute).
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Slowly add the beer to the pot and scrape-up any flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add 2.5 cups of the chicken stock (reserve remaining) and bring the mixture to a boil.
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Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine 1.5 cups of the great northern beans and chickpeas combined (reserve remaining) and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock (reserve remaining). Blend until smooth (about 1 minute).
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Once the beer-stock mixture starts to boil, immediately reduce the heat to low and add the bean purée. Stir until combined. Then add the hominy. Partially cover the pot and keep it over low heat for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine. Stir occasionally during this time.
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Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add the remaining whole beans and 1 cup chicken stock (if needed) to the pot and warm through (see TIP A below). Serve the chili with a few key toppings like crumbled Cotija cheese (highly recommended), lime wedges, and chopped chives or cilantro (and tortilla chips too, of course!). See TIP B for make-ahead and freeze instructions.
TIP A: Great northern beans and chickpeas are pretty hearty beans that hold-up well in soups and chilis, but I still recommend waiting to add them until minutes before you serve. This way, they keep a nice, firm texture and do not become mushy through oven-heating or re-heating. If you make-ahead and freeze the chili (see below), then reserve and store the beans separately if possible.
TIP B: This is a great meal to make-ahead because it freezes beautifully. Prepare as instructed through Step 5; however, you can reduce the cook time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes since you'll re-heat the chili at a later date. After adding the bean purée and hominy, transfer the chili to an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 weeks. Freeze the remaining whole beans separately. When ready to serve, defrost and re-heat slowly over a low flame. Add the whole beans 10 minutes before serving as instructed in Step 6.