This recipe is from my friend Becky and is absolutely the best white chili I’ve ever tasted. I’m not the only one who thinks this. I made this recipe for our church’s Chili Cook-Off and won second place!
Ingredients:
2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 lbs chicken, cooked and cut into ½” chunks
1 lg onion, chopped
½ C butter, divided
¼ C flour
1 C Chicken broth
2 C half and half
1 tsp Tabasco or to taste
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
1 4-oz can chopped chilies
1 can corn, drained
½ C sour cream
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Directions:
Cook onion and chilies in 2 Tbsp butter till soft.
In large pan, melt the remaining 6 Tbsp butter over low heat and whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent the flour from scorching. Stir in onion and chilies. Gradually add broth and half and half, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, until thick.
Add remaining ingredients except for sour cream and cheese. Cook over moderate low heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Take off heat and stir in sour cream and cheese. Serve with salsa and garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes:
It’s no surprise that I prefer to make this with dry beans. The canned beans makes this a super fast recipe, but dry beans are so much cheaper and I think they taste better.
To make with dry beans: Soak 1 cup Great Northern beans in 4 cups water overnight. Drain and cook beans in 4 cups water, about 45-60 minutes. You can also use Navy beans, but they will take longer to cook.
OR
Cook in a pressure cooker. This is my favorite method because it does not require any soaking. Put 1 cup of dry beans (Navy or Great Northern) in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups water, lock the lid on and bring to pressure. Cook under pressure for 25-30 minutes for Great Northern or 30-35 minutes for Navy beans.
For both methods, drain the beans and proceed with the recipe as usual.
This is a good way to use up leftover turkey breast from your Thanksgiving meal.
I typically use my home-canned turkey for this recipe. I use a 1-qt jar of turkey and the broth that is in the jar is just the right amount for the broth that the recipe calls for.