Last week I decided to make white chicken chili for the first time, which involved using two ingredients I’ve never worked with before: hominy and poblano chili peppers.
Honestly, I was skeptical of the hominy. Like I said, I had never used it before and when I opened the can, the smell was reminiscent of corn nuts. I can’t stand the smell of corn nuts, by the way, so I was really hoping the soup would turn out! I am happy to report that the soup not only turned out but was very delicious and a big hit with every member of the family. In case you are wondering, it tasted nothing like corn nuts. PHEW! Nate came home from work, looked in the pot and declared that he was certain he was going to love this soup, even before he knew what it was. And he did!
I used the white chicken chili recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. So far every recipe I’ve used from that book has been a winner. The recipes have all been delicious and quick! This chicken chili was no exception. This recipe was simple to prepare and was no problem to throw together on a busy weeknight. I will include my various notes on the recipe below!
- 1 15-ounce can white or yellow hominy (ATK recommends white because it has a deeper flavor)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (Jane note: I used two chicken breasts)
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 poblano chili peppers (Jane note: I only used 1) – de-seed and core the pepper, then chop
- 1 onion, chopped fine (Jane note: I only used ⅓ of a large yellow onion)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (Jane note: I used my garlic press)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (Jane note: I didn’t use coriander b/c I didn’t have it in the cupboard and didn’t feel like buying it)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Jane note: I used ¼ teaspoon of black pepper because I am out of cayenne, which makes me very sad – I need to rectify that!)
- ½ cup tomatillo salsa or salsa verde
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (Jane note: I bought flat leaf parsley instead of cilantro, which I didn’t discover until I took it out to start chopping. I was SO bummed because cilantro would taste wonderfully in this soup, but I just went with the parsley because that’s what I had. I am happy to report that the parsley was also very delicious! So, feel free to choose the herb you like better and go with it!)
- Process the hominy with 1 cup broth in blender of food processor until smooth.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt & pepper then brown chicken lightly on both sides, about 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a dutch oven, a large pot should work.) Transfer chicken to a plate. Add remaining oil, poblanos and onion to the pot and cook until onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, garlic, cumin, corinader (if using) and cayenne (or pepper) and cook about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in remaining 3 cups broth, deglazing the bottom of the pan. I used a flat whisk here and it worked very well, but a standard whisk will suffice.
- Stir in pureed hominy. Add chicken, along with any accumulated juices, and simmer gently over medium-low to medium heat until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 10 minutes. I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so that you don’t overcook the chicken – it will be super tender if you cook until 160 degrees. Remove chicken, shred then return to soup. Add salsa, cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 1 minute then serve!
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
i’ve done the exact same thing with hominy…now I am going to have to try it!
I wondered if that chili would be good, thanks!
Some of our fav recipes from the ATK Quick cookbook our the Pan Seared Pork Chops with Braised Red Cabbage; Shrimp Fra Diavolo; Honey-Lime Glazed Salmon; Pan Seared Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Salsa; Sheet Pan Stir-fry with Shrimp and Asparagus; Quinoa with Lemon, Garlic, and Parsley
and the Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes–to which I add 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds and 2 Tbsp. chia seeds-are easy (you can use that cute food processor!) and delicious!
thanks for the list of recipes to try in the book – adding them to my to-try list!
I make a white chicken chili sometimes in the winter when we want a change from the usual beef and tomato version. We always enjoy it. I’d love to try this recipe next time. Sounds fantastic!
Don’t be scared of poblanos. If you do a good job of cleaning out the seeds, you get a smoky flavor with barely noticeable heat. I know it’s a quick and easy, but if you slow it down and fire-roast your own tomatillos, I bet this would be extraordinary.
no beans???
I know, right? that was one of my first thoughts! it was totally good without any beans, but I think a nice white bean would be really good in there, too!
Made this last night and it turned out great. The kids even ate it for dinner. I used 1 poblano and 1 Anaheim chili. Great recipe …thank you.
Hey! I am hoping to make this tonight! I’m not sure about the poblano peppers, I don’t see in the recipe if I need to dice it, roast it or throw the big old pepper right (I know that’s not right?) one of my weaknesses in the kitchen is reading recipes, I am so bad! I always miss something. Am I missing something here? Thanks!
yeah, that’s funny, I think I left something off! you chop them before tossing them in! 🙂 I’ll go fix that now!
I wasn`t sure, I am notoriously bad at reading recipes. My husband teases me all the time, meanwhile our dinner is a flop.
I saw on instagram that you were at Disneyland when I had asked. I ended up roasting and chopping the peppers. It was pretty tasty. I think next time I`ll add some tortilla chips for some crunch.
tortilla chips would be a great add!
Jane! I have made this probably four times and came back to tell you how much I love it. I add fresh lime to mine and think it compliments the hominy and poblano flavors very well! Anyway, it’s on my keep list and I think you’re great!
I’m so happy! thank you for letting me know 🙂
I couldn’t find the nutritional facts with this recipe. I’m curious because my other recipe from ATK has almost 600 calories per serving. I’m still trying to find out why.
I don’t have nutritional facts for this recipe – sorry about that! I have no idea how many calories there are per serving, but, minus the cheese and sour cream on top, the ingredients going into the recipe are pretty wholesome so I imagine it’s not too bad. anyway, sorry I couldn’t be more help!