White Chicken Chili is one of those recipes where as soon as you take the first bite, you wonder why you’ve waited so long to make it. It’s made with tender chicken, hearty beans, sautéed veggies, and lots of warm chili spices. I love cozy chili recipes, especially during the colder months of the year, and this chicken chili is the perfect dish whenever you want to switch things up!
Here's What You'll Need
- Chicken: I’m definitely a chicken breast girl, so I opted for two boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also substitute with boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, jalapeño, and bell pepper adds a base foundation of flavor for this chili recipe.
- White Beans: Grab two cans of your favorite white beans like great northern, cannellini, navy beans or a combination of any two.
- Green Chiles: Green chilies are a key ingredient in white chicken chili. They're not too spicy and you can add an extra can if you want a little more heat.
- Corn: I prefer frozen corn but canned corn would work too. Just make sure to drain and rinse canned corn.
- Cream Cheese: Just a little bit of cream cheese gives the chili a creamy consistency while also adding even more flavor. You can easily make this dairy-free by using dairy-free cream cheese!
- Chicken Broth: Any good quality chicken broth will work for this chicken chili.
- Chili Seasoning: And of course a simple mix of chili spices brings the entire dish together.
How To Make White Chicken Chili
The full measurements are included in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick step-by-step overview:
Chili Seasoning: Mix all of the chili seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl.
Sear the chicken: Season the chicken with some of the chili seasoning. Briefly sear both sides of the chicken in a large pot, then remove to a separate plate.
Sauté the veggies: In the same pot, sauté the bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
Add the broth: Add the rest of the chili seasoning along with the corn, beans, green chiles, and chicken broth. Stir everything together.
Simmer the chili: Add the seared chicken breasts back to the pot. Bring the chili up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the chicken to finish cooking.
Add the cream cheese: Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and shred it. Smash some of those beans to thicken the chili. Then stir in the cream cheese, shredded chicken, and chopped cilantro. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes until the cheese is fully melted. Enjoy!
A Few Helpful Tips
- Pre-cooked chicken: I opted to cook my chicken with the chili to infuse the chicken with those chili spices, but you can certainly use precooked shredded chicken or grab a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store instead. If you're using precooked chicken, lower the amount of chicken broth to 2 ½ cups and you'll only need to simmer the chili for 15 minutes.
- Smash those beans: To help thicken the chili, make sure to spend a few extra minutes smashing some of those beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.
More Chili And Soup Recipes
Soup and chili recipes are a huge favorite at my house because they are just so easy to throw together on a busy weeknight. Here are a few that we make several times a month:
- Easy Ground Turkey Chili
- One Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
White Chicken Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Chili Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Chicken Chili
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded & finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 15oz. cans white beans*, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 oz. can diced green chiles
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz. cream cheese, broken into chunks
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, to garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all of the chili seasoning ingredients together. Measure 1 ½ teaspoons of the chili seasoning and season both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and briefly sear for 2-3 minutes on both sides until lightly golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a separate plate. The chicken will finish cooking later with the chili.
- In the same pot add the diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until they are fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Now add the rest of the chili seasoning to the pot and stir together with the veggies. Then add the drained beans, corn, green chiles and chicken broth to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits that may be stuck at the bottom of the pot.
- Next add the chicken breasts back to the pot. Loosely place a lid on the pot and bring the chili up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the chili to simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken breasts are cooked through and tender.
- After the chili has simmered, remove the chicken breasts and transfer to a plate or cutting board. Shred the chicken with two forks.
- Now take the back of a wooden spoon and begin smashing some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the chili. Take your time and smash about â…“ of the beans.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the cream cheese and chopped cilantro. Stir everything together and allow the chili to simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
- Serve warm with extra fresh cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and any of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use great northern beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, or any combination of your favorite white beans.
Nutrition
Topping Ideas
The toppings are the best part! Any of these toppings will taste great with your white chicken chili:
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- A dollop of sour cream
- Crispy homemade tortilla strips
- Homemade cornbread
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh shredded cheese
Do You Have An Instant Pot?
Well, you’re in luck! You can also easily make Instant Pot White Chicken Chili and it comes out perfect every single time. Everything cooks in the instant pot and the chicken ends up being so tender. I honestly go back and forth between the stovetop version and the instant pot recipe depending on the day.😊
Jessica M. says
Delicious!! This creamy chicken chili was the perfect meal for a snowy day! We will definitely make this again during this cold season!
Connie says
This is one of my favorite comfort recipes. Will use turkey instead of chicken.