You have 0 items in your cart
White Chili Recipe
This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
You have to give this White Chicken Chili Recipe a try! It is creamy, a little spicy, filling, and packed full of nutrition. Make a big pot and it will seem bottomless and the perfect meal for a crowd. It’s super quick and easy, using items you probably already have in your pantry!
White Chili vs Regular Chili…What’s the Difference?
White Chili is made with chicken instead of beef, and without a tomato base. White beans and lots of delicious spices are used instead of chili beans or pinto beans. Both have amazing flavors!
A few tips for success with this White Bean Chili
To make this white chicken chili the best that it can be, here are a few tips I have found helpful.
- Low Fat Milk – 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!
- White Beans – drained and rinsed. Great Northern Beans or Cannellini are a great option. 2 whole cans of this stuff! And if you are vegetarian, skip out on the chicken and just add another can of beans.
- Sweet Corn – drained. You could also use frozen or fresh corn here. Consider grilling fresh corn for a charred flavor. Plus it looks gorgeous.
- Chicken Breasts – cooked and shredded. I had 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 whole chicken breasts into the mixture to cook before you add the milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove, shred, and finish the recipe.
- Watch the Temperature – 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.
How to Make White Chicken Chili
I love a simple and fast recipe and White Chicken Chili is exactly what that is! You only need about 10 minutes of active work before you have dinner done. For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below! Here is step by step what you can expect when making this Chili:
1. Sauté Onions and Garlic
In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until soft and translucent.
2. Sprinkle in Flour
Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Raise temperature to medium-medium high. Slowly stream chicken broth into the pot, whisking as you go. Continue stirring until the sauce has boiled and thickened. Reduce heat to low.
3. Add in Remaining Ingredients
Stir in salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon. Then add in milk, beans, corn, and chicken. Warm through.
Serve warm with any desired toppings.
White Chicken Chili Toppings
Just like any chili recipe, what makes it to die for are all the tasty toppings! These are some of our favorites for white chicken chili.
- grated white cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- fresh cilantro
- crushed tortilla chips (or doritos…yum!)
- diced tomatoes
- fresh or pickled jalapenos
- sour cream
- avocado/guacamole
- diced red onion
What to Serve with White Chili
Serving White Chicken Chili with rice is optional, but definitely stretches the meal if you’re trying to feed a big family or stretch a dollar. If you’re not really feeling the whole side dish thing, that’s fine too because this white chili recipe is great on its own…but if you are, here are some ideas.
- Cornbread
- Corn Casserole
- Baked Potatoes
- Chips and Salsa
- See my list of 30+ ideas for What to Serve with Chili, plus 20 bonus chili topping suggetions!
Storing Leftovers
Any leftover white chili can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave in intervals until heated through. White Chicken Chili makes a warm and comforting meal for the next day. However, I do not recommend freezing this recipe. This is just because all of the dairy products have a hard time freezing then thawing.
More Chili Recipes to Love!
It’s a really good one! The printable recipe card is below. Enjoy, friends! 🙂
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
White Chicken Chili
This White Chicken Chili recipe will wiggle its way onto your weekly menu and stay FOREVER because that's how amazing (and healthy!) it is.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 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 drained and rinsed
- 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
- In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until softened and translucent, about 7 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Raise temperature to medium-medium high. Slowly stream chicken broth into the pot, whisking as you go. Continue stirring until the sauce has boiled and thickened. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in spices, milk, beans, corn, and chicken.
- At this point, the chili is done once everything is warmed through! Do not boil it once the milk has been added.
- Serve with any desired toppings.
Video
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!!
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 15gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1028mgPotassium: 356mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 146IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
Rate This RecipePlease consider Leaving a 5-Star Review!
I’ve made this recipe many times over the years. Im disappointed to see the mushrooms have been removed from the ingredient list. I’ll have to do my best to try and go off memory for the amount and when to add. I hope this doesn’t happen with any other recipes on this site!
I just made this recipe. I doubled the chili powder because I don’t want overwhelming cumin. It was a good call. The cinnamon will have your guests asking “what’s that great flavor?” I added a can of canned hatch chilies to this to give it some zing. On it’s on own, this recipe is a bit bland. I also added more cayenne…We are Texans so we like it spicy. I used half and half and it’s very creamy and delicious. Great for a cool, rainy spring day. I only had one can of cannellini beans so the second can I used pintos- it added some color.
This is great. I added a small can of diced jalapeños and a bunch of chopped cilantro. Loved it. Will be making many more times
Seriously disappointed in this recipe. It had no flavor at all.
Awesome recipe! My kids don’t like shredded chicken, but they devoured the beans. Next time I’ll just add extra beans and leave the chicken out. Thanks for providing such awesome recipes 🙂
I made this recipe exactly as stated and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you!
I love your recipes and family stories. Looking forward to making this chili.