Name: White Chicken Chili for Two
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 1 (15-ounce) can white or yellow hominy, rinsed; 2 cups chicken broth; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped; 1 small onion, chopped fine; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed; Salt and pepper; ½ cup jarred tomatillo salsa (salsa verde); 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

To achieve the right consistency for our chili, we used two thickeners: flour and pureed hominy. Cooking the flour briefly with the aromatics and spices—poblano chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander—created a mixture that not only thickened the chili but also built deep flavor. Pureeing a portion of the hominy with some chicken broth gave our chili a luxuriously thick texture. And stirring in ½ cup of store-bought tomatillo salsa—also known as salsa verde—was a quick and easy way to brighten up our chili's flavor at the end of cooking. Both white hominy and yellow hominy will work in this chili; however, we prefer the deeper flavor of white hominy here.

Before You Begin

To make this dish spicier, add the chile seeds. Be careful not to overcook the chicken in step 4 or it will taste dry. Serve with your favorite chili garnishes.

Instructions

Process 1 cup hominy and ½ cup broth in blender until smooth, about 10 seconds.

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add poblanos, onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened and spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk in remaining 1½ cups broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in pureed hominy mixture and remaining hominy.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to chili mixture, and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

Return chili to simmer, stir in shredded chicken and tomatillo salsa, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.