Chili without the suntan!

   I know, it's still summer and I'm making chili, which is usually a fall or winter dish, but trust me, I know what I'm doing. There is nothing wrong with a bowl of delicious light chili made out of chicken, cannellini beans and some heat. For me "White chili" is a late summer version of the more known, regular beef/kidney beans dish, which can be rich and heavy (perfect for winter evenings). The longer I'm married to Justin the more spicy food I can handle, so I decided to spice this dish up with some Sriracha (super hot Thai sauce). Couple of years ago I couldn't even smell it without crying and look at me now... a full tablespoon of it in my chili! Here is the recipe that makes 4 dinner entree servings or 6 lunch servings.

Chili:
*  2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
*  2 15oz cans oz cannellini beans
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  1 small can green chilies, chopped
*  2 cloves garlic, chopped
*  1 tbsp ground cumin
*  1/2 tsp dried oregano
*  1/2 tsp black pepper
*  1/2 tsp paprika
*  1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
*  salt (to taste)
*  olive oil

Garnish:
*  fat-free sour cream
*  fresh cilantro

Direction:
1. In a deep pot, heat the olive oil and saute onions for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add cubed chicken and cook everything for 5-6 minutes.
3. Add canned chilies, beans (with the juices), and all the spices. Cook everything together for about 20 minutes. You can add some water if you like your chili more soup-like.
4. Serve with a spoon of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

   Wow, it does have some kick to it... I might have spoken too soon about how much Sriracha I can handle. That's why you need a sour cream, which cools down the fire in your mouth a little bit and makes this dish super delicious. Chunks of chicken, creamy beans, cold sour cream and fresh cilantro is just the perfect combination!

Enjoy,
Magda.