Favorite White Chicken Chili
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Our family’s Favorite White Chicken Chili is a hearty creamy soup perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of spice from cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and green chilies. Serve the easy white chicken chili recipe topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sliced green onions, and cilantro and a side of tortilla chips for dipping.
Sometimes I also like to serve this chili chicken with homemade Mexican Cornbread Muffins (I keep a stash in the freezer for the Winter months). But, don’t feel like you have to add a lot of toppings, because this soup is delicious all on its own!
Favorite White Chicken Chili
I’ve been making this delicious soup for many years, and in fact, it was one of the very first recipes that I posted when I started my blog a little over two years ago.
At that time, I started out by sharing tried and true recipes (which I still aim to do) that my family had always enjoyed. This chili has been the star of many football gatherings and winter sleep-overs around our house.
The recipe originally came from one of our favorite local restaurants, Calhoun’s, and is still the most popular soup on their menu.
Another thing I love about this chili is that it is so EASY to prepare. Often, I’ll toss the ingredients into the Crock Pot in the morning and let it simmer all day for a quick-fix dinner after work.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken — I often use leftover chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken for convenience
- White Northern canned beans —are the perfect white bean for chili; white Cannelini beans are too firm are are not a good substitute.
- Fresh garlic — for flavor
- Diced canned green chilies
- Cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper — add heat and spice
- Chicken broth
- Monterey Jack cheese — stirred in at the end of cooking to create a creamy broth
More easy and delicious soup recipes!
- Nikki’s Pasta e Fagioli — A delicious white bean soup made with ground beef, tomatoes, and ditalini pasta.
- Easy-Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup — Make this soup with a rotisserie chicken or completely from scratch with skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the instant pot.
- Crockpot Taco Soup — No guilt here, just a bowl of deliciousness!
- Easy Homemade Red Chili — I like to serve red chili with corn chips, cheese, diced green onions, and sour cream.
- Easy Brunswick Stew — This delicious soup is quick and hearty!
- 30-Minute Beefy Vegetable Soup — This is a good soup to serve with a classic grilled cheese sandwich.
Let’s cook!
During the cooler months I love making a big pot of soup on the weekends and then pack or freeze the leftovers for lunch during the week. To freeze soups, always be sure to let the soup cool completely and then refrigerate it for a few hours until chilled thoroughly before packaging in resealable bags for the freezer.
I also recently adapted this recipe for the instant pot. The complete instructions are in this post, Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
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Favorite White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 4 oz. can green chilies diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
- 3 cups chicken breast cooked and chopped
- 3 15 oz. cans white Northern beans drained
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium low heat. Sauté the onion until tender. Add garlic, chilies, and spices. Continue to cook and stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, chopped chicken, and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve with your favorite cornbread or tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
Very good. Loved it. I used leftover turkey.
A full teaspoon of cayenne pepper was way too much. I like spicy food, but this was just too spicy to eat. A 1/4 teaspoon would have been plenty heat.
What if I have 32 ounces of Jared white northern beans. Can I use them
The amount of smoke applied to any meat is highly subjective. Hickory or mesquite are much stronger that apple or cherry. My favorite is a mix of hickory and apple wood chips for ribs. I typically apply smoke for the first 2 for this recipe.