As I begin to write this post, I have to channel my thoughts in another direction, as my inspiration for this dish
As the week went on, I still had that chili in my head. Maybe the fact that it's been the coldest, snowiest winter in God knows how long, or that the mountain of snow piled outside my kitchen window is now about 5 feet high, or maybe because the weatherman is talking about another midweek winter storm...maybe that's why I'm thinking of chili? We were not hosting the Jets-Steelers game, but I decided that I would have to be prepared with a Green and White Jets Super Bowl chili, just in case they pulled off a win, which as we all know, they did not.
Mind you, I am not a football fan. I did not slip into a deep depression like some people did; I've moved on. So that idea of chili that was intended for the Super Bowl party will live on. Why? Because it is a great winter meal that you will enjoy, and a break from traditional red chilies.
I spent the better part of a day searching for fresh poblano chiles. I can find them easily in the summer, but this time of year it is hit or miss. Wholefoods is your best bet to find them around these parts. If you want to know a little more about chili peppers, this is an interesting site. This time, I also made this chili with one of my favorite ingredients....COSTCO roasted chicken. Yes, you heard it. If you are new to this blog, you will learn that I think COSTCO chickens are a time-saving, all around efficient convenience as I use them in countless recipes.
This recipe is an adaptation of a Cooks Illustrated, White Chicken Chili. No, they don't use COSTCO chicken, the chicken is cooked in the chili. I have made it several times and is quite delicious. It is just more time consuming and the flavor of chili does not suffer if you take my shortcut. They have you brown the chicken, cook it in the sauce, wait for it to cool enough to handle and on and on.. Quite frankly, I think my version is just as good and takes half the time. Try it for yourself, then you decide. This recipe is made with ease if you use your food processor. If you don't have one, you'll need to do a lot of fine mincing, and will eventually have to use a blender or an immersion blender.