White Chicken Chili Recipe
Discover the ultimate White Chicken Chili recipes for 2025! Unleash bold flavors with our expert tips and irresistible ideas to spice up your meals.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot: A 5-6 quart heavy-bottomed pot is ideal for even heat distribution
- Sharp chef's knife: For efficiently dicing onions, peppers, and other ingredients
- Cutting board: Preferably with a juice groove to catch liquid from peppers
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula: For stirring and scraping up flavorful browned bits
- Measuring cups and spoons: For accurate ingredient proportions
- Can opener: For the beans and green chiles
- Citrus juicer: To extract fresh lime juice
- Two forks: For shredding the cooked chicken
- Ladle: For serving
- Bowls: Deep bowls work best for chili and toppings
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 peppers, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 4 cups 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 (15 oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- ¼ cup ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside (it won't be fully cooked yet).
- In the same pot, add onion and poblano peppers. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the chicken to the pot, bring it to a simmer, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add white beans and diced green chiles. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, allowing the chili to thicken slightly.
- Stir in lime juice and heavy cream. Simmer gently for 5 more minutes. Add cilantro and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve hot with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- If using a slow cooker, brown the chicken and vegetables as directed, then transfer them to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients except cream, lime juice, and cilantro. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, adding cream, lime juice, and cilantro during the last 30 minutes.
- For a thicker chili, mash about ¼ of the beans before adding to the pot.
- This recipe is easily doubled for large gatherings or meal prep.
- The flavors deepen if made a day ahead.