White Bean Chili

            White Bean Chili

1 pound dried Navy beans

2 medium onions, chopped

1 T olive oil

3 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, undrained

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried oregano

6 cups chicken broth

5 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

3 cups (12 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Sort and rinse beans, place in a large Dutch oven.  Cover with water 2 inches above beans, let soak overnight.  Drain; set beans aside.

Saute onion in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until tender.  Add green chiles and next 3 ingredients; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add beans and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken, 1 cup cheese, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in cilantro, if desired.

To serve, ladle chili into individual soup bowls.  Top each serving with remaining 2 cups cheese.  Yield:  13 cups

Note:  Sarah King modifications:

    Substitute 1 tsp. onion powder for chopped onions

    Substitute 1 tsp. garlic powder for minced garlic

    Reduce cans of chopped green chiles to 2 cans-she uses Old El Paso brand

    Omits salt because of salt in the chicken bouillon used for chicken broth