White Bean Chili with Chicken and Tomatillos

Tomatillos are the heart of this chili. Look for them in late summer and early fall when they are plump inside their papery husks, sticky and bright green, with a citrusy tartness that no tomato can match. Charred under a broiler, they sweeten and mellow, becoming the base for a broth that tastes alive.

This is not the heavy, brick-red chili of Super Bowl parties. It is something lighter and more nuanced, the kind of thing you might discover at a farmers market stall where someone is ladling bowls from a pot that has been simmering all morning. The white beans turn creamy. The chicken falls apart. The lime at the end pulls everything into focus.

Every meal is a meaningful choice. If you can find pasture-raised chicken and make your own stock, you will taste the difference. If canned beans and store-bought broth are what you have, this chili will still nourish. Start where you are. The tomatillos are the thing that matters most here, and they ask almost nothing of you except a few minutes under the broiler and the patience to let them do their work.