White Chicken Chili is comfort in a bowl! This flavor packed chili has a beautiful bright color and is packed with chicken, beans, corn and green chilies.
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White Chicken Chili Recipe
When it comes to cozy and hearty meals, white chicken chili is in my top ten! This creamy chili is packed with flavor and is so easy to make. If you have never tried this chili you are in for a real treat.
What is White Chicken Chili?
White chicken chili is a twist on the classic chili. This twist is bright, colorful and healthy! It is packed with chicken, beans, corn, and green chilies. The chili comes together in one pot and uses rotisserie chicken which cuts down on prep and cook time.
Traditionally toppings for this chili include avocado, sour cream, shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced jalapenos, cilantro and tortilla strips or chip! This recipe is freezer friendly and perfect for meal prep lunches.
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili
- Olive Garden Breadsticks Copycat
- Jalapeno Popper Pull Apart Garlic Bread
- Pear Fennel Arugula Salad
- Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread
What is in White Chicken Chili?
- Chicken - this recipe is made quick and easy by using store bought rotisserie chicken. It is budget friendly, packed with flavor and cuts down the cooking time of this recipe. You can also make your own chicken at home and shred it for the recipe.
- White Beans - this signature white chicken chili only features white beans to keep the color light and bright. A portion of the beans are puréed with some of the broth to thicken the chili.
- Corn - I absolutely love corn. For this recipe you can use fresh, frozen or canned corn. I always have a bag or two of corn in the freezer. It adds a beautiful color and sweetness to the chili.
- Chicken Broth - the base of the chili broth.
- Onion - sautéed into the chili.
- Garlic - sautéed into the chili.
- Green Chilies - these flavor packed chilies add a great flavor and color to the chili. You can buy them in cans of either hot or mild variety.
- Cilantro - adds a great flavor and color to the chili. If you do not like cilantro you can use parsley instead.
- Spices
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Chili Powder
- Chipotle Chili Powder (Optional)
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt, Pepper
How to Make White Chicken Chili
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page
1 In a large soup pot or Dutch oven on medium heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add in the minced onion and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
2 Add in the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
3 Add in the cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and chipotle chili powder (optional). Stir until combined.
4 Add in the shredded cooked chicken, green chilies, corn, chicken broth and cilantro (or parsley). Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
5 Drain and rinse the canned white beans. Transfer 2 cups of the beans to a food process or bowl to blend with an immersion blender. Add ½ cup of the broth from the chili. Blend until smooth. This will thicken the chili. Alternatively, you can mash the beans and broth together.
6 Add the puréed bean mixture to the chili pot and stir to combine.
7 Add in the remaining beans and stir to combine.
8 Simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until the chili has thickened and the flavors have developed.
9 Serve garnished with avocado, sour cream, sliced jalapenos, shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best White Chicken Chili
- Chicken - for this recipe I prefer to use store bought rotisserie chicken. It is budget friendly, packed with flavor and cuts down the cooking time of this recipe by half as you do not need to cook your own chicken. Just shred the store bought rotisserie chicken and add it to the chili. If you prefer you can make your own chicken by either pan frying, boiling or roasting the chicken and then shredding it.
- Beans - all of the ingredients of white chick chili are beautiful or light colored as opposed to regular chili which has a rich red tomato based sauce, red beans, red peppers and more. For this white chicken chili the recipe calls for only white beans. You can however use whichever beans you have on hand in your pantry or which beans are your favorite but it will result in a more colorful chili.
- Thickening - for a nice thick white chili some of the beans are pureed. You can do this by either using a blender, food processor or immersion blender. If you do not have one of these appliances you can also mash the beans with a fork or potato masher.
FAQs White Chicken Chili
To reheat, transfer leftovers to a small sauce pot on medium heat stove top and heat until warmed through. Or transfer to a microwave safe container and microwave for about 2 minutes, or until warmed through.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days (be sure to check the best before date of each ingredient used). You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes! This recipe is great for make ahead dinners or meal prepped lunches. Follow the recipe as usual then cool the chili slightly at room temperature. Transfer to air tight containers and store in the fridge or freeze in freezer safe containers.
Yes, this recipe is freezer friendly. All of the ingredients in this recipe are freezer friendly and because this is a dairy free recipe you don't have to worry about any dairy splitting while freezing. You can freeze in freezer safe containers portioned out for individual servings or in freezer bags. Pro-tip: when freezing in freezer bags lay the bags flat in the freezer so they are easier to store in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight and heat in a saucepan (or the microwave) before serving.
Yes! This is a lighter version of white chicken chili. It is dairy free and is thickened with white beans. For an even healthier recipe, use only the white meat from the rotisserie chickens instead of a combination of white and dark.
Yes this is dairy free, if you do not top with sour cream or cheese.
This recipe is gluten free.
Looking for More Soup Recipes
- Mom's Best Chili Recipe
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Turkey Meatball Orzo Soup
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Enjoy!
- Sab
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or cooking oil of choice)
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken (shredded, or home cooked chicken see notes below)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cans diced green chiles (hot or mild to your preference)
- ¼ cup cilantro (or parsley, chopped)
- 3 cans white beans (15 ounce cans, or white kidney beans, cannellini, or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained)
Garnishes (Optional)
- Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeno
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven on medium heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add in the minced onion and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in the cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and chipotle chili powder (optional). Stir until combined.
- Add in the shredded cooked chicken, green chilies, corn, chicken broth and cilantro (or parsley). Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the canned white beans. Transfer 2 cups of the beans to a food process or bowl to blend with an immersion blender. Add ½ cup of the broth from the chili. Blend until smooth. This will thicken the chili. Alternatively, you can mash the beans and broth together.
- Add the puréed bean mixture to the chili pot and stir to combine.
- Add in the remaining beans and stir to combine.
- Simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until the chili has thickened and the flavors have developed.
- Serve garnished with avocado, sour cream, sliced jalapenos, shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Leander Fernandes says
Fabulous recipe