Okay, it’s not the most photogenic thing in the world, but trust me – the ugliest foods always taste the best.

My buddy Clif recently asked me about making green chile chili and ever since I gave my tips, I couldn’t get it out of my head. And then as I was cleaning out the seemingly bottomless cabinet of appliances I have under my sink, my crock pot was staring me in the face, practically glowing with the suggestion to use it.

So here is quite possibly the easiest recipe I have on the site so far – even easier than the 2-ingredient ‘ice cream’! Only one step! This is the greatest set it and forget it kind of meal, and it reheats superbly, which is exactly what I need right now. Thick and rich from the beans and their natural starch, plus packed with flavor from all the spices – it could be served on a cold winter’s day with hot cornbread, or a warm summer afternoon with chips and guacamole.

Freshly ground white pepper.

Cannelini beans.

Mise.

It just needs 8 hours of love.

One hearty spoonful.

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White Bean Chicken Chili

Makes 6 servings

I prefer thigh meat for anything like this because it just has so much more flavor than breast. Since there really isn’t any fat in the dish anyway, you don’t need to fret about the calories, but feel free to use white meat if you just don’t like the flavor. Also, I’ve recommended it before, but using your bulk bin spices (if available) for recipes like this is divine. I just don’t need green chile powder or celery salt that often, so only having to buy a teaspoon at a time is so wallet-friendly.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces, trimmed of excess fat
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth (or even water)
• 3 15-ounce cans cannelini or white beans of your choice, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup chopped freshly smoked green chile (or 1 4-oz can chopped green chiles)
• 1 large yellow onion (not sweet), roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and membrane removed, but not sliced
• 4 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• 2 tsp green chile powder (or regular chili powder)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (or 2 tsp cumin leaves if you have them)
• 2½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1.) Add everything to the crock pot, give it a stir, and set to low. Cook for 8-9 hours on low (5-6 on high), skimming fat occasionally (if you can) and towards the end, mash everything up a bit with a potato masher to thicken the chili. Taste for seasoning before serving.