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Made with creamy white beans, chicken, corn, chiles, and a creamy broth, this white chicken chili is easy, hearty comfort food. Top your chili with tortilla chips, sour cream, or cilantro for the perfect finish.
You guys know that I’m obsessed with soup recipes. I can’t wait for soup season every year and love cozying up with a bowl of my current favorite.
Right now, I’m all about this white chicken chili. It’s on repeat in our house because it’s so easy to make but is packed with flavor.
This is the kind of recipe you can make for game days, too. Keep the chili warm on the stove or in your slow cooker, set out toppings for guests to add to their bowls, and be prepared for everyone to ask you for the recipe.
What is white chicken chili?
White chicken chili is a broth-based chili that often includes white beans and some kind of dairy, such as sour cream or/or cheese.
This is in contrast to more classic chili recipes, such as beef chili, which are often made with ground meat, a tomato-based broth, and chili seasoning, and may or may not include beans such as kidney beans, black beans, or pinto beans.
My family loves white chicken chili this time of year. It’s the kind of food that warms you up from the inside out, and you can still customize your bowl with your favorite toppings.
I love making white chicken chili because it uses a lot of pantry staples and is pretty quick and easy to throw together. That makes it a great option on busy weeknights when I need to feed everyone something filling but don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.
My version has shredded chicken, Cannellini beans, chile peppers, and corn in a cheesy, perfectly spiced broth.
How to make my easy white chicken chili
Ingredients you’ll need
My white chicken chili recipe uses a lot of pantry ingredients to add lots of flavor with the least amount of effort. To make it, you’ll need:
- Aromatics: Diced sweet onion and minced garlic. White or yellow onion also work fine.
- Chile peppers: Canned diced green chiles and canned diced jalapeños. You could use fresh jalapeños, but using canned makes for even less prep work on your part.
- Spices: Cumin, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. Omit the cayenne for a milder chili, or increase the amount for a spicer soup.
- Chicken stock: Chicken broth or chicken bone broth will also work.
- White beans: Cannellini beans (also known as white kidney beans) are my go-to. Great northern beans or navy beans are perfect if that’s what you have on hand!
- Corn: I prefer to use frozen corn, but canned (drained) corn will work in a pinch!
- Chicken: This is the perfect way to use shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Cheese: Some white chicken chili recipes call for cream cheese, but I like using Monterey jack cheese in mine. I prefer to shred it myself; I find that it melts and tastes better than pre-shredded cheese.
For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, be sure to check out the recipe card below.
Making this chili
Grab your favorite soup pot or Dutch oven and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they have softened. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
Add in the canned peppers and spices. Stir to combine and let cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the soup simmers, drain 2 cans of the beans and set them aside.
Add the third can of beans to your food processor or blender — don’t drain it! Puree the beans until smooth; this is going to help thicken the chili.
After 20 minutes, stir in the whole beans and pureed beans, corn, and the chicken. Simmer for another 10 minutes, then slowly add the cheese, stirring until it is melted.
Give the white chicken chili a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Topping suggestions
In our house, our favorite toppings for this white chicken chili are tortilla chips, sour cream, more shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro.
If you’re making this for game day, you could set out a variety of toppings for guests to add to their bowls. Some other ideas include:
- Fresh or pickled jalapeño
- Diced fresh onion
- Pickled onion
- Avocado slices
- Lime wedges
- Hot sauce
You could also serve it alongside a pan of cornbread or cornbread muffins!
Ingredient substitutions and variations
- For a milder chili, omit the cayenne pepper and use a second can of diced green chiles in place of the diced jalapeños.
- For a spicier chili, use hot diced jalapeños and/or hot green chiles, increase the amount of cayenne pepper, and/or add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Make this white chicken chili in your crockpot instead of on the stovetop. Sauté the onion, chiles, and spices as directed, then transfer to your slow cooker. Add the broth and beans; cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, add the corn and chicken. Before serving, melt in the cheese and taste for seasoning.
White Chicken Chili
Equipment
- Food Processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 can diced jalapeño peppers 4 ounces
- 1 can diced green chiles 4 ounces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 32 ounces chicken broth or stock
- 3 cans Cannellini beans 15.5 ounces each, divided use
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- fresh cilantro
- tortilla strips or chips
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot, heat the olive over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions have softened.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium sweet onion
- Add in diced jalapeño peppers, diced green chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes.1 can diced jalapeño peppers, 1 can diced green chiles, 3 cloves garlic, 3 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.32 ounces chicken broth or stock
- While the chili is simmering, drain two cans of Cannellini beans and set aside.2 cans Cannellini beans
- Without draining, pour the third can into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This will help thicken the chili a bit.1 cans Cannellini beans
- Once the chili has simmered for 20 minutes, stir in whole and pureed beans, corn and chicken. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.1 cup frozen corn, 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish bowls of white bean chicken chili as desired with fresh cilantro, tortilla strips, sour cream and shredded cheese.fresh cilantro, tortilla strips or chips, sour cream, shredded cheese
Notes
- You can substitute white or yellow onion for the sweet onion.
- If you like your white bean chicken chili spicy, you can easily up the spice level by adding in more jalapeños or cayenne pepper. For a milder chili, you can substitute the jalapeños for an additional can of diced green chilies and omit the cayenne pepper.
- You can use packaged shredded cheese, but I find that freshly shredded tastes and melts better.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for 2-3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
