White Lightning Texas Chili

Nathan really likes chicken.  And this is good soup/chili type weather.  This recipe is from the Southern Living Christmas cookbook my mother-in-law sent me for my birthday.  I left out the jalapeno so that everybody would eat it (myself included).  And I knew it would make a lot so I could freeze half for later.  This is always a gamble, because if we don't like it, we still have to eat it later.  But it's usually fine.

White Lightning Texas Chili
1 lb dried navy beans
4 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth, divided (I used 8 cups stock)
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves
5 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies, undrained
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (omitted)
shredded cheese (we used shredded Mexican)
salsa, sour cream, and sliced green onions for garnish

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven.  Cover with water 2 inches above beans.  Let soak 8 hours (I forgot to do this the night before.  You can also cover them with water, bring it to a boil, let boil for 2 minutes, then simmer for 2-4 hours [I did 3], then drain and proceed with recipe...this is according to my Taste of Home cookbook).  Drain beans and return to pan.  Add 3 cans (or 6 cups) of chicken broth, onion, garlic, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Cover; reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until beans are tender.  Add remaining can (or 2 cups) of chicken broth, chicken, chilies, water, salt, and jalapeno pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Cover; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve with cheese, salsa, sour cream, and green onions.  Yield: 11 cups.

We had this with tortilla chips, too.  It was pretty good for scooping.  Nathan liked the beans, because they were the same size and texture as in his favorite "brown beans," which are Bush's canned beans.  He doesn't really like kidney beans or black beans.  All told, this took 6 or 7 hours, which was fine because I made it on purpose on a day that I knew we would be home all day.  You could probably adapt it for the crockpot, too, but I'm no food scientist so I don't really know exactly how.  Probably Jill does  =o) So this was a good recipe.  Enough left in the freezer for another meal, which we will all enjoy eating.