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White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE

I have been making this white chicken chili since my husband and I were married (13 years!). I remember in college, when we had no kids, my husband worked late nights so he was always gone for dinner. Which gave me time to experiment in the kitchen for dinner and browse all the recipes in magazines that I collected. Which is exactly how I found this white chicken chili recipe. 

It’s super flavorful, creamy, not too spicy but still flavorful and just really good comfort food and a fun twist to traditional chili. 

White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.

HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHICKEN CHILI IN ONE POT

I love that this chili is cooked in just one pot! Even the chicken cooks in the same pot as the soup simmers in. 

– Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

– White Onion

– Garlic Powder & Salt

– Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

– Canned Great Northern Beans

– Diced Green Chilies

– Cumin, Oregano, Black Pepper

– Sour Cream

– Heavy Cream

White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE

  • Can white chicken chili be frozen? Yes it can be frozen. Although, I will mention that I don’t like freezing this chicken chili because of the dairy in it. I find that the texture is a bit off and as it thaws it will appear separated. I personally never freeze this but I know others have just fine. 
  • What is white chicken chili? White chicken chili is a creamier version of classic chili. Instead of being a tomato based, red chili it is a creamy white based chili. Thanks to the sour cream and heavy cream which is what gives this chili it’s creamy white look and taste. 
  • What beans do I use for white chicken chili? Because this is a white chili you want to be sure and use white great northern beans. Navy beans are another white bean that can be used, or you can also use white cannellini beans (which are white kidney beans). Just make sure that you use a white bean.
  • How do I make this recipe spicy? Use a can of hot or medium green chilies. Add some cayenne pepper in with the cumin & oregano. Garnish the chili with jalapeno slices and/or shredded Pepper Jack Cheese. 

I prefer to use full-fat sour cream in this recipe. And for best results don’t try and substitute the heavy cream, it’s what makes this chili so creamy and thick. 

I have tried this recipe with ground oregano and it’s not good! Use the leafy oregano NOT the ground oregano for best taste. I don’t know why the oregano tastes so different (ground vs. leafy) but it does.

You do not have to blend up the diced green chilies with the chicken broth before adding it to the chili. It is all personal preference. My kids, and I, don’t like the green chili chunks (especially in soup) which is why I choose to blend it up. 

White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.

TRY THESE OTHER CHILI RECIPES

White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.
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One Pot White Chicken Chili


Author Jessica
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 people
White Chicken Chili is a creamy white chili that's made in just one pot! Chunks of chicken and white beans in a chicken broth green chili base and sour cream and heavy cream to make it super creamy.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil canola or vegetable oil work fine too
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 yellow or white onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 can (15 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cans (15 oz) great northern beans drained & rinsed
  • 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • In a soup pot or stock pot (one with a lid), over medium high heat, add the oil, chicken chunks, onion, salt, and garlic powder. Cook and stir until the meat is no longer pink and it looks cooked.
    *No need to pull out a thermometer here as the chicken will continue to cook as it simmers for 30 minutes. Just make sure the chicken is white and that it looks cooked.
  • Drain the excess liquid/water from the chicken cooking.
  • Add the chicken broth, drained & rinsed beans, green chilies, cumin, oregano, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
    *I blend up the chicken broth + green chilies in the blender before adding it into the soup pot. We don't like green chili chunks. This is totally optional depending on preference.
  • When done simmering, add the sour cream and heavy cream. Stir to mix it all together and to let the sour cream melt into the chili. Heat for a few minutes before serving.
  • Serve with tortilla chips and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. You can also garnish with jalapenos for some spice or use Pepper Jack cheese.

Notes

Chicken : 2 large chicken breasts is about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken. If they are smaller then you may end up using 3.
Oil : I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe because it has such a light flavor (if any at all). Regular olive oil will have much heavier and noticeable olive flavor which may not work well in this recipe. If you don't have extra virgin olive oil use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. 
Salt : I use fine kosher salt. If you use regular table salt then only use 3/4 teaspoon. Table salt is "saltier" as it is a very fine size so more salt can fit in the measuring spoon compared to the larger flakes of kosher salt. 
Oregano : Don't be like me and use ground oregano (I used it once when I was out of the leafy oregano. It is a much stronger flavor and we ended up just throwing away the chili. Use the leafy green looking oregano. 

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 559mg | Potassium: 874mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 542IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 4mg
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