Cajun White Chicken Chili

A signature south Louisiana spin on a beloved American dish, my brand new Cajun white chicken chili sure is super satisfying, y'all. The Cajun trinity, garlic, and seasoned boneless chicken thigh pieces brown to taste and texture perfection in a cast iron Dutch oven. Then, gluten free chicken broth, Creole-style navy beans, tomatoes with green chilis, and even more seasonings are stirred lovingly into the pot. A quick simmering down melds the flavors together, creating a hearty, luscious meal that's just as rich and creamy as it is warm and toasty. Yep and yay...

It's Another Cold and Damp South Louisiana January, Y'all.

As I type this, we're just a few short days away from mid-January 2021. And it's slap stupid cold and more than occasionally overly damp down here as well, y'all. So, truth be told, I'm a little cranky and beside myself.

I'm the sort of person who loves, loves, loves it hot outside, so it can be A/C climate-controlled cold, cold, cold inside. Yep, I'm that woman with the 10+ comfy blankets and throws placed strategically around the bed and the sofa. It is I who turns down the air conditioner super low. And then wraps myself in my today's-special covering that makes me feel snug as a bug in a rug while I type, read or watch TV.

On the occasion that I do have to get up to bring my dogs out, I long for the almost all-year-long, hot-meets-cold juxtaposition that goes off as soon as I open the back door of my kitchen. Well, the past few weeks have been actual winter in south Louisiana. So, my inside happy routine is now all out of whack. And, I'm suffering inside doing the heater on/heater off dance all the day long. Sigh and sad, disgusted shake of the head...

So, I Comforted Myself by Creating This Cajun White Chicken Chili. Yep.

Since I can't really control the air around me right now, I decided to food-comfort myself with warmth from the inside out. After a little back and forth in my head, I settled on chili. And, while I love thick chili, like my Creole turkey chili, I wanted something a little different this time. 

I wanted a more soupy chili. So, I took what I had on hand, and transformed it into this Cajun white chicken chili. It has the familiar white chicken chili base of white beans and well, chicken. But, my original spin on the dish also includes these local Creole navy beans that make each bite super creamy.

Also, I added a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis to inject even more flavor and texture into the dish. So, the end result turned out to be just what I wanted y'all. Yep. My Cajun white chicken chili is flavor-injected from the bottom of the pot to the top. 

It's super creamy from the Creole white beans. It's super flavorful from the mix of Latin and south Louisiana flavors. And, it's super full of succulent seasoned chicken thigh pieces that make this dish a meal-in-one home run. 

How to Make Cajun White Chicken Chili

Start by seasoning the chicken thighs. Then, set them aside:

Then, get the Cajun trinity veggies going in your 5-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven: 

When the trinity is browned, add the chicken and brown lightly. When the chicken is browned, add the garlic and cook down for another minute or so: 

And then add all of the remaining ingredients: 

Stir, and cook down for about 30 minutes: 

And that's it, y'all.

You can eat it right out of the pot now. However, the longer it sits, the deeper the flavors of the Cajun white chicken chili will marry. So, it's good to give it at least 15 minutes of resting time. But, if you can hold out, it's even better to let it come down to room temperature. Then, transfer it to a covered dish that you can refrigerate, and reheat after a couple of hours.

This Cajun white chicken chili is the perfect south Louisiana hybrid dish. It has all of the main flavor players you'd expect from its name. Yet its pops of chili powder and cumin let you know immediately that you're eating chili.

This kind of spicy, soupy chili is also super easy to make. And, if you're meal planning for the week, you're in for a tastes-better-by-the-day treat.

Share this Cajun white chicken chili and your favorite comfy blanket with those you love the mostest. And see y'all on the yum side...

Cajun White Chicken Chili

Creole white beans and tomatoes with green chilis bring super creamy texture and pops of zesty flavor to each bite of this Cajun White Chicken Chili.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Creole/American

Keyword: Cajun white chicken chili, white chicken chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: Lyn Corinne Liner | A Sprinkling of Cayenne

Ingredients

For the Seasoned Chicken Thighs

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat removed
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• liberal salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

For the Creole-Style White Chicken Chili Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 ½ cups gluten free chicken broth
• 2 16-ounce cans Blue Runner Creole Cream-Style Navy Beans undrained, or canned navy beans, see notes
• 1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Louisiana hot sauce to taste

Instructions

• Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then place them into a large bowl.
• Season the thighs with the chili powder and cumin, and the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. (Be liberal with the salt and peppers, and use your hands to incorporate all of the seasonings into the meat. If you don't, some of the pieces will be highly seasoned and some of the pieces wil be bland). Set aside.
• Brown the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery in a 5-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
• When the trinity is browned, add the chicken thigh pieces and brown them, stirring the mixture often.
• When the chicken thighs pieces are browned, add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring often.
• Remove from heat. For best results, let stand for 15 minutes before serving to let the chicken pieces soak up as much more flavor as possible. If you can wait longer or are meal-planning, let it come down to room temperature, then transfer it to a covered dish and refrigerate it for two hours. This is the ultimate sweet spot, where all of the flavors have combined and the chicken has soaked up the optimal amount of seasonings.
• Serve as is, or with toppings such as cheese, sour cream and crushed gluten free tortilla chips.

Notes

If using canned navy beans, drain the can first. Then, add an additional ½ cup of gluten free chicken broth to the pot. 

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