Colm O'Gorman's chicken chilli is a warming, comforting big bowl of deliciousness

If you love a good beef and bean chilli, then I think you will adore this week’s recipe which is a lighter take on the Tex-Mex classic. 

This dish brings together cannellini beans, fresh corn and chicken in a spiced chicken casserole that is then served with toppings such as avocado, lime wedges, sour cream, red onion, pickled jalapeno peppers, grated cheddar, and crispy tortilla chips on the side. 

It is a warming, comforting big bowl of deliciousness, perfect for the wet, cold days we are experiencing right now.

I have previously shared my recipe for Beef and Black Bean Chilli, served loaded on air-fried wedges with lots of toppings. 

If you liked that, then I think you will adore this new recipe. 

It is also a wonderful way to use up leftover chicken, though I love it so much I have often roasted a chicken just to make this dish, which has then generated leftover chicken for lunches in the days that follow.

Like many spiced dishes, this one often tastes even better the day after you make it, so I usually make a double batch. 

I take the dish right to the point where I am ready to add the chicken and the corn, before removing half of it and popping it in the fridge or freezer to use later. 

I then finish off the dish as per the recipe below and have that for dinner, but I also have another batch of the base ready to make a super quick and delicious dinner in just minutes on another day.

Winter Chicken Chilli

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

"A warming, comforting big bowl of deliciousness, perfect for the wet, cold days we are experiencing right now."

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 white onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 green chillies

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 500ml chicken stock

• 2 cans cannellini beans

• 1 ear of fresh corn on the cob

• 400g cooked or left-over chicken

• Juice of a lime

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

• To Serve:

• Tortilla chips

• Sour cream

• Grated Irish cheddar cheese

• 1 avocado, cut into 1cm pieces

• Thinly sliced red onion

• Thinly sliced red chilli or pickled jalapeno peppers

• Some fresh coriander leaves

• Fresh lime wedges

Method

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and grate the garlic. Wash and finely chop the green chillies, retaining the seeds if you like a little heat, but discarding them if you want a mildly spiced chilli. Warm two tablespoons of olive oil over a high heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. When the oil starts to shimmer, reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Sautee the onion for three to four minutes until it begins to soften. Next, add the grated garlic and the chopped green chillies. Continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring all the time until the raw smell from the garlic cooks out.

2. Add the ground cumin, sweet paprika, oregano, ground coriander and cayenne pepper and cook the spices in for another minute, stirring all the time to avoid burning them. Next, add the chicken stock.

3. Drain and rinse the tinned cannellini beans and add those to the pan. Stir to combine everything well and bring the pan to a soft boil. Add the salt and a good grind of black pepper, reduce the pan to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for fifteen minutes over a low heat.

4. While the pot is simmering away, stand an ear of corn on one end in a bowl and use a sharp knife to cut away all the kernels. You can use frozen sweetcorn for convenience if you wish, but fresh corn will give the best flavour. Chop the cooked chicken into 2cm chunks, or you can shred it if you prefer.

5. When the pan has simmered for fifteen minutes, remove the lid, and use a potato masher to gently crush roughly half of the beans into the stock to give you a nice thick, creamy casserole consistency.

6. Add the corn and the cooked chicken, stirring both in to combine them in the sauce. Increase the heat to medium and cook for five minutes to warm the chicken through and cook the corn. Next, add the chopped coriander and the juice of a lime. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more lime juice, salt, ground black pepper or cayenne pepper if required.

7. Remove the pan from the heat. Serve your white chicken chilli in warm bowls with a spoonful of sour cream, some avocado, lime wedges, thinly sliced red onion, pickled jalapeno peppers or sliced red chillies and some fresh coriander scattered on top with tortilla chips on the side.