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Do you like white chili? If you are not familiar with it, it’s sort of the calmer, nicer cousin of a Texas chili. No frantically looking for something to put out the flames from a beef and habanero fest. White chili is made with white beans, chicken (sometimes pork), and mild green chiles.
(That said, if you must, must have scorching heat in your chili, there are ways to do that while still keeping the chili white. Read through the comments for some ideas.)
Personally I love the flavors of mild Anaheim or hatch green chiles with chicken, white beans, and Monterey jack cheese. It’s like a stew version of my favorite chicken burrito. Great with tortilla chips and your favorite taco toppings.
This chili comes together easily! You can use either canned or dry beans. Dry beans will add a couple hours of cooking time, but it’s almost all hands off time and the flavor of the beans is terrific.
If you use canned beans, pick a good brand. I like Bush’s cannelli beans. S&W has decent flavor too. Some of the organic, low salt canned beans brands are some of the most bland tasting beans ever sold. If you use those, you’ll need to add more salt than you would expect.
Like so many stews, this chili is even better the next day when the flavors have had more chance to meld. The chili will last several days in the fridge. Enjoy!
How to make white chicken chili
White Chili Recipe
If you are starting with dry beans and want even more flavor, cook them in about 7 cups of chicken stock and then when done, use the stock that the beans haven't absorbed as a base for the chili.
Ingredients
- 2 -15-ounce cans white beans, drained OR 1/2 pound dry white beans
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 clove garlic, minced, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can use breast meat, but thighs will work better), trimmed of excess fat and diced into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
If cooking dry beans:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bay leaf
Method
1 If using dry beans, cook them first: Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with a couple inches of hot water, about 2 quarts. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 chopped garlic clove, and one bay leaf. Heat on high to bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to very low to maintain a low simmer.
Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are cooked through and tender (note that cannelli beans will cook faster than navy beans, and older dry beans will take longer to cook than newer). Drain.
2 Sauté onions, garlic, spices: In a large thick-bottomed pot, sauté onions in olive oil on medium high heat until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, cloves, and cayenne and cook a minute more. Add the green chiles and dried oregano. Add the minced jalapeño or serrano chile if using.
3 Add chicken, chicken stock, bring to simmer: Add the chicken and chicken stock. Increase the heat to high, bring to a simmer, lower the heat to low, cover and maintain the simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
4 Add cooked beans, continue to simmer: Add the drained cooked beans and cook for 15 minutes more. Taste for seasonings and add more salt to taste. Depending on how salty your chicken stock and beans are, you may need to add a teaspoon or more.
5 Serve with toppings and tortillas or chips: Serve topped with grated cheese. Garnish with cilantro, chopped fresh tomato, salsa, chopped scallions, and/or guacamole. Serve with fresh warmed flour tortillas or tortilla chips.
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This recipe and method have been updated. First published in December 2005.
Links:
Turkey White Chili here on Simply Recipes, a great chili recipe for leftover holiday roast turkey
Chili con Carne with cubed chuck roast and kidney beans, a classic!
White Chicken Poblano Chili from Homesick Texan
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
White Chili
Made this per the recipe except doubled everything (must have leftovers) and garnished with tomato, green onions, jack cheese, avocado and sour cream. Really good!
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Wonderful recipe! I added more jalepeños to mine. Perfect chili, full of flavor!
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Awesome recipe
Use the thighs
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My family loved it! I boiled the chicken with spices til done, doubled recipe, and didn’t use a jalapeño since my wife can’t take the heat, and cooked it down for around three hours. My parents and grandkids ate it up! My wife couldn’t eat it even though it has no spice as heat is my signature. For cheese we put a heathy dose on and added corn bread. Made close to two gallons.
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Can you tell me how many cups the recipe makes?
Hi Cindy, good question! I don’t know.