This White Chicken Chili has become a cold-weather and game-day favorite in my house, especially when I want something comforting and hearty without spending hours in the kitchen.

Add in some bread to soak up all that deliciousness. Homemade garlic bread or 30-minute dinner rolls are some of my favorite chili dunkers.

top view of white chicken chili in bowls.

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: White Chicken Chili

  • Flavor: This chili is creamy, savory, and mildly spicy, with tender chicken, hearty beans, sweet corn, and a bright finish from fresh cilantro.
  • Why Make It: It cooks in one pot in about 45 minutes, making it an easy weeknight meal.
  • Serving: Serve with tortilla chips, creamy avocado, shredded cheese, jalapeños, and extra cilantro for a delicious mix of crunch, creaminess, and freshness.

For a dinner you can start earlier in the day, try my Crockpot white chicken chili.

Total Time: 45 Mins Servings: 6 Cook Method: Stovetop

Ingredient Notes

  • Poblano Peppers: Mildly spicy with an earthy flavor, poblanos add extra depth and character to this chili. For a milder option, you can substitute green bell peppers.
  • Cannellini Beans: Creamy and hearty, cannellini beans add body while holding their shape well in the chili. Great Northern or navy beans make easy substitutes.
  • Mild Green Chiles: Add the chiles along with their juices for extra flavor. Use mild or hot green chiles depending on how much heat you like.
  • Corn: Fresh, frozen, or well-drained canned corn all work well. If using frozen corn, there’s no need to thaw it first.
  • Chicken Breast: Cut the chicken into small, even pieces so it cooks quickly right in the broth. Boneless chicken thighs can be used for a richer flavor, or stir in shredded cooked chicken during the last few minutes, just until heated through.

How to Make White Chicken Chili

ingredients for white chicken chili in a pot
  1. Soften the onions and peppers in a pot. Add remaining ingredients (except sour cream and cilantro).
adding sour cream and cilantro to white chicken chili
  1. Simmer and top with sour cream and cilantro (full recipe below).

Tips for Chili Success

  • Cut Chicken Into Even Pieces: Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate and finish at the same time.
  • For Thicker Chili: Uncover the pot during the last 10 minutes or mash some of the beans into the broth.
  • Keep the Heat Low: Once the chili reaches a simmer, reduce the heat and let it gently simmer. This helps keep the chicken breast tender and juicy.
  • Add Sour Cream at the End: Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the sour cream. This helps keep the chili creamy and smooth without the sour cream separating.
  • Short on Time? Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut. Add the shredded cooked chicken toward the end, just long enough to heat through.
  • Adjust the Heat: Keep it mild with green bell pepper and mild canned chiles, or turn up the heat with jalapeños and hot green chiles.
pot of White Chicken Chili.

Chili Today, Lunch Tomorrow

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat on the stovetop. If it has thickened add a splash of chicken broth.

If you love chicken, beans, and plenty of toppings, try this easy chicken tortilla soup next.

Tex-Mex Favorites

Did you enjoy this White Chicken Chili Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

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close up of White Chicken Chili in a pot.
4.96 from 42 votes
Author Holly Nilsson

White Chicken Chili

Author Holly Nilsson
Servings 6 servings
This easy white chicken chili is packed with tender chicken, white beans, poblanos, green chiles, and corn in a creamy seasoned broth.
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Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced, or two small onions
  • 2 poblano peppers seeded and diced
  • 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (15.5 ounce each) can cannellini beans also known as white kidney beans
  • 1 (4 ounce each) can mild green chiles with juices
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 12 ounces 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
  • ⅔ 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, oregano, salt, and pepper.
  • 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

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

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

White Chicken Chili in bowls with a title.
White Chicken Chili in the pot and bottom photo in bowls with a title.

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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. She is also the author of the best selling cookbook “Everyday Comfort,” which delivers hearty, home-cooked meals designed for real life.
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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.

      Reply

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

    Reply

  3. 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

    Reply

  4. 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

    Reply

  5. 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

    Reply

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

    Reply

  9. 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!

    Reply

  10. 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

    Reply

  11. 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

    Reply

    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!

      Reply

  12. 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

    Reply

  13. 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!

    Reply

  16. 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.

    Reply

      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

    2. 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

      Reply

  17. 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.

    Reply