nightshade-free white chicken chili built on bone broth, coconut cream, and permitted aromatics

You want something warm and a little spicy tonight, the kind of dinner that used to mean a can of green chiles. Those are out for now, so this pot leans on chicken, bone broth, and coconut cream instead, simmered slowly until it turns genuinely creamy. It still asks something of you, standing at the stove long enough to let the chicken go tender and shreddable, and most nights, getting that far is real progress, one more push through a stretch of AIP that asks for exactly this kind of showing up.

This kind of low, slow broth is where the real payoff sits: hours of simmering pull glycine from the bones, and glycine is part of what a hardworking gut barrier reaches for when it's trying to hold itself together. There's real protein and minerals in the chicken thighs too, doing their part in the same pot, and the lime and cilantro at the finish work double duty: vitamin C brightens the bowl and helps your body make better use of the iron already there.

Shred the chicken right in the pot, stir in the coconut cream until it turns pale and silky, and top your bowl with avocado and a scatter of green onion. Take the first few bites slowly, while it's still steaming, before anything else pulls your attention away.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups celery, diced
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2.5 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• zest of one lime
• juice of one lime
• 3 cups sodium-free chicken bone broth (check that the ingredients are AIP compliant)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups full-fat, additive-free coconut cream
• avocado, for garnish
• green or red onions, for garnish

This recipe is already nightshade-free as written. There are no green chiles, peppers, paprika, cayenne, or chili powder anywhere in it, so its 'white chili' character rests entirely on broth, coconut cream, and the permitted aromatics. The onion powder and garlic powder are ground vegetables rather than seed-spices, so they stay. No swaps were needed.

Method

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and sliced garlic and cook gently, stirring now and then, until the vegetables soften and smell sweet.

Nestle the chicken thighs into the pot and sprinkle in the sea salt, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground ginger. Add the lime zest and lime juice, then pour in the bone broth. Bring it to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and let it cook until the chicken is fully cooked through and tender enough to shred easily.

Lift the chicken out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the coconut cream and let everything warm through over low heat until the chili is creamy and hot. Taste and adjust the salt and lime. Serve warm, topped with sliced avocado, extra cilantro, and green or red onion.

Instant Pot variation

The Instant Pot makes this an easy one-pot meal. Set it to Saute and soften the onion, celery, and garlic in the oil. Add the chicken thighs, salt, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and bone broth. Seal and pressure-cook on high until the chicken is cooked through and tender, then release the pressure. Shred the chicken right in the pot, switch back to Saute, and stir in the cilantro and coconut cream until creamy and hot. The exact pressure time is untested for this dish and should be flagged and confirmed.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*