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Active Time
10–15 minutes
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Total Time
30 minutes
Hearty and flavorful, white chicken chili is a crowd-pleaser. The mix of diced or shredded chicken, white beans, and corn seasoned with the mild heat of a jalapeño pepper and lots of spices has all the protein, starch, and vegetables you want in aone-pot meal—plus, it’s thickened with a bit of cream for extra body and flavor. This chili is also fairly quick compared to other types. Once the chicken is browned, the ingredients are simmered on the stovetop in aDutch ovenor heavy pot for just 20 minutes. For a faster cook time, you can even use leftoverroast chickenor a store-bought rotisserie chicken; after sautéeing the onion and green chile, skip step two and add the cooked chicken straight to the pot. (You can also make it in theslow cookerif you want to get a head start on dinner and then walk away).
While this white chicken chili recipe strays pretty far from authenticSouthwestern chili, it still benefits from any number of toppings. Load it up with sliced avocado, Jack cheese, fresh cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. A side ofcornbreadalso goes well, as does a squeeze of lime juice.
As with moststews, white chicken chili tastes even better the day after it’s made. After it’s cooled, store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days (or freeze for 3 months). Reheat on medium until bubbling.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous’ by Lisa Leake. Buy the full book onAmazon.
Ingredients
4 servings
Step 1
In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2
Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside (add more olive oil if the pot starts to dry out), 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 3
Toss the minced garlic and spices into the pot and turn a few times to coat the chicken evenly. Add the corn, beans, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Break up some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the chili. Stir in the cream, garnish with the desired toppings, and serve.
Editor’s note:This recipe first appeared on Epicurious in November 2016. Head this way for more of ourfavorite soup recipes→
Leave a Review
Reviews (89)
Back to TopI doubled the spices, as suggested. Cooked the chicken chunks for a while, shredded them, and put the chicken back in. Added cilantro to the mix at the end. Served with red onion, avocado and shredded cheddar. But not that great. Disappointingly bland. Will look for another white chili recipe.
Oldmayor
Portland, ME
10/3/2023
This is a great recipe White Chicken Chili , had fun making it over the weekend. Recreated the meal that I get from https://www.flexpromeals.com/ delivered. Good quality and fresh.
Vadim
9/29/2023
This recipe is delicious at it's core. It needs finessing for sure. I used chicken thighs, which were perfectly moist. I also increased the amount of onions, garlic and additional spices the recipe calls for. I felt it was lacking in flavor as is. For the toppings, the lime, cilantro, cheese and red onion are key!
Danielle
Los Angeles
9/20/2023
我的家人非常喜欢这辣椒。我跟着the recommendations from a reviewer below for doubling the recipe as well as using boneless chicken thighs. Take or leave the cream, and add grated cheddar and monterey jack & cilantro before serving. Delish!
palmerbeachgirl
Virginia
12/27/2022
This mad a delicious meal. I added some lime juice after it was cooked, to brighten it up a bit, but otherwise followed the recipe (doubled it). Served with avocado, grated cheddar, sour cream and salsa it was a feast!
Lynne
Camden, ME
12/10/2022
SO GOOD! I used the breasts from a Costco rotisserie chicken and it could not have been more flavorful. I used half and half instead of cream and I eliminated the corn (not a fan). Garnished with grated cheese, avocado slices, and sour cream. Just the best meal on a cold winter night.
Anonymous
Seattle, WA
4/27/2022
I like this chili. It's got good flavor and is easy to vary the spiciness. For my 15 month old I omitted the cayenne and my husband and I just added Cholula to our own bowls to make it more spicy. I'm not happy that Epicurious has changed the star rating, so now recipes are artificially lower rated. :( This recipe was rated 3.5/4, and now it looks like 3.5/5. Bad move.
Meg
Oregon
3/8/2022
Wonderful! I use rotisserie chicken, only 1 can of beans (cannellini), and no cream. Also, I smash a lot of the beans because we like a thick soup. Easy to make spicier. I've made it at least 8 times.
Christine
New Jersey
12/11/2021
Excellent recipe. Unless I'm baking(I suck) I see a recipe is a framework that I use to purchase the ingredients and experiment a little with different takes on the same dish. I've made variations of this dish a dozen times and it's a tried and true framework. This time I roasted poblano peppers on the stove instead of jalapenos, and added a little canned smoked chipotle sauce. This is fundamentally an excellent recipe, either made per the text or as a loose idea that will allow you to play to the tastes of your audience.
EnglishMak991
Atlanta
7/26/2021
Made almost as is, 4 forks. Used Half and half instead of heavy cream. The heat was mild, but wouldn't recommend changing it. I agree with other people that dark meat would be better.
Anonymous
SJ
4/28/2021
I reviewed this after I first made it and have continued to make it regularly since then...except that I have now *perfected* it!! Here are my tips: - Like others, I will *always* go with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. White meat is bland and so, I think, pointless. - I *always* double the recipe. Seriously, how many meals are you going to get from one pound of chicken and two cans of beans?? - Adjustments to doubling the recipe: 3 garlic cloves and 3 tsp. each chili power and cumin, leave the salt as if you're making a single batch, and 3/4 tsp. cayenne - For the corn, I just throw in one, 10-oz package of frozen Birdseye "Super Sweet" corn. - Even though you're doubling it, reduce the chicken broth to 2-1/4 cups. That makes it more chili than soup, which I like. It also makes it unnecessary to smoosh some of the beans with a spoon to help thicken it, since it's perfect with that amount of liquid. - *Definitely* rinse the canned beans. I never used to, thinking it didn't make any difference. It does. - I don't like cilantro, cream cheese or avocado, so I top mine with only grated Mexican cheese blend and tortilla strips. - Finally, I don't bother adding the cream at the end, since the chili is already pretty thick, and then gets thicker with the addition of the grated cheese. I had far too much of this for lunch today, but will probably have more for dinner. It's a relatively healthful meal and relatively inexpensive as well (especially if you can find chicken thighs on sale). Bon apetit!
lelew
North Carolina
3/16/2021
I was quite disappointed in this after reading the great reviews. It's the kind of food my kids would have liked when they were young -- bland and mushy -- but not suitable for an adult palate. If I were to make this again (and I won't) I'd add WAY more peppers, onions, garlic, spices and cilantro, and I wouldn't smash the beans at all. In fact I'd try smaller, firmer beans to provide some decent texture. It wasn't so bad that I threw it away, but definitely not anything I'd serve anyone over the age of twelve. Your kids might like it though.
eokeefe
3/2/2021
I agree that shredded/pulled chicken is a good choice, though I found it required more liquid. About another 50%. I liked the level of heat, and I didn't use heavy cream but instead just a little melted butter and some almond milk.
tcerveris
New York, NY
2/22/2021
Delicious and easy! We substituted slow-cooked pulled chicken which held more flavor. Also will double the jalapeños and cayenne since this is a rather mild version. But everyone raved about it!
hebgbes1858
Dover, DE
2/12/2021
Easy, fast, and a great recipe.
SnowSun
NY
12/31/2020
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