Lauren's Latest

A food and lifestyle blog

Skinny White Chicken Chili

· 54 Comments

4.93 from 26 votes

Jump to Recipe

White Chicken Chili! This recipe will wiggle its way onto your weekly menu and stay FOREVER because that’s how amazing (and healthy!) it is.

You have to give this White Chicken Chili a try! It is creamy, a little spicy, filling and filled with nutrition. Make a big pot, serve with rice and it will seem bottomless. The perfect meal for a crowd on a cold evening. If Simple Chili isn’t your think, I bet you will love this skinny white chicken chili.

White Chicken Chili Recipe

Making White Chicken Chili

Believe it or not, I’ve been making this recipe for nearly 9 years! (HOW have I not posted about it?!)

I developed it on maternity leave (pre-baby and pre-blog!) when I was 9 months pregnant with Brooke, after tasting some white chicken chili at Cheesecake Factory. Heaven knows how much my pregnant self loves the Cheesecake Factory, so my husband and I were pretty frequent guests. I tried their white chicken chili back in 2009 and it was too creamy and spicy for my very sensitive tastebuds, so I re-created a version at home that stuck. My husband just about died because it was so good and 80% of the time, it replaces taco tuesdays, especially during the colder months of the year.

I usually make this healthy dish when I’m feeding a crowd because it’s easy, fast and everyone loves it! Plus, you can stretch it far when you serve it with brown rice and lots of toppings. It would be the perfect addition any Super Bowl party. (I’d recommend making it on the stove, then keeping it warm in a crockpot while the game is on.) You don’t have to babysit it once it’s made; Just make sure it doesn’t boil once the dairy has been added in. SO simple.

white chicken chili recipe

How to make this White Chicken Chili Recipe

I love a simple and fast recipe and this is exactly what that is! You only need about 10 minutes of active work before you have dinner done. Serving with rice is optional, but definitely stretches the meal if you’re trying to feed a big family or stretch a dollar.

  1. In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil.
  2. Add in mushrooms (optional) and cook another 1 minute.
  3. Sprinkle in flour and stir 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor.
  4. Whisk in chicken broth. Continue whisking until sauce has come to a boil and has thickened. Reduce heat to low.
  5. Stir in salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon.
  6. Add in milk, beans, corn and chicken. Warm through.
  7. Serve over rice with any desired toppings.

Best toppings for Chili

Just like any chili recipe, what makes it to.die.for are all the tasty toppings! These are some of our favorites:
  • grated white cheddar or pepper jack
  • cilantro
  • crushes tortilla chips (or doritos…yum!)
  • diced tomatoes
  • fresh or pickled jalapenos
  • sour cream
  • avocado/guacamole
  • diced red onion

Love White Chicken Chili? Try these other favorites:

4.93 from 26 votes
Print

Skinny White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili! This recipe will wiggle its way onto your weekly menu and stay FOREVER because that's how amazing (and healthy!) it is.

Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword chili, mexican, Stew Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 197 kcal
Author Lauren

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms finely chopped (optional)
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup low fat milk*
  • 2 cans white beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 can sweet corn drained
  • 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded**
  • Any desired toppings: avocado diced tomato, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla chips

Instructions

  1. In large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until softened and translucent, about 7 minutes on medium low heat.
  2. Stir in mushrooms and cook another minute.
  3. **Just as a side note, you don't want your pot screaming hot-you want things to cook gently so that they don't get too brown....unless you want brown chicken chili. We want WHITE chicken chili, so I take it easy on the temperature. I mean, either way, it'll still be delicious, but I know you're going to have questions!
  4. Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Raise temperature to medium-medium high. Slowly stream chicken broth into pot, whisking as you go. Continue stirring until sauce has boiled and thickened. Reduce heat to low.
  5. Add in spices, milk, beans, corn and chicken.
  6. At this point, the chili is done! Do not boil it once milk has been added.
  7. Serve with brown rice (optional) and any desired toppings.

Recipe Notes

*I use low fat milk to keep this recipe "skinny", but 1/2 cup of half and half (or heavy cream) is also AMAZING!! If you can find the fat free half and half, get that! 

