This white chicken chili is easy and creamy, made in just one pot on the stove top. A family favorite dinner recipe!
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Cooler weather calls for comfort food like bowls of warm chili. Chili doesn't always have to be made with tomato sauce, red beans and beef. Try our favorite creamy white chicken chili in your meal rotation this fall and winter. Easy ingredients, easy process, easy dinner idea!
White chicken chili includes white beans (like great northern, cannellini or navy beans), green chili sauce and shredded chicken, as opposed to a typical chili recipe with tomato sauce, red beans and beef. My mother-in-law would also use pheasant, quail and chukars back in the day when my father-in-law took up hunting as one of his hobbies.
📋 Grocery List
Every ingredient in this recipe for white chicken chili is easily accessible at any grocery store. Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for convenience and additional flavor, or plan ahead with my favorite monthly way to prepare shredded chicken ahead of time.
Gather these ingredients:
- Rotisserie chicken (2 to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken)
- Chicken broth (4 cups)
- White beans (Two 15oz. cans)
- Cream cheese (8 oz. block)
- Salsa verde (7 oz. can)
- Frozen corn (1 cup)
- Onion (1 medium yellow)
- Lime (1 large)
- Garlic (2 cloves)
- Dried oregano
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chili toppings (tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sliced avocados, cilantro, sour cream, etc.)
For the canned white beans, look for cannellini, navy or great northern. Any of these will work in this recipe. Make sure you drain and rinse them. If you use dry beans, you will need to soak them overnight. For a lighter soup, use low-sodium broth and light cream cheese.
Click here for full recipe instructions and ingredients.
🐓 How to Make White Chicken Chili
This is the easiest recipe! Warm everything in one pot and serve in bowls with your favorite chili toppings.
- Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions until tender.
- Add garlic and spices and cook for 1 more minute.
- Pour in the broth and salsa; heat until bubbly.
- Add the cream cheese and cook until mostly melted.
- Stir in the chicken and beans. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Add corn and lime juice 10 minutes before serving.
It might take a while for the cream cheese to melt, so it helps to cut the block into small pieces. Make sure the soup simmers at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better, so be patient!
The chicken chili is creamy on its own because of the addition of cream cheese. If you want to thicken it up more, you can use cornstarch or puree some of the beans and stir back into the soup.
🍞 What to Eat with White Chicken Chili
Serve white chicken chili with your favorite chili toppings such as tortilla strips, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced avocados, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream and so on. My favorite side dish for this recipe is skillet corn bread. It's delicious for dipping into the white chili!
🥘 Other Chili Recipes
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Recipe Card
White Chicken Chili
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 7 oz. can salsa verde
- 8 oz. cream cheese , cut into small pieces
- 2 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken (from a rotisserie is great!)
- 2 15 oz. cans white beans (such as great northern, navy, or cannellini)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- juice from half a lime
- salt and pepper , to taste
- optional toppings (tortilla chips, sliced avocados, shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, etc.)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook onions until tender. Add cumin, oregano, coriander and garlic; cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the broth and salsa. Heat over medium high until bubbly. Stir in the cream cheese and continue to cook until mostly melted, stirring occassionally.
- Stir in the chicken and beans, lower heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add the corn and lime juice 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot in individual bowls with optional toppings.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze up to one month.
- For a lighter soup, use light cream cheese and low-sodium broth.
- Nutrition information is an estimate only, without the toppings.
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