Creamy White Chicken Chili

1. Soak the Beans

Cover your beans in a large bowl with water and add about 60 grams of kosher salt. Stir well, cover the bowl, and let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

2. Broil the Vegetables

Adjust your oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat your broiler. Place the poblano chilies, Anaheim chilies, jalapeño chilies, onion halves, and garlic cloves on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Broil the vegetables for about 15-20 minutes, turning them occasionally until they are blistered and charred.

3. Steam and Peel the Vegetables

Once done, gather the vegetables in a foil pouch and let them steam for about 5 minutes to make peeling easier.

4. Prepare Chili Purée

Place the chicken stock in a large bowl. Peel the charred skin from the chilies and discard the seeds. Transfer the peeled chili flesh to a blender along with the broiled onion, garlic, and the pickled jalapeño. Blend until smooth to create your chili purée.

5. Cook the Chili Purée

In a Dutch oven, heat the remaining two tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ground cumin and ground coriander seed, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in your chili purée and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

6. Combine Ingredients and Simmer

Strain the chicken stock into the pot with the chili purée, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Add the soaked and drained beans and the chicken breasts to the pot, then add enough water to cover everything by about an inch. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, which should take about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly before shredding.

7. Simmer Beans and Thicken Chili

Continue simmering the beans until they are tender, which will take about an hour. Remove about 1.5 cups of beans and their liquid, and blend them until smooth. Stir the blended beans back into the pot to thicken the chili.

8. Add Chicken and Cheese

Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with half of the shredded pepper Jack cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

9. Finish and Serve

Mix in the pickling liquid from the canned jalapeño, fresh lime juice, and half of the chopped cilantro. Season with kosher salt to taste. Serve the chili hot, garnished with the remaining shredded cheese, lime wedges, remaining cilantro, and scallions.