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White Chicken Chili

GFGluten Free

By Danae

on Sep 13, 2021, Updated Jan 14, 2025

4.38 from 24 votes

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White Chicken Chili is loaded with shredded chicken, cannellini beans, green chiles, and corn! It’s the perfect way to change up chili night and hits the spot on a cold night.

^{This post and recipe have been updated since it was originally published on 1/6/2016}

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Fall and winter are soup and chili season for me. Some people willingly eat it year-round, but I just can’t do it. The thought of eating a steaming hot bowl of chili in the middle of summer makes me break out in a sweat. 

Luckily the weather is starting to cool off a little and it feels like a good time to share the recipe for this white chicken chili. In my opinion, this is a lighter chili. It’s not a thick and loaded with meat and beans. Although, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a hearty meal.

The flavor of white chicken chili versus traditional chili is quite different. This Southwest flavor loving girl is partial to white chicken chili for that reason. 

Ingredients

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – chicken thighs can also be used
• Onion, garlic – The aromatics that flavor the broth. Yellow or white onion work well.
• Jalapeño – I recommend tasting the jalapeno before adding it in to see how spicy or mild it is. Adjust amount used as needed.
• Ground cumin,ground coriander and smoked paprika – Flavorful earthy, smoky, citrusy spice blend for the chili.
• Green chilies – Mild green chiles are what I use, but for more heat use hot.
• Frozen corn – Regular sweet corn or fire roasted corn for a nice smoky charred flavor.
• Cannellini beans – Creamy texture and full of fiber. Great northern beans or pinto beans can also be used.
• Chicken broth – Use low sodium to keep the chili from being overly salty.
• Cilantro, lime – Cilantro and lime brighten up the flavors.

How to Make White Chicken Chili

This is a recipe for stovetop white chicken chili. Assuming you already have a couple cooked chicken breasts or some rotisserie chicken, it should only take 30 minutes to make.

Use a dutch oven or large pot and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add in the onion, garlic, jalapeño, spices, salt and pepper. Sauté for several minutes until the vegetables soften. 

Add the green chilies and corn in and sauté another minute. Turn the heat down to low and scoop out about a 1/2 cup of the vegetables and put them into a blender. Drain and rinse the beans and add in a 1/2 cup, along with a little bit of chicken broth. Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.

Pour the creamy mixture back into the pot and add in the remaining chicken broth and beans. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. The soup won’t be thick and creamy, but the puréed bean and vegetable mixture does thicken the broth slightly.

For the final 5-10 minutes of cooking add chicken and cilantro. I like to add the cooked chicken at the end so that it doesn’t become dried out. Squeeze in the juice of a lime and taste the soup for seasoning. Top with your desired toppings.

Making This Chilli More Creamy

Many white chicken chili recipes are creamy. This recipe is more broth based, with a little creaminess from the puréed beans and vegetables. If you’d like to make this a creamy chili, add in 4 ounces of room temperature low fat or full fat cream cheese just before squeezing in the lime juice. Stir it in until it’s completely melted.

For additional creaminess try stirring in 1/2 cup of plain low fat or full fat Greek yogurt, similar to what I did in this slow cooker green chile chicken enchilada soup.

Toppings

Chili isn’t chili if you don’t add some toppings! For this white chicken chili I love topping it with avocado chunks or green chile guacamole, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips (or use them for scooping up the chili).

Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for something cool and creamy. Lime wedges are a must. The tart, zippy, citrus flavor brings the chili to life!

Slow Cooker Variation

If you prefer to make the white chicken chili in the slow cooker, here’s what you’ll need too do.

• Sauté the vegetables and spices, then blend the same amount as the stovetop recipe until they’re puréed. Add the vegetables, purée, two uncooked chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper, the remaining beans, and chicken broth to the slow cooker.
• Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken and shred it. Place it back into the slow cooker along with the cilantro and lime juice. Stir everything together and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Storage

Once the chili has cooled store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the chili for up to 3 months.

To reheat the chili, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Warm it in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until hot. You can also microwave it until warmed through.

More Chili Recipes

I have a wide array of chili recipes all with different flavor profiles.

Slow cooker chili is always great for game day. My Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili is always a hit and so is this Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili.

If you want a chili recipe without beans, make this Slow Cooker Bison Sweet Potato Chili or No Bean Chili.

For a unique spin on traditional chili, make this Slow Cooker Italian Turkey Chili.

Did you make this white chicken chili? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.

4.38 from 24 votes

White Chicken Chili

By Danae Halliday

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

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This White Chicken Chili is hearty, healthy, full of protein and happens to be gluten-free!

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• ▢ 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 8 ounces diced green chiles
• ▢ 3/4 cup frozen corn, defrosted
• ▢ 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• ▢ 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ Limes shredded Monterey Jack cheese and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for topping the chili

Instructions 

• In a large pot over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot add in the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Sauté the vegetables until tender, about 3 minutes, then add in the diced green chiles and corn and sauté another minute.
• Remove the pot from the heat and scoop out a scant 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture and add it to a blender with a 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a 1/2 cup of cannellini beans. Purée the mixture until smooth then add it back to the pot.
• Place the pot back on the stove over medium high heat and stir in the remaining chicken broth. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the shredded chicken, cilantro and remaining cannellini beans to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice, stir, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve the chili topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, more cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 35gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 542mgFiber: 9gSugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this? Leave a comment below!