Change up your next chili night with this delicious recipe!

This White Chicken Chili recipe is packed with flavor. A blend of poblano peppers, green chiles, and sweet corn are cooked with diced chicken breasts and beans in a creamy chicken broth

It’s hearty, satisfying, and perfect for topping with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

white chicken chili in a pot

A Warm and Hearty Meal

  • ‘Tis always the season for hearty chili recipes!
  • This white chicken chili is healthy and packed with protein and fiber.
  • One pot means easy cleanup and less mess.
  • Perfect for busy weeknights, this white chili recipe is ready in under an hour.
  • It’s a versatile recipe, make it spicy or mild and add your own favorite toppings.
  • Perfect for parties, double the recipe and serve with shredded cheese, sliced black olives, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
ingredients for white chicken chili in a pot

Ingredients for White Chicken Chili

Chicken Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, or even rotisserie or shredded chicken for this recipe.

VeggiesTex-Mex-inspired veggies like onions, corn, and peppers are just the basics! Use fresh or frozen corn or even canned.

Try diced bell peppers, diced potatoes, and even healthier veggies like zucchini and chopped baby kale.

Beans White kidney beans are also known as Cannellini beans. Substitute with other white beans like navy beans, great northern beans, or even chickpeas. Simply open the cans, drain and rinse them; no need to soak them!

Seasonings Use the spice in the recipe below or use your favorite chili seasoning mix, or try taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.

How to Make White Chicken Chili

  1. Saute onions and peppers in oil until softened per the recipe below.
  2. Add remaining ingredients except for sour cream. Simmer for 25 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cilantro.
adding sour cream and cilantro to white chicken chili

What to Serve with White Chicken Chili

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More Great Chili Recipes

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white chicken chili in a pot
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Easy White Chicken Chili

This white chicken chili recipe is a Tex-Mex inspired meal. Chicken, poblano peppers, green chilis, corn, and kidney beans are slowly simmered in a creamy chicken base.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion diced, or two small onions
  • 2 poblano peppers seeded and diced
  • 2 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
  • 15 ounces canned cannellini beans 1 can, also known as white kidney beans
  • 4 oz canned mild green chiles 1 can, with juices
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • ¾ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts ½-inch diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions 

  • Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot.
  • Soften diced onions and peppers in the oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add chicken broth, white kidney beans, mild green chilis, corn, diced chicken, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
  • Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cilantro.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

Notes: Green bell peppers can be substituted for poblanos.
Consistency: If you’d prefer a thicker white chicken chili, remove the lid after 15 minutes and simmer uncovered. 
Flavor: Add more chili powder or diced jalapenos for a spicier kick. Experiment with different types of beans, such as black or pinto beans for a new twist.
Chicken: Mix it up by using chicken thighs or shredded rotisserie chicken instead of diced chicken.
Toppings:  Top it with shredded cheese, diced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, corn chips, or sour cream.
Slow Cooker: This recipe is also great in a slow cooker, cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Thicken by mixing 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Stir in 15 minutes before serving.
Keep leftover easy white chicken chili covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 8 weeks.
4.96 from 42 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.25cup | Calories: 286 | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 463mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 48.8mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3.2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Tex Mex
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.96 from 42 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. Hi Deborah. I have never tried making the chili with Greek yogurt. If you do try, it will still be creamy but with a little less of a sour taste. Let me know how it turns out.

  1. i love spend with pennies recipes. Very affordable and inexpensive. to make. thank you Holly for sharing all your recipes.

  2. I was so amazed with how flavorful and good this chili was!! Next time we make it we’re making a double batch so we can have even more leftovers!5 stars

  3. My friend has gout so this would be perfect for he and I to share – but have to leave the poblano peppers out cause he can’t do spicy. But I still can’t wait to make it for him. Oh – and I have cut the servings down to 2 so he can try it. Will increase the servings to 4 if he really likes it. I know that I will love it. Thanks for posting.5 stars

  4. I doubled the cumin and oregano, used white pepper instead of black, and won 2nd place in my church’s chili cook off with this recipe! I also made it in the evening and let it sit overnight in the fridge, reheating for lunch. it was delicious!!5 stars

  5. Really love your recipes. Would it be possible that you add instructions to us the Instant Pot?
    That would be great if you would.

  6. I made this chicken chili and it was so yummy! Had just cooked a turkey, so used about a cup of those juices, leftover turkey and used a jalapeño pepper! Plan to make again for lunch at my brothers for Thanksgiving-sure it will be a hit!

  7. It was so easy and quick to put this recipe together since we had all the ingredients from our night before Mexican dinner.
    Ours was done on the stove top instead of the crock pot since we had cooked shredded chicken.
    We could have had it spicier so will doctor the left overs.4 stars

  8. I would love to have all the recipes on this page, but I can’t figure out how to get one at a time. I want to try some of these right away. If you could help me I would appreciate it. Thank you so much.
    Monica5 stars

    1. Hi Monica, you can select the post you want to view (by clicking on the name of the recipe) then scroll down to the bottom, or use the jump to recipe button at the top. On the recipe itself you should see a print option where you can print out that individual recipe. Let us know if you have any questions!

  9. Holly loved this dish! The weather has changed here in California and it’s getting cooler. Today was a perfect day to try this delicious meal! Was another hit!5 stars

  10. This recipe is very similar to a magazine-ad I found from McCormick for “Southwest White Chili” and have considered it a staple 15-minute-meal recipe for a couple decades. Add a sweet cornbread on the side…zowies!
    I found that it actually gets better the next day(s). I make a double batch now and put a quart or so into a Ball jar. Spices have no where to go but deeper, and boy is it good!

  11. Making this as a slow cooker recipe now… I usually ladle out some broth and mix it with sour cream in a separate bowl, prior to adding it back to the main dish. This makes a much better blend and a creamier sauce. We shall see how that goes. Learn something new every day… I did not realize that green chilis came in a can! Glad the recipe called that out. I also found white corn instead of the standard yellow corn, and used a bit more chicken than the recipe indicates.

      1. Everything turned out GREAT! The dish was a wonderful meal. Couldn’t find white kidney beans, so used navy beans instead. Ended up using a LOT more chicken broth because of the volume of solids in the dish (mostly too much chicken). Not a problem, as this recipe adapts nicely to different portions of different ingredients. Loved eating a chili that was not a tomato based sauce.
        Next time I will use a bit more sour cream to make the sauce a little bit creamier/thicker.5 stars

    1. Hi Jay,
      Did You Have To Adjust Your Time Or Ingredients When Making This In The Crock Pot Rather Than On The Stove? If So Could You Tell Me How ? I Would Prefer The Crockpot As Well

  12. I love saving pennies though in Canada we no longer have them, So I’m interested in all recipes that make life easier an my make my money stretch.