Chicken & White Bean Chili and Herb Focaccia

This post will be a departure from the previous ones because I will be doing a lovely soup and focaccia bread.  Here in Seattle, we have gotten about 4-5 inches of snow and we are expecting more overnight.  In our house, the Fall and Winter seasons are about soup and since we are "snowed in" (by Seattle standards) I thought a spicy Mexican chili with chicken, tomatillo's, garlic and cumin would warm up anyone.  Then, I love this no-fail focaccia bread.  It is perfect for soup, sandwiches or a lovely one-eyed-sailor breakfast.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

7 medium-large chicken thighs (baked)
32 ounces of chicken stock
3  18 ounce cans of tomatillos (diced or whole)
2  12 ounce cans of stewed tomatoes
10 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced green chiles
1 jalapeno diced, seeds and membrane removed(more or less depending on preference)
1 large onion
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 can of white or cannalini beans

Bake chicken thighs for 45 minutes, set aside to cool about 30 minutes.
Heat large soup pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Dice onion, tomatillos, green chiles and jalapeno, add to soup pot, stir to combine and add salt. As this cooks stir it occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add cumin, chili powder and chicken stock, stir.
Add cooked chicken meat, stewed tomatoes and garlic cloves (whole).  Cook for 1 hour on low, stirring occasionally, making sure nothing sticks to bottom of pot.
Add beans, stir.  Cook another hour on low.  Enjoy with this incredible focaccia....

Herbed Focaccia

1 packet dry active yeast
1  3/4 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon raw or brown sugar, honey or regular sugar
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup olive oil (separated)
garlic powder, ground cumin or any other herbs and a pinch of salt (all optional)

Add sugar or honey to a large mixing bowl (stand mixer with dough hook recommended), add yeast and warm water place this bowl somewhere warm and wait about 15 minutes until yeast is bubbly and aromatic.
Add flour slowly, one cup at a time alternating with 1/2 of the olive oil until dough is smooth and no longer clings to the side of the bowl.
The other 1/2 of the olive oil will be used on the bottom of a jelly roll or sheet pan.  This is a lot of olive oil but this bread is an olive oil bread and it helps to flavor it and brown this bread gorgeously.  Oil sheet pan now. Remove dough from bowl, coat mixing bowl with a thin coat of olive oil and return dough to bowl making sure to oil all sides of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and remove from bowl and place onto oiled sheet pan.  Stretch dough to fit size of pan, then poke holes into the dough with your fingers all over and drizzle with olive oil.  Cover and let rise for another hour.  Sprinkle with herbs.
Preheat oven to 400'.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Love!