White Bean and Chicken Chili
Shredded chicken, white northern beans, corn, and fire-roasted chiles flavor this quick and easy White Bean and Chicken Chili. Serve with cornbread for a hearty weeknight meal!
Creating This Easy White Bean Chicken Chili
If you think chili can only be made with ground beef, think again! This white bean and chicken chili is loaded with shredded chicken and white beans — you won’t miss the beef one bit!
A lot of stovetop white chicken chili recipes call for heavy cream, cream cheese, or a combination of the two to create the chili’s signature creamy consistency. However, I wanted to create a slightly healthier take on classic white bean chili.
Instead of using heavy cream or cream cheese, I made a simple roux using flour, butter, and oil. The roux thickens the chili and makes it ultra creamy without loading it down with cheese or fat.
White Bean and Chicken Chili Ingredients
For this easy white bean chicken chili recipe, you’ll need the following pantry staples:
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Chicken breasts
- White northern beans
- Corn
- Fire-roasted green chiles
- All-purpose flour
- Dried herbs and spices
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make White Bean and Chicken Chili
This is a super simple stovetop chili recipe that takes less than an hour to prepare. Win!
- Saute the onion in butter and olive oil until translucent and tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
- Combine flour and spices. Add to the onion mixture and stir to combine.
- Slowly add broth, stirring to eliminate any lumps.
- Add beans, corn, and green chiles.
- Add chicken breasts and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Then, take the chicken out and shred it, placing it back in the soup.
- Serve topped with diced tomato and sliced green onion or cilantro.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Yes! White bean chicken chili lasts up to five days in the fridge and reheats like a dream in the microwave or on the stovetop.
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili
This creamy white bean and chicken chili pairs well with crusty bread or rolls, or a side salad. Here are some sides to serve with the white chicken chili:
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
Tips for the Best White Bean Chicken Chili
- Don’t drain the beans before adding them to the pot. Add them straight in!
- After the chicken has been added to the chili, simmer it just until the chicken is done. If you over cook the chicken, it will turn tough and chewy and be hard to shred.
- I like to serve my white bean chicken chili with cubed avocado, fresh cilantro, scallions, and / or crushed tortilla chips.
More Easy Chili Recipes:
Our go-to classic, meaty chili is this recipe for Beefy Kidney Bean Chili. It is great served over baked potatoes for a chili baked potato bar idea.
‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin! If that’s your thing, you’ll definitely want to check out this Pumpkin Black Bean Turkey Chili, it is a thick, flavorful chili that is a little less on the tomato-y side. It has the bonus of being loaded with extra vegetables in the form of pureed pumpkin.
Roasted butternut squash, roasted corn, and fire roasted tomatoes pair with black beans in this hearty, 7 ingredient meatless Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean Chili.
Another favorite vegetarian chili is this Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili, or as I called it in the original post, “emergency chili,” because it saved dinner time in a pinch.
For a super rich and decadent chili, try this Braised Short Rib and Bacon Chili. It has chunks of tender beef short ribs, peppers, and kidney beans, in a thick chili base.
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White Bean Chicken Chili
Shredded chicken, white northern beans, corn, and fire-roasted chiles flavor this quick and easy White Bean and Chicken Chili. Serve with cornbread for a hearty weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 – 15 oz cans white northern beans
- 1 – 15 oz can corn, drained
- 1 – 4oz can fire-roasted green chiles, diced
Instructions
- Saute onion in butter and olive oil for 5-7 minutes, or until translucent and tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
- Combine flour through salt. Add to onion and stir to combine. Slowly add broth, stirring to eliminate any lumps.
- Add beans, undrained, corn, and green chiles. Add chicken breasts and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
- Then, take the chicken out and shred it, placing it back in the soup.
- Serve topped with diced tomato and sliced green onion or cilantro.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 286Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 765mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 9gSugar: 4gProtein: 21g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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