The Problem
We found a lot of bad recipes for white chili-most bearing a closer resemblance to chicken and bean soup than actual chili.
The Goal
We wanted to create something worthy of the name "chili"-a rich, stew-like chili with moist, tender chicken, perfectly cooked beans, and a complex flavor profile.
The Solution
We found not one but three solutions. To fix bland, watery sauce we pureed some of our sautéed chile-onion mixture and beans with the broth to thicken the base-this approach had the added benefit of ensuring that chile flavor was present in every drop. To avoid floating bits of rubbery chicken, we browned, poached, and shredded bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, which gave our chicken pieces a hearty texture and full flavor. And to solve the problem of insufficient chile flavor, we used a trio of fresh chiles: jalapeño, poblano, and Anaheim.