Name: White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 large bell pepper, chopped; 1 medium onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 sticks celery, chopped; Approx. 1 pint beans of choice, drained and rinsed; 2 tbsp olive oil, lard, tallow, schmaltz; 2 tsp cumin or paprika; 2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp ground coriander; 2 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp cayenne, optional; 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken, can be from leftover roast chicken, rotisserie, or freshly cooked chicken. White or dark meat can be used.; 1 quart chicken broth; 1 cup sour cream, can omit to make dairy free

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White chicken chili is a staple in our home. We love to use up any leftover roast chicken in this recipe. Or, if all we have is canned chicken, this makes for a really quick convenience meal. Packed with veggies, protein and nourishing homemade bone broth, this is a recipe you’ll feel good about feeding your family.

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What you’ll need to make this white chicken chili recipe

ingredients for white chicken chili on cutting board

Of course you’ll need shredded chicken. We love to use premade chicken to make this recipe super simple. You can also cook up some chicken breasts or thighs earlier in the day if you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand but are still craving some delicious white chicken chili. If you’re short on time, throw the chicken into your Instant pot and pressure cook for about twenty minutes or so.
Chicken bone broth. This is so easy to make, just take chicken bones, veggie scraps, and some seasonings and throw them into a pot. Cover with water and gently simmer over low heat for 24 hours. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and voila! Delicious homemade bone broth that costs practically nothing. You can definitely use store bought bone broth if that’s what you have though 😀
Vegetables – onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery. You can also add in any of your favorite hot peppers. Leave in the seeds if you want it super spicy.
Beans. You can use any you have on hand. It’s easy for us to grow Puerto Rican black beans around our parts so that’s what we use.
Seasonings. Cumin or paprika, coriander, oregano, cayenne, and sea salt.
Sour cream. This is optional so if you need a dairy free chili then just leave this out.

The process

If your chicken isn’t shredded yet, like it might be if your using canned chicken, then go ahead and shred your chicken now.

chopped onions, bell pepper and celery on cutting board

adding chopped veggies to pot for white chicken chili

Once you have the chicken ready, go ahead and start chopping your vegetables. Heat some oil or fat in a large pot. We often use our dutch oven for this. Then, saute the onion, bell pepper and celery for about 8-10 minutes. You want the vegetables to be slightly charred and softened. Then add the minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds or so. If you like your vegetables to be more firm, simply cook them for less time. They won’t be boiled very much so they’ll retain their firmness if that’s desired.

Now that the vegetables are cooked to your liking, go ahead and add all the seasonings and the beans. Make sure that you drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot. Stir until the seasonings are evenly distributed.

sauted veggies mixed with chili seasonings and black beans

adding broth and shredded chicken to pot with sauted veggies

Add in the shredded chicken and the broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes before turning the heat to low. At this point you can add in the sour cream if you are using it.

Serve this with some shredded cheese, chopped green onions, more sour cream, and some cilantro if you like that stuff. You could even add some slices of avocado.

We like to eat this with rice, but you can just eat it as is, or maybe with some tortilla chips?

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes. And as always if you have any questions or suggestions drop those down below.

Happy Cooking! 😀

White Chicken Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Delicious, nourishing, and budget friendly. This white chicken chili is a recipe you'll come back to over and over again, and one you'll be happy to feed your family.

Ingredients

Veggies

1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 sticks celery, chopped
Approx. 1 pint beans of choice, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil, lard, tallow, schmaltz

Seasonings

2 tsp cumin or paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne, optional

Protein & Dairy

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken, can be from leftover roast chicken, rotisserie, or freshly cooked chicken. White or dark meat can be used.
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup sour cream, can omit to make dairy free

Instructions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onions, celery, and bell pepper for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly charred and softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Add in the seasonings and beans. Stir until seasonings are evenly distributed.
Add shredded chicken and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add in sour cream if using. Mix.
Serve with shredded cheese, more sour cream, and cilantro if desired.

Notes

You can add in any of your favorite hot peppers to spice up this chili.

Canned chicken also works really well in this recipe.

You can add more or less broth depending on how soupy you like your chili. You could also opt to add less chicken and more beans if that's what you have on hand.

If using fresh chicken, about 2 chicken breasts will be sufficient for this recipe. You can slow cook the chicken breasts for 2-4 hours or if you need the chicken sooner, pressure cook for 20-25 minutes in Instant Pot. You can add all the juices from the cooked chicken into your chili.