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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Love this recipe and it is one of our favorite autumn/winter dishes. I live abroad, so I have to be a little creative with the ingredients (fresh chili’s impossible to find here), but this recipe is simple and always delicious. I often make this for friends/neighbors who need a meal and I have found that it freezes well. Makes the house smell fantastic and my kids love it, so it’s always a winner at our house. Love Jenn’s website and her cookbook is amazing, so buy yourself a copy!
This has become my new favorite chili recipe. It has such a rich wonderful flavor. I did alter it slightly. I swapped the olive oil for cooking spray (sorry Jenn) and just baked some boneless chicken breasts I already had. I also leave out the garnishes. I’m on WW and by making these changes it is 0 smart points for a serving! I’m a huge fan of your recipes, and this one is now in my regular rotation.
Thanks for clarifying-I’m also on WW and was pretty sure all the fat came from the garnishes. This looks like a great chili option!
This is the best white chicken chili!! So easy and delicious. 🤗
After seeing all if the positive 5 star reviews I was excited to take this to a company chili cook off. My wife and I cooked the chili the night before making sure to let it set and let the flavors blend into one another. The next day, once it was reheated, the chili smelled like stomach bile. I’m not sure what the combination was that created this smelly batch, but I still took it to the cookoff to have others say the same thing. We made this recipe NEARLY exact except for using rotisserie chicken, we used chicken breast we had previously purchased and ground mild chili powder instead of the chili called for. The added sour cream did not pair well with the cilantro and lime juice as the cream quickly curdled. Maybe if you take the lime juice out entirely? Not sure, but we will never make this again. Thanks though.
Yikes! I’m so sorry you had trouble with this, Jarred. Is it possible the chicken was spoiled?
This appears to be an old post but I can’t resist responding. It’s likely the chicken was ‘bad’ (and a person who’d comment such as he has, perhaps didn’t even saute the chicken? As well, I’ve made this chili and it is dependent on the wonderful assortment of seasonings (fresh peppers and such) – it’s perfectly obvious that the sour cream is not meant to be added to the whole lot. It is a condiment!
Wow! Terrific flavor and great consistency after letting it sit in the pot for about an hour after cooking. That amount of time gives it a perfect thickness. Made it exactly as written but went ahead and added about 6-7 seeds from jalapeño pepper at the beginning when added with the onion. So good!!
Thank you Jen for another perfect recipe!! 😊
This was stupendous! Tasty, fast and delicious. Added extra corn and green peppers as I had to leave out the beans (husband’s preference). Jen – I used the roux you recommended in place of the beans and it worked perfectly. Leftovers were actually even better than the original and heated up without issue. Highly recommend for an easy to pull together weeknight meal.
This was amazing! My husband absolutely loved it and it is now our standard for chicken chili.
A real keeper! My family, who thinks chili only comes in red, loved it and requested it again!
Brought this to a Halloween Chili Cookoff with a group of friends….at it won 1st Place! I went up against some stiff competition but I think what won everyone over is that literally everyone except the vegetarian LOVED it so it had universal appeal. It definitely needs a little time for the flavors to develop. I ended up adding more garlic and an extra jalepeno sauteed with extra spices to toast them. Truly turned out delicious and I will make this again and again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Made this tonight and it was yummy! Easy and relatively quick. Nice, moist rotisserie chicken is an important ingredient.