Credit: extracted from Real Healthy by Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, £26). Photography by Lizzie Mayson
Melissa Hemsley is a former private chef turned food columnist, best-selling cookbook author, real food activist and sustainability champion.
Melissa says: “A tomato-less chilli, hence the name ‘white chilli’. I use yellow peppers here to keep the chilli ‘white’ but use whatever colour you can find. I like to serve the toppings separately and let everyone help themselves. In terms of the beans, use whatever white beans you like, such as cannellini or butter beans. I find sweetcorn is always worth keeping in the freezer, but if you’ve got tinned sweetcorn, then drain, rinse and add it right at the end.”
Serves 4
Takes 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra if needed
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 yellow peppers, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or chilli flakes, to taste
- 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 x 400g tins of white beans, drained and rinsed
- 200g frozen sweetcorn
- Juice of 1 lime, plus a little zest if you like
- Sea salt and black pepper
Optional toppings
- Soured cream or yoghurt
- Fresh coriander and/or spring onions, sliced
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced radishes or cucumber
- Lime wedges
- Jarred jalapeño slices or chilli flakes
Method
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and, once warm, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook for 10-12 minutes over a medium-high heat until very well browned, then turn and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
- Lift out of the pot and set aside on a large plate. The chicken should have given out plenty of fat but if not, add a splash of olive oil to the pot and, once warm, add the onions, peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper.
-
Fry for about 12 minutes over a medium heat until very soft, stirring every so often. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then add the cumin, oregano and cayenne or chilli flakes and fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
-
Return the chicken thighs to the pot and pour in the stock. Simmer for 25 minutes, then add the beans and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
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Remove the chicken thighs once cooked through and take the meat off the bones and shred. Set aside, discarding the chicken skin if you wish. Use a potato masher or the back of your wooden spoon to crush roughly a third of the beans (this will help thicken the chilli).
-
Add the frozen sweetcorn, then cook for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove from the heat, add the chicken, lime juice, plus a little zest if you like, and taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and finish with the toppings you like.
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