White Chicken Chili Soup

Question: What do you get when you take all of these ingredients and cook them in a pot?Answer: One super yummy soup.
Leave it to my sis-in-law Natalie, once again, to provide me with a delicious soup recipe. Not lying - she won "best chili" with this recipe in a cook-off a few years ago. It almost exactly filled a 3 quart pot, so it makes a ton and she says it freezes extremely well. I'm taking it to our family Christmas *smile. As Natalie says in the article, "The secret to making a good chili is not being afraid to experiment." Well said.
- Ingredients -
4-5 cans great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
2 large onions, chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter plus 2 T
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups fat-free half-and-half (I substituted one of the cups with milk)
3 teaspoons Tabasco, or to taste
4 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
3 4-oz cans mild green chilies, drained and chopped
7 cups chicken, cooked and cut into 1/2" pieces (2-3 rotisserie chickens)

Garnish with Colby Jack shredded cheese and sour cream

- Preparations -
In a skillet, cook onions in 2 T butter over moderate heat until softened.

In a large pot, melt 2 sticks butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Add beans, chilies and chicken and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring 20 minutes. Makes a ton of soup! Garnish with cheese and sour cream.