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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.
Ok, I made just made this soup this morning! Who makes soup at 10am? I do! LOL! I did use 1c. of greek yogurt for the 1c. of sour cream and it worked out great (I did add an extra 2 cups of Mexican Blend cheese to thicken it up a bit to my liking). Overall, great soup recipe to have on hand for the Fall/Winter.
SO glad you liked it Yoli!! And greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a great substitute! 😀
I made this tonight for me and the kids and they loved it! i even added fresh tomatoes for a little zing! Thank you so much for this!!!
Made this last night and the whole fam loved it including son and hubby who are extremely picky! Now if only Houston would stay this cool for awhile!!
I’m assuming you could substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream, right?
Looks so easy and yummy, I’m going to try it out this weekend here in Austin!
I sure hope so because that’s what I have in the frig! I picked up the rest of the ingredients today, so I can’t wait to report back to how my fiancee and I liked it! 🙂
I have never tried this kind of soup! Adding it to the recipe list for this winter!
Yummy!! I’m definitely going to make this soon. I’m in Arkansas right now where the highs have been in the 50’s and the leaves are changing….so beautiful. I’ll be making the trek back to warm Houston tomorrow. I wish I could bring this cool weather with me…sigh. Thanks for the recipe!!
It’s not cold here but it’s definitely so much cooler in Houston. Have a safe trip back and let me know how the recipe goes. 🙂
Hey do you know how many calories are in like a cup of the chicken chili soup ?
Unfortunately, I do not. Sorry. :/
I made something similar to this just last week, coincidentally, and I have to say that it was delicious. I had never tried white bean-chicken-chili (soup) before, I generally just make red and call it a day, and I had never tried cooking with chillies — I was too scared! — but I tried it and it was really good. I like your version with sour cream and lots of cheese better than that one so I am bookmarking this baby!!! Thanks for all you do. I’m a big fan.
You know if it has sour cream and cheese it has to be good, right?! Thanks for stopping by!
Nice soup recipes. Thank you.
You’re welcome! 😀
Looks delish! Picked up the ingredients at the store this am and popped it all in the crockpot. Can’t wait for dinner tonight!
Curious how it turned out, Melissa? I hope you guys liked it as much as we did. 🙂
I emailed you back, but figured I would post it here too b/c I heart your soup so much ; ) It was amazing, my hubby & I agree it is probably one of the most delicious meals I have made in awhile! And I am totally using this as my entry this year in our friends superbowl chili cook-off…is it weird that I am this excited about a soup? LOL! Thanks for the awesome recipe, this is for sure going into our cold weather weekly menu rotation.
Success!! I love hearing that others enjoy a recipe just as much as we do!! And I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that you win the chili cook off!! 😀
Ohhhhhh – I think that I need to make this for dinner tonight. Looks perfect for this chilly fall weather.
You will LOVE it, Gina!! It is seriously so good and so easy to make. 🙂
I have been making this recipe for years! I love it just as much today as the first time I made it… have it printed out and in my recipe binder even ❤
That makes me so happy!! Thank you so much for sharing that 🙂 Glad it made the binder!