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Sometimes I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to decide the proper name for a recipe. Like this recipe. A couple weeks ago I told a friend that I was making this white chicken chili to which she replied “white chicken? so the chicken’s white? Or the beans are white?” So, I debated calling this chili ‘White Bean Chicken Chili’ or ‘Chicken White Bean Chili’. But, I’ve always called this ‘White Chicken Chili’ so we’re going with that. (it was important for you to know all of that).
We’re pretty big fans of chili in my house. Typically traditional chili but I like to mix things up sometimes.
This white chicken chili is a bit spicy, very flavorful, and SO satisfying.
How to Make White Chicken Chili
There’s not much to this chili and for that, I’m pretty thankful. Chicken and onion are cooked in a big pot until juuuust done. Add in the garlic and saute for an additional minute.
Then the spices, jalapeno, and green chile are dumped in. This is sauteed for just another couple minutes before the broth is added. Let that all simmer for 15 minutes so that all the flavors can become friends in the pot.
While still on low heat, continue to stir until the cheese is nice and melty and your chili now has a lovely creamy white color. Finally, the corn, cilantro, and beans are added. I used 2 different kinds of beans for this: cannellini and great northern white beans.
I add in half of each can of beans. The other half is processed to a creamy consistency and then added into the chili as well. This part is optional. I really like creamy soups and chilis but, again, you don’t really need to process the beans if you don’t want to.
This pot of goodness simmers on low for about another 20 minutes.
I love the cheesy creaminess of this chili!
It was also pretty spicy. If you aren’t a fan of spice, I would omit the jalapeno and/ or the cayenne in this recipe.
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken breast, diced into small cubes
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon of olive/ coconut oil
- 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can of green chiles
- 1 medium jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons of oregano
- ½ teaspoon of cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- 8 ounces of monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup of frozen, or fresh corn
- ½ cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cans of white beans, I used 1 can cannellini and 1 can great northern
- Juice of half a lime, ~a tablespoon
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and then add in the chopped chicken and onion.
- Cook until the chicken is just barely done and then add in the garlic to saute for an additional minute.
- Add in the green chiles, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, and cayenne. Stir and cook for another couple minutes.
- Pour the broth into the pot, stir, and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
- Still on low heat, stir in the cheese continuing to stir until mostly melted and combined.
- **Optional: process/ puree HALF of the white beans to create a creamier chili.
- Now add in the beans (both the whole beans and the processed beans), the corn, and the cilantro. Stir. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Before serving stir in lime juice. And Salt & pepper to taste
- Top with a tiny bit more cheese and cilantro and ENJOY!!
yummmmmmmm. i am still jealous of your cilantro-chopping skillz.
I LOVE chili of any kind :) I have never cooked white chicken chili tho myself–must try!
Tori
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