This hearty and healthy soup is SO worth the work. While it does take some time, very little of that time is hands on. You can speed things up by using a whole rotisserie style chicken and a quart or more of commercial chicken stock, then skip to Step 5. Update: Prepare this chili in an electric pressure cooker by stewing the chicken for 20-25 minutes on high pressure rather than cooking it stove top. Use just enough water to cover the chicken but do not exceed the pot’s maximum capacity. Continue in the pressure cooker as the stove top recipe directs.

3 pounds split chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken
2 large Vidalia onions
1 cup celery chunks with leaves
2 medium jalapeño peppers
3 cloves garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup dried parsley
20 black peppercorns
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 large poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 10 oz can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 15 1/2 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
3 15 1/2 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 1/2 ounce can cannellini beans, mashed

1. Pour 8 cups of water along with the chicken into a large Dutch oven set over medium high heat.
2. Cut the ends off the onions, halve, and remove the skins. Add the trimmings to the pot. Dice the onions and set aside. Roughly chop the celery and add. Trim the stem end off the jalapeno and add, along with the seeds and membrane, to the pot. Mince the pepper and set aside. Smash the garlic cloves in their skins and add to the pot.
3. Continue adding the wine, rosemary, thyme, parsley, peppercorns and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer one hour for fresh chicken or one and a half for frozen chicken.
4. Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and allow to cool slightly. Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside. Strain the broth into another container and discard the solids.
5. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat and add one tablespoon of canola oil. Saute the reserved onion and pepper along with the carrots and poblanos until softened. Season with the salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Stir in the minced garlic, cook and stir just until the garlic is fragrant.
6. Return about 4 cups of the strained broth to the pot along with the shredded chicken and remaining canned ingredients. If desired, add more of the broth to reach your preferred consistency, saving the rest of the broth for future use. Simmer another hour or so to blend all the flavors.

Servings: 16