Tuxedo Chili
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro, and dinner is served!
It's simple: black and white beans plus green chiles (canned), white corn (frozen), onions, garlic, ground chicken, and spices.
Measure out the oregano, cumin, chili powder, pepper, and cinnamon.
Cook the onions and garlic slowly so they sweat instead of browning.
Translucent and soft: perfect!
After setting the onions and garlic aside, use the same pot to cook the chicken - don't you love a one-pot meal?
Cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as you go.
The spices will cook slightly as you stir them into the chicken, intensifying their flavors.
Now you stir in the reserved onions and garlic...
...stir in water, and let the chili base simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, the drained and rinsed beans go into the blender with some chicken broth.
Amanda carefully holds down the lid. No one wants bean puree on the ceiling!
Velvety and smooth -- just wait until this goes into the chili.
But first Amanda takes a break to say hi to Charlie, Peter Steinberg's baby son! It was his first visit to the test kitchen, and he just stared in awe.
Back at the stove, the bean puree gets added to the simmering chicken and spices.
Two more cans of drained and rinsed beans -- one white, one black -- add texture to the chili.
Finally, stir in the frozen corn (no need to defrost!) and a can of green chilis.
The kitchen smells amazing as the chili bubbles through its final simmer.
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Author Notes: It’s always nice to have a little twist on a classic, and mine is this creamy chicken chili with the added touch of black beans along with the white – that’s why I call it Tuxedo Chili. Plus, this version is simple to make and packed with flavor. - TheRunawaySpoon
Food52 Review: WHO: TheRunawaySpoon is a food writer from Memphis Tennessee. Just being in the kitchen makes her happy!
WHAT: A complex, creamy white chili (with black beans -- hence, tuxedo!) that's quick enough for a weeknight meal.
HOW: Two cans of blended white beans add instant richness and body to a chili base of spiced ground chicken, corn, beans, and green chiles.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This chili comes together quickly from pantry staples you have on hand, but tastes like anything but -- your family and friends will wonder when you spent all that time in the kitchen! - A&M
Serves 6
- 1 medium white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups water
- 3 (15) ounces cans great northern or canellini beans
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (16) ounce can black beans
- 1 (16) ounce package frozen white shoepeg corn
- 1 (4.5) ounce can chopped green chiles
- Chop the onion and garlic finely. Add to the oil in a large Dutch oven. Saute over medium high heat until soft and translucent. Do not brown. Remove the onions and garlic to a bowl and set aside. (If the onions brown and overcook, the final color of the chili will be muddy. It will still taste delicious, but won’t look as nice. You can always top it with lots of cheese). Add the ground chicken to the pan and cook until browning slightly, breaking it up into small pieces.
- Mix the oregano, cumin, chili powder, pepper and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the chicken. Add the onions and garlic. Pour in three cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the water has reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse two cans of white beans. Place the beans in a blender with the chicken broth and puree until smooth. Drain and rinse the remaining white beans and the black beans. Pour the pureed beans into the chicken mixture, stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining drained beans, corn, and green chiles and simmer until cooked through and thickened, about 30 minutes.
- Serve in big bowls topped with grated cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro.
- This will hold, cooled and covered, overnight and reheated before serving. It will also freeze beautifully.
- Your Best Chili Contest Finalist!
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3 months ago tvwells
This was excellent and came together quickly with loads of flavor. I used fresh jalapeno peppers along with some dried red pepper chili flakes instead of canned just because we were in a middle of a snow storm and that is what we had on hand. Also used ground turkey breast instead of chicken and it did not dry out, even after I reheated the dish a few times. The cilantro as a topping really brightened it up as well as a little lime. I also added extra corn and substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream, which no one really noticed. Pureeing the beans was worth the extra step, it made the chili luxuriously thick and heart-warming. Congrats and thank you, we will definitely be having this again!
4 months ago borntobeworn
Oh, man, was this good! I made this tonight (a vegetarian version: mushrooms instead of chicken, vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, twice the garlic, and 2 cans of green chilis). Although it's warm here today, this chili is to die for! We didn't have sour cream - I'll have to get some tomorrow to try with it.
5 months ago RI cook
Much more garlic, add fresh green and red peppers, cut down the meat by a fourth, use only chicken broth, triple the spice and add adobo, some cayenne and Tabasco, and fresh lime juice.
9 months ago theletterc
Inspiring recipe! I made this yesterday with a few alterations.
Regarding seasonings...
- I used homemade chili powder as well as low salt chicken broth, so I ended up almost doubling the chili powder and adding salt near the end.
- I also threw in a few pickled jalapenos and a dash of cayenne near the end as the heat level wasn't quite where I wanted it to be at... which is probably because:
- Rather than using ground chicken, I used 3 shredded chicken breasts since I have an aversion to ground meat in chili. I just made them earlier in the day by covering them with water in a baking dish in the oven. It worked to preheat the oven for corn muffins and gave the chili a lot of body.
- I also put in 2 roughly chopped poblanos in with the onion and garlic. This added a nicely bitter counterpart to the sweet corn.
over 1 year ago WJCinNJ
Made ths yesterday. All the while I was preparing i kept thinking it was not going to be at all what i wanted. too much liquid, not enough spice, etc. After cooking I let sit for a few hours and voila, it really all came together and was quite delicious. As was previously mentioned, it does not call for salt, so you will have to add to your taste. Good addition to the chili recipies I use.
about 1 year ago BoulderGalinTokyo
There's usually lots of salt in the canned beans, not to mention the chicken broth. We didn't miss it. My husband thought more "fire" than expected. Great recipe
over 1 year ago moretimeatthetable
I, too, wonder about the chili powder-- 1 1/2 tsp of ancho seems like a lot--but, additionally, there's no salt in this recipe. Makes me think the American sort of "chili powder" is the specified sort since there's often salt in it. Anyway: my real question is was salt left out by mistake or on purpose? Thanks!
over 1 year ago allans
I like a recipe with a simple ingredient list (especially now that I'm out of work).
This looks great and will try it.
Thanks for keeping it simple!
over 1 year ago TheRunawaySpoon
Thanks for all the nice congratulations! I love Food52ers. After a lot of warm weather herre this winter, this weekend is going to be a cold one so I'm looking all the chili recipes! Enjoy!
over 1 year ago ibbeachnana
Oh, I love this! Congratulations!
over 1 year ago arielleclementine
what a clever recipe! congrats on the finalist spot!
over 1 year ago lastnightsdinner
Congrats, fellow finalist! I can't wait to try your delicious looking chili!
over 1 year ago Mama D
I made this and it was not only relatively quick but a HUGE hit with the family and friends - including five little ones. Add some sharp cheese and Fritos and its all good! It made a nice quantity without being overwhelming.
over 1 year ago adashofbitters
Congratulations on being a finalist! This looks like a great recipe. Eager to try it out.
over 1 year ago healthierkitchen
Congrats- this sounds both terrific and easy!
over 1 year ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
Congratulations! I love that this is a weeknight recipe.
over 1 year ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Congratulations on being a finalist. I love white chili.
over 1 year ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Congrats TRS! This sounds really yummy.
over 1 year ago Midge
Congrats TheRunwaySpoon!