Is this even possible?  Can Paula Deen really create a healthy recipe?  One that’s not laden with butter and sugar??

I stumbled on this Food Network Recipe when I was looking for a hearty chili that used chicken instead of red meat.  I’ve made it again and again with a few changes that make it even simpler, if that’s possible.

One of the things I like about this recipe is the use of dried beans instead of canned.  Here’s a little article with the many reasons that dried beans are BETTER!

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (about 2 cans)
• diced meat from one whole rotisserie chicken
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Put the beans in large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.  I make my own chicken stock by taking the meat off the bones and throwing the bones into a big pot of boiling water for about an hour.  I strain the broth and it makes way more than 5 cups.  I freeze the extra for future use.  I buy my rotisserie chickens at Costco…they are bigger than the grocery store variety (like everything else) and the flavor is great.

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours.

I like to serve this meal with sour cream, shredded cheese and a little cilantro.  We also love it with tortilla chips, but they’re not pictured.