White Chicken Chili
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This chicken chili is the kind of cozy, one-pot meal that works just as well for game day as it does on a weeknight. And the leftovers? Even better the next day.
If you’re looking for a change from traditional chili, white chicken chili is a great option. It’s made with pulled chicken and white beans in a savory, spiced broth instead of the usual ground meat, kidney beans, and tomato base. It’s a bit more soup-like than my classic beef chili recipe, turkey chili, or chili con carne, but it still delivers big flavor.
I’ve tried countless white chicken chili recipes over the years—from slow-cooker shortcuts to more authentic, from-scratch takes, and this one is the clear winner. It strikes the perfect balance between ease and depth of flavor—and it’s my family’s favorite by far. Using a store-bought rotisserie chicken keeps the prep simple without sacrificing taste. Serve it with homemade cornbread for a cozy, comforting dinner in under an hour.
“This was amazing! So easy and pleased the whole family.”
What You’ll Need To Make White Chicken Chili
- Canned White Beans: Add creaminess and a hearty texture to the dish.
- Chicken Broth: The broth base of the chili. Low-sodium keeps the dish from being overly salty when paired with canned beans.
- Onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper & poblano pepper: Sautéed at the start for a flavorful aromatic foundation.
- Spices (Cumin, Coriander, Ancho Chile Powder): This earthy, smoky spice blend adds depth and warmth to the chili.
- Rotisserie chicken, white beans & corn: the add-ins. Shredded rotisserie chicken is a major time-saver, but feel free to use any leftover chicken. White beans like cannellini, Great Northern, or navy add heartiness and thicken to the broth, and corn brings sweetness and texture (fresh corn is ideal but frozen works too).
- Lime Juice & Fresh Cilantro: Added at the end for brightness and fresh flavor. Feel free to omit the cilantro or substitute parsley if you’re not a fan.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Purée half the beans. In a food processor, combine half of the white beans with 1 cup of the chicken broth. Process until smooth—you’ll use this mixture to thicken the chili later.
Step 2. Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and peppers and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
Step 3. Add garlic and spices. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the spices and cook a few minutes more to toast them and deepen their flavor.
Step 4. Add broth and thicken. Pour in the remaining chicken broth, salt, and the puréed bean mixture. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 5. Stir in the add-ins. Add the shredded chicken, remaining beans, corn, and lime juice. Simmer until everything is heated through, then finish with the fresh cilantro. The chili will be brothy but thickens as it sits; you can add broth or water to loosen it up if needed.
Step 6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, lime wedges, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. The chili keeps nicely for up to 3 days in the fridge; freeze for longer storage.
Pro Tip: Short on freezer space? Ladle cooled chili into a resealable zip-top bag, press out the air, and seal it flat. Once frozen, it stacks neatly like a file—perfect for squeezing into a packed freezer.
Video Tutorial
More Tex-Mex Recipes to Spice Up Your Dinners
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 15.5-ounce (439-g) cans white beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups (1 L) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (see note)
- 2 medium poblano peppers, seeded and diced (see note)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- Salt
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded (about 4 cups)
- ¾ cup frozen corn
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Optional For Serving
- Sour cream
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Shredded cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend half of the beans (1 can) with 1 cup (240 ml) of the chicken broth. Set aside both the puréed beans and the remaining whole beans.
- Add the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onion, jalapeño pepper, and poblano peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Add the cumin, coriander, and ancho chile powder and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for one minute more to toast the spices. Add the chicken broth, puréed beans, and ½ teaspoon of salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken, reserved whole beans, corn, and lime juice; bring back to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and lime juice, if necessary. Stir in the cilantro. (Note that the broth will be somewhat soupy -- that's how it is supposed to be. It thickens the longer it sits; see note below.) Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and lime wedges.
Notes
- The seeds and ribs in the peppers hold all of the heat. I don't use them to keep the chili mild and family-friendly, but if you like a spicy chili, save them and stir some in at the end. (If you do touch the seeds, be sure to wash your hands well and avoid touching your eyes.)
- The chili thickens as it sits. If you make it ahead of time, you will probably need to add more broth or water to thin it out.
- Nutrition info does not include optional toppings.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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A family favorite and one of my go-to recipes for winter dinner parties. Occasionally, I replace the corn with black beans (which I prefer) but my kids like the original with corn. I’ve also struggled with finding poblano peppers and have substituted Anaheim, or orange/yellow bell peppers and the chili is still amazing.
I absolutely love this version of white bean chicken chili. I have tried many. The goopy canned soup based one and several “clean eating” versions that were basically chicken noodle soup with lime and cannelini beans LOL. However, this recipe has become OUR recipe at home. I make it often and it has just the right blend of spices and enough chile to please my husband (he’s from Mexico and really dislikes “Tex-Mex” types of food).
If you’re looking for a new recipe to try… this is it!
P.S. Every recipe I’ve made from your site has been a hit. Thanks so much Jenn.
Hi Jenn! I’ve made several different chilis over the years, but this one has become my go to chili recipe. It’s easy to make and has so much flavor. I love using a rotisserie chicken. That makes it quicker and easier which is always a plus! I really like that it is a mild chili. I slice some jalapeños to serve on the side with the lime, sour cream and crushed tortillas for those that like it spicier. I’ve used many of your wonderful recipes and bought your book for my three sisters and a few of my friends. I tell everyone that you can’t go wrong with Once Upon A Chef!
💕
I made this when my in-laws were in town and everyone loved it. A really great, easy to make, chili. I stuck to the recipe and found it to be really good. If you want a little spice I would add a jalapeño or Serrano when cooking the onions.
Talk about super easy and the flavor payoff is incredible! This was actually the first recipe I ever made from the Once Upon A Chef recipes.. I was googling white chicken chili and this popped up! Omg I’ve been hooked on her recipes ever since! I made some cornbread on the side with the soup. Husband and two small picky eaters approved!!!
I see that you used cannellini beans. Should it taste much different if I used white kidney beans?
No, Mary, that should have very little impact on the taste. Enjoy!
White kidney beans are cannellini beans. Depending on what part of the world you may live, they’re either white kidney beans or cannellini beans.
Another winner Jenn! Full disclosure, I’m on WW so I bought two rotisserie chickens and only used the breast meat (zero SmartPoints)! Followed everything else as stated. My family loved the chili, definitely a keeper. The poblanos were milder than expected, might add an extra jalapeño next time. So WW-friendly—the ONLY ingredient with measurable SmartPoints is the Tablespoon of oil! With your permission I’d love to share the recipe link (with credit to you, of course) with my WW Facebook group?!
So glad you enjoyed this and that it’s so weight watchers friendly! I’d be flattered if you shared it with your WW Facebook group! Thanks for checking. 🙂
Do you think this would freeze well?
I do! There are freezer-friendly instructions at the bottom of the recipe if you want to take a peek at them.
Throw away all other recipes for white chili. This is absolutely perfect! 😋
I made this soup twice now. The second time I doubled the recipe and used one of the jalapeños with ribs and seeds and added extra cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. This soup is so flavorful and wonderful and the one whole jalepeno just added more incredible flavor without it being too spicy. This is now our all time favorite white chicken chili recipe! I could eat it all day. Thank you for another amazing recipe Jenn!