I admit I never liked black-eyed peas until I bought the Low Oxalate Cookbook 2 and discovered they were the only low oxalate "bean." Now I substitute them for black beans and cannellini beans in many recipes, like this white chicken chili, and actually like them better!
As the weather cools down outside, I’ve pulled out my soup pot and am ready for another season of yummy soups. Low oxalate white chicken chili is a simple, satisfying soup with a mild and comforting flavor. Perfect for cool fall evenings. I usually make it with 2 cups water, 1 cup black-eyed peas and 1 cup sweet corn for kid appeal (see variations below). Lately, my boys have been getting picky about “yucky things” in their soup (like onions), so I’ve also started to puree my basic soup veges before simmering my soups (see tips for picky eaters). I prefer it chunky, but if the boys will eat it pureed, I’m willing to compromise.
Low Oxalate White Chicken Chili
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about one cup)
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can chopped green chiles (4 ounces) (or use 2-3 fresh)
2 – 4 cups LO chicken broth (I use homemade or Swansons 100% Natural)
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano (use only 1/2 teaspoon if ground)
juice of a half lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1-2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 ounces shredded cheese for garnish (optional)
Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or other large soup pot. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken starts to brown. Add the onions, garlic and green chiles and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the chicken is lightly browned. Add the chicken broth, cayenne pepper, oregano, lime juice and peas (with cooking juices if you like). Simmer the soup over medium low heat until it reduces about 1/5 to 1/4 (about 45 minutes to an hour should work). Pour into bowls and top with cilantro and cheese if desired.
Low Oxalate White Chicken Chili
Makes 8 main dish servings (or 12 – 16 smaller side-dish servings).
Oxalate Note: Be sure to check the ingredients if you use commercial chicken broth. Some only contain chicken and salt and have no oxalate (Swanson’s 100% Natural Chicken Broth is oxalate free) . Many others contain higher oxalate ingredients like tumeric which may increase the oxalate content to an unacceptable level for you. I love Pacific brand organic chicken broth but even at 4.8 mg. oxalate per cup, I believe this adds too much oxalate to the recipe for my needs. If you make the recipe with 1.5 cups beans, 4 cups Swanson’s 100% natural chicken broth, and all optional ingredients, then each large serving has about 7 mg. oxalate, while each side-dish serving has about 3.5 mg. oxalate (based on 8 large servings per recipe or 16 small servings). The oxalate values for all ingredients are as follows: chicken (trace), olive oil (0.9 mg. per tablespoon), onion (3.3 per half cup), garlic (0.3 per clove) green chiles (4.4 mg. per 2 tablespoons), Swanson’s chicken broth (none), cayenne pepper (1.3 mg. per fourth teaspoon), oregano (7.3 mg. per teaspoon for ground oregano), lime juice (about 0.3 mg. per tablespoon), black-eyed peas (3 mg. per half cup), fresh cilantro (1.4 per fourth cup), cheese (most cheeses are about 2.0 mg. per half cup).
Variations:
1.) Add a can of corn for kid appeal–this is the only way I got my kids to try this.
2.) If you want more heat, increase the cayenne pepper to 1/2 – 1 teaspoon.
3.) The easiest way to significantly decrease the oxalate content of this soup is to leave out the green chiles and increase the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon (makes it about 5 mg. per large serving). However, the soup loses the subtle, authentic flavor of the chiles. After all, what is chili without chiles?
Picky Eater Pleaser: If your kids don’t like “yucky” vegetables in their soup, you might try pureeing the onions, garlic and chile (and cilantro if desired). I put the vegetables in a small saucepan with a little chicken broth and boil them until they are soft. Then I puree them with my magic soup wand (ahem . . . stick blender. . . or you can use a blender or food processor) and add them to the soup after the chicken is browned.
Other diets: Low Oxalate White Chicken Chile may be appropriate for gluten-free , dairy-free (leave out the cheese garnish), and controlled carb diets. You could also easily modify this recipe for GAPs by using fresh chilies instead of canned (wear gloves!) and using an allowed cheese for the garnish.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below! What are your favorite black-eyed peas dishes?
Photo credit for Black Eye Peas goes to d06021stric.
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