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This award-winning white chicken chili recipe is a hearty, creamy favorite!! Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes or less!
All-time favorite!
Our white chicken chili is an award-winning favorite! No joke – we’ve brought this to our annual Trunk or Treat a dozen or so times and always win for best white chili recipe.
Along with our classic chili recipe, this is our go-to for chili cook-offs and potlucks and ALWAYS gets rave reviews. We know everyone loves it because we never have leftovers! That’s one reason we have it on repeat all soup season long.
We also love that it’s prepped in 5 minutes and on the table in 30! We keep shredded chicken on hand (in the freezer) so we’re always ready to make a batch. Just add some cornbread and enjoy a cool fall night with these recipes.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Ready in minutes. This easy dinner idea is prepped in 5 minutes and finished in under 30 minutes.
- Stovetop or crockpot. It can be made both ways, which is great if you’re in a rush or want to dump and go in the slow cooker.
- Award winning! It’s so good that it’s constantly winning chili cook-offs. With so much flavor and so many ways to customize, it’s sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
- 4 cups chicken broth – If using a lower sodium, you may need to add a little more salt.
- 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans – Substitute with a smaller navy bean or larger white kidney beans (cannellini beans).
- 2 cups shredded chicken – We like to use the crock pot to make Shredded Chicken, but you can also make Oven Baked Chicken or shredded Rotisserie chicken.
- 1-2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chilies – (mild or hot) For more heat add cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or a white chili powder.
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- dash of black pepper – You can also add onion powder to taste.
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack – or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup sour cream – or plain or Greek yogurt
- optional toppings – Monterey Jack Cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado, lime wedges (or fresh lime juice), or Tortilla strips
How to Make White Chicken Chili
- COMBINE. In a large pot, combine 4 cups broth, 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans, 2 cups shredded chicken, 1-2 (4-ounce) green chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, and a dash of black pepper. Cook over medium-low heat.
- SIMMER. Simmer on low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until completely heated through.
- For an extra creamy texture, blend a portion of the cooked white beans with some of the broth before adding them back to the pot. See How to Thicken Soup for more ideas.
- SERVE. Right before serving, stir in the sour cream and cheese until it’s melted. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno peppers, or crushed tortilla chips.
Make In the crockpot
- Add all the ingredients (minus the sour cream and cheese) into the crockpot and cook on low for 1-2 hours and you’re set!
- Add cheese and sour cream and cook for an additional 30–60 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Stir together and serve warm.
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White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1-2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- dash of pepper
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine broth, beans, chicken, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper over medium-low heat.
- Simmer for 20–30 minutes, or until soup is heated through.
- Before serving, add cheese and sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are mixed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store in an airtight container(s) and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container(s). See How to Freeze Soup for tips.
Absolutely delicious. So warm and comforting on a cold windy night. My family eats this up when I make it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
This chili is delicious, thanks for sharing
I make this soup a lot. I love sharing and tasting other’s recipes, but I prefer making my own (yours) on this one. Thank you for a favorite recipe to love and share!
This is one of my favorite recipes! I get compliments every time I make this for guests, it is delish!!!
I made the white chicken chili recipe and won the chili cook off contest at church! Oct., 2023. I made the double batch, did not double the beans, by leaving out one can. I used some cream cheese, some sour cream, some whipping cream in random amount to sub for “2 Cups of sour cream”. Hand grated a bar of Monterey Jack cheese and mixed with some packaged shredded Monterey Pepper Jack for the cheese part. I used 3 cans of green chopped green chilies.
Oh! And I didn’t have time to cook a chicken or go buy a rotisserie one, so I used canned chicken, if you can imagine!
It was a Winner!
Thank you for your White Chicken Chili recipe, it’s so good and a change of pace. I made a big batch of it last season for a chili contest not really trying to win but just having more chili to share with everyone who came to event and ended up winning the contest. What was really funny was this was an all male panel of judges and I find usually the guys like hot spicy stuff and this recipe was really mild the way I like! For anyone who likes spicy it can be made with more heat. Thanks again!
Congrats on the chili contest win! That’s AWESOME! So glad to hear that the recipe was a hit!
I made this over the weekend and it is absolutely delicious! It is so comforting and filling. It is now a family favorite!! Thanks for sharing such delicious recipes!
Yay!! Love to hear that! So glad you liked it! Thank you!
I make this all the time! Taking to my children’s school chili cook off today! Credit to you of course!!!
Hope the chili cook off went well! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe!
I love this so much! I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago using a rotisserie chicken… served it over rice with a HUGE helping of shredded pepperjack cheese…. OH MY GOSH a bowl of heaven! So delish.
One of my families favorite recipes. A quick and easy dinner for any night. I added corn to ot and it always comes out so good.