White Chicken Chili with Apples
Happy Monday!
Oh, how I love Mondays! I feel it’s a fresh start to a new week and another chance to do it all over again, whichever way we choose! So this week my goal is to get out of my winter cave and be more active.
This winter has been brutal. We got pounded with more snow than ever….or it seems like. I never realized how much I disliked cold winter weather until recently as I used to think I loved the changes of season, and I do but can totally skip this one.
I guess a girl can dream! Well, I’ve been in hibernation this winter and I’m not a home body AT ALL! But we’re finally in the positive digits (yeay!) and even got into 50’s and apparently 60’s this upcoming week (gasp!).
Even though first official day of spring is less than two weeks away, we still have patches of snow from last weekends winter storm and apparently more is in the forecast. I’m ready to be done with the S-word.
As well as the constant need to buy milk, bread and toilet paper. What is up with that anyways? One thing, I enjoy with cold weather is hearty food.
My family is big on soups and I always have some type of soup, chili, or stew stashed in my fridge.
I think growing up in a Russian household where it was very typical to start off a meal with some type of soup or borscht (traditional Russian dish), followed by second course has definitely rubbed off on me. But who doesn’t love a hot bowl of hearty something on a cold day?!
Since we’re technically still in the winter season for couple more weeks, I wanted to share one of my family’s favorites: White Chicken Chilli with Apples.
It’s a recipe I found in a random magazine years ago that has become a reoccurring dish in our household.
It’s very much loved by everyone in my house. My child gobbles it down every single time and hubby never fails to come back for seconds.
Mild sweetness of the apples with spicy chili flavors is the perfect combination and power of two opposites. I told you I have a crush on opposites 🙂
I used my own Homemade Chicken Stock that I previously made but store bought stock totally works!
Happy devouring! In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my long romantic walks to the fridge until arrival of spring.
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White Chicken Chili with Apples
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 42 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Description
White chicken chili with apples is the best comfort food! Truly once you try this chili with apples you’ll be hooked.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
- 4 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (use your favorite apples)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 – 2 1/4 cups chicken stock,
- 3/4 cup milk (I used full fat)
- 2 (15 oz.) cans pinto or white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded monterey or Mexican blend cheese (about 8 ounce bag)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the chicken, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Add apples and onion. Cook, stirring, until softened. About 6-7 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl as the chicken.
- In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, and then whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock and milk, until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken-apple mixture and beans, bring to a simmer. If the chili is too thick, add remaining 1/4 cup stock or as needed. Then stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve with your favorite toppings: sour cream, scallions, cilantro, fresh salsa, avocado, tortilla chips.
Notes
1/21/16: I’ve made few changes to the ingredient list and directions to make the recipe more simple and easy to follow. The taste stayed the same.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 518
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 346.8 mg
- Fat: 25.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.3 g
- Protein: 37.1 g
- Cholesterol: 106.1 mg
Keywords: comfort food, fall, winter, one pot
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Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
My friend from New York ,Syracuse just asked me what I think of your receptor after reading all the reviews it sounds like winner!!! I will try once see how it is received by my family and friends thanks Katya is this recepie German???
I mean Recepie!
I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.
I feel like I can’t accurately rate this, because I made so many substitutions, but I thought it was worth writing them down here for people using this recipe in the future:
1. I made it vegetarian, with no chicken – and therefore, I used three cans of beans instead of two (white, garbanzo, and kidney beans).
2. I used almond milk instead of regular milk.
3. I thought it needed some veggies to make it a complete meal, so I added bell pepper and lots of spinach near the end.
Everything was good, but I think my downfall was that I used green apples. I know you to use our “favorite apples,” but I had recently been given so many green apples and needed to get rid of them, so… When I served the dinner, I didn’t tell my husband what was in it. I just told him to try and guess the secret ingredient. The apples legitimately looked like potatoes, so he had no idea. After tasting it, he guessed there was pineapple in there – but it was really just the sour green apples.
If I ever made this again, I would use red sweet apples.
But regardless, I did enjoy the recipe. However, my husband was NOT a fan (and possibly he would have liked it better with red apples, who knows), so I won’t be making it again…. and looks like I’ll be eating all the leftovers for lunch for several days now…
The recipe AS written is very delicious! You can use just about any apples and it will taste good. But when you change the whole recipe I can’t guarantee the result and it sounds like you changed a lot. Thanks for your feedback.
I’m usually not a huge fan of adding fruit to savory dishes; however, this is a solid exception! I also substituted ground turkey for the chicken and a 15oz can of chickpeas in place of one of the cans of white/pinto beans, and added an 8oz can of green chiles. I did not add the cheese directly to the pot; rather, I let everyone add cheese as they saw fit. I also think the lime juice is a must as it really added a bit of zip and brought out the other flavors. I’m definitely going to make this again and again!
★★★★★
Thank you! So happy to hear you loved it.
You just know you’ve got a keeper when one member of the family comments “you can never make this too often. Another one says “yum Gran, this is delicious!”
It’s in the 90’s here but that’s living proof this meal is not dependent on the weather outside. It’s a state of mind, comfort food – at any time of the year.
The third “proof” I’m on a good run is the grandson telling me how great this chili is compared to that other red stuff!
The only simple add-on’s I make in this recipe….Is Simply….I add a bit of red pepper, two cloves of minced garlic a bit more of the Chili Powder and Cumin! That’s it!
My grandson ….well, even with all of the good cheese in this recipe….still feels the need to sprinkle more on top of his mountain of sour cream.
This is a hearty, wonderful tasting recipe to soothe the troubled and tired body at the end of a day!
WELL DONE Katya!!
★★★★★
Carole thank you for your feedback! So nice to know that you can enjoy this chili with your grandson. What a special time that is! This chili is our family favorite recipe and we definitely make it more often when it’s cooler outside but have also been known to make it year round. My kids absolutely love it! Thank you again!
Delicious!! It was a hit!! Thank you!!
That’s awesome! Glad you loved it.