Chunky Chicken Chili

My friend Melissa (and my daughter's energetic and patient pre-school teacher) gave me this recipe for Chunky Chicken Chili. It's so easy and so good. It reminded me of Martha's Posole but this recipe was even easier. My husband said how good it was at least half a dozen times saying things like, "This is good. This is eat-too-much-good". And we did. Thank goodness there's a bowl left over for tomorrow's lunch. Next time I might double the recipe for more leftovers.

Chunky Chicken Chili

(I adjusted the recipe ever so slightly because I only had two chicken breasts and the recipe called for four. I added extra beans to make up for the missing chicken.)

For Chili
2 or 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground corriander
1 cup mild or hot tomatillo salsa
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cans (15oz) cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed
1 handful of fresh cilantro, minced
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

For Garnish
Sour cream
Cilantro
Tortilla chips (Have'A Corn Chip tortilla chips are the best ever!)
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (or Mexican blend)
Lime wedges
Avocado, cubed

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place in a small casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool, then shred it.

In a large stock pot, heat oil and cook onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown onion. Add garlic and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes. Add cumin and coriander and stir to combine. Add green salsa & chicken stock. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and add half of the beans. Mash the other half in the can, then add to chili. This will help thicken the chili. Add shredded chicken and simmer for 10 minutes (I simmered for over an hour waiting for the husband). Remove from heat and serve with condiments.