**I have started cooking a bunch of chicken in my pressure cooker, just to have something on hand. Rotisserie chicken or previously cooked/roasted chicken works well too! If you have raw chicken, simply throw the whole chicken breasts into the mixture to cook during step 4, before you add the milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove, shred, and finish the recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Skinny White Chicken Chili
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 39mg13%
Sodium 1020mg44%
Potassium 460mg13%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 136IU3%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 59mg6%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Cortney says

    5 stars
    AHH-MAZING! So glad I stumbled onto your blog!! This stuff I crazy good! I have to admit I was skeptical when I added the cinnamon and wasn’t sure about the rice but I listened to you and boy oh boy so glad I did! This is a keeper!!

    Reply

  4. Beth Cook says

    Just out of curiosity, what does CF add to their white chili to make it spicier? We love white chili but I’ve made it and sometimes it verges on bland, but we’re also not wanting it TOO spicy.

    Reply

  5. Brenda says

    This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it, but I am on weight watchers. Can you post the nutritional breakdown please??

    Reply

  8. Dianne says

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I made some changes to make this vegan, as our family is trying to switch to a mostly vegan diet. I substituted unsweetened almond milk for the low-fat milk, and left out the chicken. Absolutely delicious! This recipe is certainly a keeper!

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      I was just about to ask if anyone has tried it with almond milk! One of my kids has a dairy allergy. Yay! Can’t wait to make this later this week!

      Reply

  9. Carolyn Cheeseman says

    5 stars
    Such a great recipe. I love white chicken chili but I’ve been disappointed with all the recipes I’ve tried at home… maybe it’s that this one uses milk.insted of sour cream.. it cream cheese. It just tastes lighter and more creamy! I actually used some fat free half and half, per Lauren’s suggestion and it was perfection!

    Reply

  11. KATHY WILLIAMS says

    5 stars
    I made your chili for dinner last night. It was a hit!!!! Was hoping for leftovers but not any. Going to make it again on Sunday.

    Reply

  15. Marcie says

    5 stars
    I made this a couple weeks ago, and it was a hit. Thanks for this! I had tried others, but was less than pleased with them.

    Reply

  17. Karen Muenchmeyer says

    5 stars
    Hi Lauren,
    I love white Chicken Chili and am looking forward to try this :skinny” version. Love your blog reading about your family and your awesome recipes.

    Reply

  22. Maressa D says

    5 stars
    Made this and it was a hit with the whole family! It came together quickly and was so yummy! I added hot sauce to mine but the kids thought it was perfect. I loved the idea of a white Chili as sometimes you just don’t feel like a tomato base.

    Reply

  33. Kimberly E says

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, so good! My kids are tough critics, but they seemed to nibble at it. I call that a win in my book! I did add some carrots that I chopped up small and cooked until soft to add a little bit of color. This will definitely stay on my soup list!

    Reply

      • Jody says

        Thank you! Please tell me you updated the recipe because I see now that it says to drain! I swear I read through recipe several times to find the answer! I can try to blame it on my exhausted mom brain…..

        Reply

  38. Olivia Maxwell says

    5 stars
    I made this last night as it is nearing soup weather season! My husband LOVED it! I also appreciated that someone already took the time to utilize almond milk in the recipe instead since that is what we drink/use in our family as well!

    Reply

  39. Michelle’ says

    5 stars
    I made a few adjustments. 1 yellow pepper, 1 Serrano pepper and 2 celery stalks. It was delicious!!! Oh and I double the spices! ☺️

    Reply

  40. Cathy Webb says

    4 stars
    Great flavor! I tallied up the calories for the different ingredients and came up with 240 calories per cup including the mushrooms and only using 1 Tbsp oil and 8 oz. chicken .

    Reply

  41. Lynda says

    5 stars
    So good!!! I’m making it for the second week in a row and doubling it! Only thing I did different is I used seasond white beans, just to add a little flavor since I’m typically not a fan of beans, although I did still rinse them. I also didn’t feel like I needed to add the milk because I liked the consistency. Excellent recipe!

    Reply

  43. Liz A. says

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night and if I could give this 10 stars I absolutely would! It was super easy and delicious — even my finicky eater gobbled his up. This is officially on our favorite meals list! Your recipes never disappoint, Lauren!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *