August can be strange because it’s still beach weather but with the school supply commercials and preseason football on the television and cooler-weather clothes in the stores, it can tease your mind into thinking it’s already fall outside.  Just the sound of the whistles blowing during a football game sends me to the kitchen with the urge to make chili.  But since it’s still hot outside, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time standing over the stove.  This Black and White Chicken Chili couldn’t have been any easier or any faster to make.

Navy beans, black beans and salsa verde are warmed together before adding in chicken (I used precooked rotisserie chicken which saved TONS of time!).  That’s it!  Obviously you can add in any vegetables or spices you want (just taste it first).  Once it’s all warmed through, I topped the bowl with feta cheese, lime juice and scallions.  Talk about simple.  The whole time I thought there weren’t enough ingredients for this to be a flavorful chili but it really was.  I did add a teaspoon of cumin and some black pepper which added a little spice but I completely underestimated the flavor of the green salsa in this.  It is spicy, salty and everything you want in an everyday chili.  Since I used precooked chicken, this whole dish took about ten minutes to make.  If you want a quick chili that can be made in a flash, try this.

The ingredients:

Drain and rinse the beans. In large saucepan, mix beans with salsa, chicken and 1/2 cup water (or if using precooked chicken, omit the chicken in this step).

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken; shred and stir into chili (or add precooked chicken, if using).

Serve chili with toppings and lime wedges.

Additions:

• Cumin
• Black pepper

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

• Reduced-fat feta cheese
• Scallions

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine