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White Chicken Chili

A chili with white chicken, beans, corn, and spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,216 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

White Chicken Chili

eight individual soup bowls
Time20–30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the chicken broth

  1. In a large saucepan, combine 2 ½ cups water with lemon pepper and cumin seed. Bring to a boil.

  2. Add chicken breast halves and return to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20–30 minutes, or until chicken is fork‑tender and juices run clear.

  4. Remove chicken from pan and cut into tiny pieces.

  5. Defat the broth, return to saucepan, and place chicken back in the stock.

Build the chili

  1. Spray a medium skillet with vegetable oil cooking spray, add garlic, and cook and stir over low heat for one minute (careful not to burn garlic).

  2. Add garlic to the chicken, then sauté the onion in the same skillet until tender.

  3. Add the cooked onion, corn, chiles, ground cumin, and lime juice to the chicken mixture. Bring to a boil.

  4. Add beans and simmer until thoroughly heated, about 45 minutes.

Serve

  1. To serve, place about one tablespoon each of tortilla chips and cheese in eight individual soup bowls, ladle hot chili over, and serve with salsa.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

580Calories
47 gProtein
18 gFat
62 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Tortilla1 medium flour (45g)140
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Seednot in our table0
Beannot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cumin + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,216 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Lemon + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,289 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken breast halves
Provides the main protein, which becomes tender and shreddable when simmered gently.
White beans
Add body and creaminess to the chili while absorbing its flavors.
Onion
Adds sweetness and savory depth as it softens in the skillet.
Garlic
Adds aroma and pungency that mellow as it cooks.
Green chiles
Add mild heat and a fresh, vegetal flavor.
Lime juice
Adds acidity that brightens the rich, mild flavors of the chili.

The step that matters

Cook the garlic gently. Garlic turns bitter when it browns or burns, and it can spoil the whole pot. Cooking it over low heat for about one minute releases its aroma without scorching.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lemon, pepper, cumin, chicken, garlic, corn, lime):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Okrafits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lemon, pepper, cumin, chicken, garlic, corn, lime. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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