I have other White Chicken Chili recipes here, so I’m not really sure how I got inspired to make this one. A hint of fall coming, maybe? Yep. I said it. Fall. I’m not too happy about fall coming but I’m glad I made this Easy White Chicken Chili. It’s seriously delish.
Easy White Chicken Chili
I know it’s August now, but sometimes here in the Twin Cities, we can get a few cold, blustery days towards the end of the month or the beginning of September. It never lasts, though, but you can def feel a taste of what’s to come.
About Easy White Chicken Chili:
One of the nice things about a white chili is it seems lighter than standard old red chili so it feels like it can span the seasons a little better.
This chili is especially nice. It’s not as rich as my Creamy White Chicken Chili and not as serious as my Chipotle Chicken Chili. And it’s a little more comforting and quicker than my Slow Cooker/Instant Pot White Chicken Chili. And we can’t forget my Barbecue Chicken Chili.
So see, it’s true: everything has a season! And hey, not only is there always room for one more White Chicken Chili at my house, but each has its own personality and place in my repertoire.
This is just simple, down-home deliciousness with a lot of flavor and just a hint of heat from the green chiles and a bit of the bite from the chili powders. Choose your heat level ranging from the milder Ancho to the zippy Chipotle powder. If you’re a follower, you know which one I chose! Yep. Both, lol!!
Making Easy White Chicken Chili:
The recipe is a chicken version of Colorado Green Chili like I learned to make from my years in that state, maybe just a little less green chile forward and with beans for a little heartiness. It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but quite a few are spices and one is even water! It’s super quick and easy.
To make it even easier, I usually start with leftover chicken. When I make chicken for dinner, I make a little extra. That gives a head start on recipes that begin with cooked chicken. I give you instructions to start from scratch with raw chicken, too, so no worries if you’re not sitting on a stash of cooked chicken!
Any yes, rotisserie chicken works, too, although, from a budget standpoint, I would never recommend it. Read the math about rotisserie chickens in my post Rotisserie Chicken, No Rotisserie Needed or my post Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad.
Easy White Chicken Chili uses canned beans for two reasons: One coz it’s easy, and the other for the starch residue in the canned product. I rinse two of the cans of beans but leave two unrinsed. That’s going to add a good amount of body to your chili without a big investment in time. I like this particular chili nice and thick but there is a range of beans and liquid in the recipe so you can go lighter if you wish.
Garnish with your favorite items: cheese, sour cream, and whatever else suits your fancy. And you can’t go wrong serving this with tortillas or even better, a little cornbread. It will really make this chili feel like a meal.
Easy White Chicken Chili
Storing and Reheating the Chili:
When storing a heavy, dense dish, add it to the fridge after cooling, don’t cover it until chilled. It will cool down faster.
When reheating, add more liquid if needed. It’s a judgment call and it will be difficult to tell how much until it has started reheating. Reheat on the stove or the microwave, gently stirring often. Be careful not to turn it to mush.
Chili freezes well. Thaw overnight in the fridge or microwave on defrost before reheating so it doesn’t overcook.
Saving Money on Ingredients:
Easy White Chicken Chili can easily be stretched by adding more beans and stock. The lowly bean is super healthy. Soaking and rinsing beans (and eating them regularly) eliminates common issues.
To see what might be on sale before any holiday, see my post Win at the Grocer.
- Beans: Canned beans are cheap but dried beans are cheaper. A pound of beans equals about 3 standard 15-ounce cans. Dried beans are often on sale around any holiday whether ham is normally served.
- Stock: It pays to make your own Chicken Stock with bones and scraps, but if you don’t, buy your stock during the glut of sales over the Winter Holidays and before Easter.
- Chicken: Never pay full price on any chicken; it goes on sale often, usually reaching a low about once a quarter, and freezes well. Know your prices and stock up when it’s at rock bottom.
- Cheese: It goes on sale so often at the regular grocery, its easy to keep stocked with sales-priced cheese. Discount stores have great pricing, too. Cheese keeps for weeks in the fridge, unopened. It may be frozen but will be crumbly upon being thawed, suitable only for things like casseroles.
- Sour Cream: Is on sale often at the regular grocery, especially before holidays. You’ll find great prices at the discount groceries. Unopened it has a long shelf life, but once opened, store it upside down. Keep it clean with clean utensils and cover between dips.
- Green Chiles: Cans of Green Chile are often on sale unadvertised, and usually at a low before Cinco de Mayo. If you’d prefer, roast a poblano under the broiler, on a sheet pan covered with foil, blistering the skin. Wrap in the foil, steaming it, and when cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and remove the seeds. One poblano roughly equals a can of green chile.
Easy White Chicken Chili
Easy White Chicken Chili
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Mexican or Southwestern
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked shredded boneless chicken breast (see note)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder for some heat, or ancho for a milder taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
- 3 to 4 (15.5-ounce) cans white beans, 2 rinsed and drained, the other(s) drained but not rinsed and any starchy residue from the can added (see note)
- 1 (14-ounce) can chicken stock or the equivalent of homemade
- 1/2 to 1 cup water, optional if needed
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and when shimmering, add onion to the pan. Cook for several minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, a minute more. Stir in cumin, and chili powders, and cook until mixture looks dry, a minute or two.
Add the green chilis, beans, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and gently simmer for about 10 minutes. With a potato masher, mash beans to desired consistency. Add a little water to bring to a preferred consistency. Add chicken and simmer gently for about 10 more minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and green onions.
Any leftover chili may need to be thinned a bit with water when being reheated as the chili will thicken a bit upon standing.
Notes:
- If you do not have any cooked chicken, use boneless, skinless chicken breast and poach in the chicken stock until done and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from broth to cool. Shred and set aside. Measure the broth and add a little water to bring it back up to the original 14 ounces, then use it in the recipe as directed.
- The starchy, salty beans add a thickness to the chili. If you’re watching your sodium intake, feel free to rinse.
Find it online: https://frugalhausfrau.com/2017/08/18/easy-white-chicken-chili/
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I’m toting this recipe over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday #185, hosted this week by Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen and Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipes.
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