Unlocked: The Medgaus Family’s Secret White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

This past weekend my closest friend/honorary sister, Maria Medgaus, invited me over for dinner as I drove her home from the delicious brunch we had just enjoyed at Milque Toast Bar on South Jefferson Ave, STL. She told me she was thinking about making spaghetti or chicken parmesan, but both of these ideas seemed too easy and basic to us. Maria and I used to work in the Italian food industry, first at Imo’s in Webster Groves, and then at Farotto’s in Rock Hill. Making Italian food just seemed too typical, so I suggested we make something in my crock pot. This spared Maria’s intuition, and she immediately knew what she wanted to make: her mom’s secret white bean chicken chili. My friend group and I get together a couple of times a month to make a nice dinner together paired with wine and a movie. This human connection paired with the tranquility of immersing yourself in your cooking makes cooking with friends a fantastic mindfulness activity. As you come together and divide your tasks, revel in the feeling of a community project. Notice how one or two people take the lead, and how you all come together to solve problems and efficiently cook a beautiful meal. Let your mind be free of thought, besides the task at hand. Allow yourself to forget everything but your team, and the meal being pieced together. When the food is prepared, gather as a group and sit around a table with the food in the center. Take time to all get a full plate, and recognize the accomplishment you achieved. Relish in the flavors, and the flowing conversations. Below I will give step by step instructions and the recipe for making the Medgaus Family’s delicious chili. Feel free to recreate this recipe with friends, and P.S. it’s better with corn bread!

White Bean Chicken Chili (Lisa Medgaus)

30 minute White Bean Chicken Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound one inch diced chicken
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 bottle Frontera tomatillo salsa (green, must not substitute) 1 (16 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, not drained
2 (7 ounce) cans diced green chiles, not drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (15 ounce) cans white (“Great Northern”) beans, 1 bag of frozen corn
1 cup sour cream

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 lime, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in large stock pot, and cook chicken until white and cooked thru, about 6 minutes. Remove to bowl. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir briefly.