Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Red chili gets all the attention, but the white kind is quieter and sneakily better on a cold night. Cumin and coriander, mild green chiles, soft white beans and a creamy broth. And the slow cooker does nearly all of it.

The masa harina trick

Most slow cooker chilis come out thin, because nothing ever boils off. The fix here is masa harina, the corn flour used for tortillas. A couple of tablespoons thickens the pot and adds a faint toasted-corn flavor that tastes like it belongs.

The catch: it lumps if you dump it straight in. Whisk it into the cold cream until it's completely smooth, then stir that in. No lumps, no floury pockets.

Tip

Put the toppings on the table and let everyone finish their own bowl. Lime is the one not to skip. It wakes the whole thing up.

Shred, then finish

The chicken cooks whole all day, which keeps it from drying out. Pull it once it's tender, shred it, and let it go back in for the last half hour with the corn. That's also when the chili thickens, so don't serve it early.

If you want another creamy chicken pot on the stove instead, the Buffalo Chicken Soup is a good one. The Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chili are the red-chili side of this thread. And the Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil uses the same set-it-and-leave-it approach.

Heads up

Low-sodium broth matters here. Canned beans and chiles already bring salt, so taste before adding more at the end.