A hearty recipe for White Chicken Chili! This recipe is great for using up leftover chicken (or you can follow my quick & easy steps for shredding your own chicken breast) and is a filling comfort food with a creamy base!
After a 75 degree day Wednesday (not at all a typical February day for southern PA) , I thought I might have missed my opportunity for sharing hearty, warming soups and chilis like this white chicken chili with you!
I thought (/had kind of hoped — I much prefer warm weather…) the groundhog had gotten it wrong and spring was here, but we’re back down in the 30s today, and so chili weather is officially still on. See also my classic best chili recipe and turkey chili.
I have a nice, quick and easy recipe for you today, so let’s dig right in.
Tips:
- I always prefer my soups and hearty chilis to have a creamier base. For this recipe you’ll puree together part of your white beans with a bit of chicken broth and then stir it back into the mix. This technique is similar to the pureeing that I do in both my corn chowder and my potato soup, but rather than pureeing a large portion of the finished soup we’ll just be pureeing two of our base ingredients.
- This recipe is great for using up leftover chicken or you can pick over a rotisserie chicken or you can use my super simple Crock Pot shredded chicken (👈🏻recommended 👌🏼).
- I do not used a reduced sodium broth for this recipe. If you choose to do so, I recommend taste testing as you go to make sure your white chicken chili has enough flavor.
- This chili tastes great on its own, but I like it even better when topped with crushed corn chips, shredded cheese, jalapeno slices, cilantro, and a heaping dollop of sour cream. Add-ons are everything!
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili:
Alright, that’s it for today, just a super easy, super comforting chili that is perfect for this rainy weekend.
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like:
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs shredded chicken (you can use rotisserie chicken or shred your own chicken breast in the crock pot)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 2 Jalapeno peppers seeds removed and finely chopped (about 3 Tablespoons)
- 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 heaping cup)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 15 oz cans Cannelini beans rinsed and drained
- 1 7 oz can diced green chilis (I use mild)
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup sour cream
- additional sour cream, corn chips, Monterrey Jack cheese, chopped cilantro, and/or jalapeno slices for topping, optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place half a can of cannelini beans (about ¾ cup) and ½ cup of chicken broth in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine olive oil and butter in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add chopped onion and jalapeno and cook until softened (about 3-5 minutes)
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add pureed been mixture to pot and also add shredded chicken, remaining chicken broth, remaining beans, diced green chilis, lime juice, cumin, onion powder, ancho chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Stir in sour cream.
- Simmer 15 minutes before serving, topped with additional sour cream, jalapeno slices, monterrey jack cheese, chopped cilantro, and crushed corn chips.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Jack
Made this for the first time this evening. The recipe was easy and it was delicious! I did add more broth but it was amazing! A new favorite and will be making it again!’
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jack! 🙂
Lori
This is a very easy, quick & satisfying dish! We are eating healthier these days & I made as recipe was written, but did add a little more of the spices, for our taste. Also has some spinach that needed to be used up, so chopped that fine and added it at the end to cook down.. Can’t taste it but it added some color to the otherwise white/light dish.
This will go into our winter soup rotation & happy that it is so easy to make. One could easily put everything in the slowcooker, (minus the sour cream) & have a great meal waiting at the end of the day!
Healthy & hearty!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lori! 🙂