White Chili

BOILING STONES
(Things a man can do in the Kitchen)
© January 12, 2009
By: George O. Martin, Jr.

White Chili

“White Chili” is not a contradiction in terms. As hard as you may find it to believe white chili does exist, and is an acceptable and quite palatable food. The lady of this house makes it every now and then just to prove that it is, and I enjoy it.
I know, around here “Chili” has to be red and volatile in order to claim the name. I also know there are groups of men who get together in clubs and contests to create tubs of stuff they call Chili; and, none of what they make could be described as anything less than hot and robust. If it isn’t above the ten thousand mark on the Scoville scale of Chili “hotness” it isn’t worth eating.
Some otherwise normal individuals even reach the fanatic stage wherein they test their strength and endurance by creating chili out of peppers that raise the Scoville level over an hundred thousand units. At that level of piquant-ness taste disappears and the ingestion of the product becomes much like the bench press a weight lifter does. It is purely a matter of strength, not nutrition.
By the way, the Scoville scale is a method of rating how hot, or piquant, a certain chili pepper is. It was invented way back in 1912 by a chemist named Wilber Scoville. His name has been associated with peppers ever since. The scale he used starts with the Bell Pepper, which as far as “hot” goes is pretty cool. Bell peppers have zero units. Then it goes all the way up into the millions with a particular Japanese pepper called the Naga Jolokia. Some of the more masochistic chili lovers seek these out as a way of exhibiting their manhood, their macho-ness. I have a higher regard for my internal organs.
To give you an idea of how hot that Japanese pepper is, the Scoville scale rates the Jalapeño pepper at a mere 8,000 units. The Habañero fires up to 300,000, while the Jolokia goes all the way up to 1,041,000. That is really into treacherous levels. I could even see that pepper damaging testing equipment, or decimating populations. That isn’t just too hot, it is cruel.
White Chili doesn’t approach any of those levels of toxicity. In fact it is more the good flavor of the chili pepper than the hotness of it that is sought. While the color may suggest something bland and tasteless, the final product is really rich and satisfying. Rather than red meat, white chilly centers on Chicken. I prefer the boneless, skinless chicken breast, while others like the dark flavor of chicken thighs. That is up to your own preference. The amount should equal about 6 chicken breasts. These are cut into bite sized pieces.
Begin by chopping one large onion and 4 healthy cloves of garlic and then sautéing them in a tablespoon of oil until the onions start to become transparent. Add the chicken pieces and stir and cook with the onion until the chicken is done. At this point add about 6-cups of chicken broth or bullion and bring it to a slow boil. From this point on it is a matter of adding things and letting all the flavors come together. Most of the items are in cans, and already cooked, and that is very convenient. Start by adding 2-cans of Great Northern beans, and one can of dices green chilis. If you like a more intense flavor, add two cans of the diced chilis.
Coarsely grate one 8-ounce package of pepper-jack cheese and slowly add to the pot stirring as you do. When that is melted and incorporated into the stock add cumin, salt, and pepper to suit your own taste. You could also add oregano, white pepper, and cilantro. Let the pot simmer for 20 minutes for the flavors to mix; then add a cup or more of sour cream. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onions.
Another addition I like to make helps with my thriftiness, also. We by corn tortilla chips by the bag and we keep them ready in a large plastic container. As the chips dwindle down toward the bottom, and they break into small pieces, we usually dump another bag of fresh chips on top of them. After a time the bottom two inches of that container is nothing more that crumbs, bits and pieces that no one will eat. That residue is perfect to add to the bowl before the white chili is served. It is just like crushed crackers in soup, only better.
Now, for the nay sayers, those folks in your house who might laugh at the mildness of the White Chili: If you find that they require something more piquant, something more brisk and dangerous, give then the cayenne powder and let them jazz up their own dish to their own lack of taste. According to the Scoville chart, that should bring their serving up to the 50,000 unit level. Any hotter than that and I think it best to obtain a fireproof tablecloth
White Chili is good, it is wholesome, it is flavorful, and it is simple and inexpensive to make and serve.