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This easy white chicken chili recipe is hearty, comforting, and packed with bold, savory flavor—perfect for game day or a cozy weeknight dinner.
This white chicken chili recipe is a favorite in my house, especially when the weather turns chilly. I’ve tried many versions of this dish—some were basically dump-everything-in-a-pot recipes, while others were far more complicated than they needed to be. This one strikes just the right balance: easy enough for a weeknight but with a few extra steps that build real depth of flavor.
Made with rotisserie chicken, creamy white beans, poblano and jalapeño peppers, corn, and warm spices, it’s hearty and full of flavor, with a squeeze of lime to brighten everything up. Puréeing some of the beans gives the chili a rich, creamy texture, while rotisserie chicken keeps the prep to a minimum. Best of all, it’s on the table in under an hour. Add a side of warm cornbread, and dinner is done!
“This was amazing! So easy and pleased the whole family.”
What You’ll Need To Make White Chicken Chili
- White Beans: Cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans all work well. Some of the beans are puréed with the broth to give the chili a creamy, full-bodied texture without adding cream.
- Chicken Broth: Forms the savory base of the chili. I recommend low-sodium broth so you can control the seasoning, especially since canned beans can add quite a bit of salt.
- Onion, Garlic, Jalapeño & Poblano Peppers: These aromatics form the flavor base of the chili. Removing the seeds and ribs from the peppers keeps the heat mild and family-friendly.
- Cumin, Coriander & Ancho Chile Powder: This combination gives the chili its warm, earthy, and gently smoky flavor. Ancho chile powder is made from dried poblano peppers, so it adds more depth than heat.
- Rotisserie Chicken: A major time-saver that makes this chili easy enough for a weeknight. You can also use leftover cooked chicken.
- Corn: Adds a touch of sweetness and a nice pop of texture. Frozen corn is convenient and works beautifully here.
- Lime Juice & Fresh Cilantro: Stirred in at the end, they add freshness and acidity that balance the rich, savory broth. If you don’t care for cilantro, you can leave it out or substitute parsley.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make White Chicken Chili
Purée some of the beans: Blend some of the white beans with chicken broth until completely smooth. This is the secret to giving the chili a creamy, full-bodied texture without adding cream or flour.
Sauté the aromatics: Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions and peppers until softened.
Add garlic and spices: Stir in the garlic, followed by the spices, and cook until fragrant. Toasting the spices briefly brings out their flavor.
Build the broth: Add the chicken broth and puréed beans, stirring until smooth. Simmer until the flavors meld and the broth develops some body.
Finish the chili: Stir in the chicken, whole beans, corn, and lime juice and cook just until everything is warmed through. Add the cilantro at the end. The chili will be somewhat brothy at first and will thicken as it sits.
Serve: Ladle the chili into bowls and add your favorite toppings—I like sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and a squeeze of lime. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, they’re even better the next day; the chili can also be frozen for longer storage.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions
The chili will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will thicken as it sits, so you may need to add a splash of broth or water when reheating it. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until heated through.
How To Adjust The Heat
I remove the seeds and ribs from the peppers to keep this white chicken chili mild and family-friendly. If you prefer a little more heat, save some of the seeds and ribs and stir them in at the end, adding a little at a time until the chili is as spicy as you like. Just be sure to wash your hands well after handling the peppers, and avoid touching your eyes.
Video Tutorial
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 (15.5-oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups 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
- 4 cloves garlic, 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 1 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.) Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and lime wedges.
Notes
- 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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I always roast the poblanos and the jalapeño because growing up my mom always roasted them for use in her recipes, namely chiles rellenos. That may add to the prep time but I think it’s worth the effort. Thanks for all your wonderful knowledge and recipes Jen!
I don’t know much about the peppers but what/how do I cut them. The you tube videos say you have to roast them. It doesn’t look like that in the pictures. The poblanos say you skin them after you roast them and then scrape seeds out.
The jepenos say wear glives and cut like coins for heat, strips for less heat. Help!!!
I’d seed and dice both the jalapeño and poblano peppers. 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.)
Great idea to thicken the chile with puréed beans instead of cream cheese or something similar!
This is one of very few recipes from this site that I found really underwhelming. I ended up adding a good bit of salt at the end, then hot pepper, a little extra lime juice and even a pat of butter and my husband was still not impressed. After adding cheese, sour cream and pickled jalapenos he liked it better. I do love the nutritional profile of this dish though so we may try it again and just kick up all the spices a notch. I have a feeling this recipe would do well with a good shlock of hot verde salsa, so I may try that next time.
I loved this recipe, but I made a few modifications due to household and personal preferences that I think sent it over the top for me.
– I pureed more than half the beans, probably about 1.5 cans’ worth, along with about 2 cups of the broth. This gave it a thicker texture while actually still giving plenty of whole beans in the end result. I also did this in my blender, not food processor, and let it run for several seconds beyond the point that it looked smooth.
– As I do in most recipes that call for peppers and onions, I used my mini food processor to chop them VERY finely, almost into a paste. My husband appreciates the flavor peppers and onions give to a dish but has a texture issue with discernible pieces of them, so I tend to do this a lot. In this case, I think it not only didn’t hurt the end result, but actively helped it. Every bite has a lovely background note of the poblanos.
– I also used my mini food processor for the cilantro, mostly because I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to chop it by hand – and I used more than 1/4 cup. This definitely added an excellent layer of flavor, too.
– I added more garlic, a touch more of the ancho chile powder, and more lime. Fresh lime is absolutely essential here, do not use the bottled stuff. I would even go so far as to say that it’d be better to skip the lime entirely rather than use the bottled stuff – the flavor comes through pretty prominently.
I served it for dinner with avocado and cotija cheese as my toppings, but I’ve eaten it for lunch with no extra toppings and it’s equally fabulous that way. Thanks, Jenn!
Anyone try this with vegetable broth and no chicken?
I always make this dish with vegetable broth and leave out of the chicken because it’s delicious with the cannellini beans.
Another delicious dish! Loved the flavours in this great alternative to a heavy beef chili. Thanks Jenn!
We found this quite bland. I followed the recipe To a tee. I ended up adding crushed red pepper flakes, a teaspoon of chili powder, and the juice of two limes. And it never thickened.
I so enjoy your recipes, most of which are fun, easy to follow as well as delicious. I do find all the advertisements so irritating especially the ones that interrupt your nice videos. They seem to be worse than ever. That said they will not keep me from using your website.
Hi Anna, so glad you like the recipes and I’m sorry about the ads! For watching the videos without the ads, while you’re viewing one, about 1/3 of the way through, two little buttons show up on the right side of the video saying “next” or “stay?” Just click on the stay button and you should see the remainder of the video with no ad. Hope that helps!
Amazing! So delicious. I made it exactly as written. Only addition was when I tasted for seasoning at the end, I added a few dashes of adobo to taste. Will definitely make again. Whole family loved it. Thank you!
This recipe is spot on PERFECTION!! I double the recipe and share containers of it with friends. They think I’m a brilliant cook. Little do they know how simple, quick and fool proof the recipe is!! Thank you Jenn, for all of your wonderful recipes!!