We’re still pretending it’s winter in New Orleans, and with temperatures dipping into the 50’s, I decided to play along this weekend.

What’s more nurturing than a bowl of dressed chili accompanied by skillet cornbread?

Let’s start with the chili. This version is significantly lower in sodium and processed carbs than most, for a couple of important reasons: I cooked my own Great Northern beans from scratch (I promise it’s not nearly as daunting or time consuming as you might think), I swapped in low sodium vegetable broth for chicken stock, and instead of a flour roux, I blended some of the beans to thicken the chili.

I did cook this in my Instant Pot, but you could definitely make this in a Dutch oven with relative ease.

As always, my food photography is terribad, primarily because the lighting in my kitchen is awful at night – and because I’m impatient when I’m hangry.

White Chicken Chili

(serves 4-5)

• 2 cups low or no sodium vegetable stock
• 4 cups cooked Great Northern beans (if you’re using canned beans, this is about two cans, and you should rinse them, and then rinse them again, ad infinitum)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (to taste, basically)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 can hatch green chiles (we were lucky, and had some hatch chiles we froze in August)
• 1 habanero chile, minced
• Scant pepper and salt
• 2 no sodium added chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Toppings: sliced radishes, sliced avocado, cilantro (I was out, lamentably), and non-fat Greek yogurt

I poached the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot in 1 cup of vegetable stock for 10 minutes on high pressure. While the chicken is cooking, blend 2 cups of beans with 1/2 cup of stock until relatively smooth.

Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot. Once cooled, shred and set aside. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and the chiles to the stock and select “Saute” mode. Add the cumin and remaining stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pot, adding the bean/stock mixture. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, and release the pressure manually. You may choose to return the dish to “Saute” mode to reduce some of the liquid. It’s really your call!

Add the lime juice, and season as desired. Ladle into bowls, and add any toppings you like. And if you’re a cornbread fan, well, take a gander at this.

Note: once again, this is easily replicated in a Dutch oven. You’d poach the chicken in a covered pan, remove the meat with tongs, and add the vegetables and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, adding the chicken and bean/stock mixture. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, and then add the lime juice and salt and pepper. Et voila!