This chili recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts and white beans. It gets its mildly spicy flavor from green chili peppers. This is a quick, easy and very tasty recipe as is, but it adapts well to the addition of just about anything else you might like to add. You can easily adjust this recipe to achieve your favorite level of spiciness. For a milder flavor, reduce the amount of green chili peppers; for a little extra heat, add the optional red-pepper flakes. 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 onion, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 can (4 ounces) green chili peppers, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)

1 cups nonfat chicken broth

2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini, navy, Great Northern or other beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 -1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 ounces part-skim Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

  Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and saut for 5 minutes, or until the pieces are browned. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onions to the pot and saut for several minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic; cook for several minutes more. Add the chili peppers, cumin, oregano, red-pepper flakes (if using) and broth. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

  Add the chicken, beans and cilantro; stir gently to mix well. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Taste to adjust the seasonings, adding more red-pepper flakes, if desired. Sprinkle the Monterey Jack over each serving.  Preparation time: 10 minutes.  Cooking time: 45 minutes.