Simple White Chicken Chili, From Scratch
Whenever I whip up this simple white chicken chili, it is always accompanied by squeals of delight from our kids. It’s creamy and comforting while also being extremely nourishing and easy to make. It truly checks all the boxes!
While the 80-degree weather may not agree, now that we’ve hit mid-September, I’m craving all the fall things—including cozy soups!
Several years ago, I was chatting with a mom who had 8 adult children, and she said her best piece of advice for feeding a crowd nutritious and budget-friendly meals day in and day out was to get really good at making soup!
I couldn’t agree more.
Whether it’s creamy potato, chicken and rice, broccoli cheddar, butternut squash, or this white chicken chili—the options with soup are endless. They are a great way to stretch meat and broth (especially with the slow cooked chicken we make most every week) and use up all of the homegrown veggies we have stored away.
This simple, creamy white chicken chili uses mostly ingredients that we grow on our homestead—no cans or jars needed! It can easily come together in under 30 minutes if needed, or slow cook all afternoon. Perfect for a simple family meal or double or triple it to feed a crowd.
What Do You Need? – Ingredients in White Chicken Chili with Substitutions
Garlic Cloves – I always prefer using fresh garlic cloves, but dried garlic powder would also work if needed.
Onion – Again, fresh onion is best, but dried onion powder can be substituted.
Poblano Pepper – If you have a garden and have ever grown hot peppers, you know that they tend to grow like gangbusters. This is one of our favorite recipes to use them up. You can also swap fresh or frozen poblano peppers with a can of green chiles.
Heat Stable Cooking Fat – Coconut oil, tallow, lard, or butter are our favorites.
White Beans (Great Northern Beans or Cannellini Beans) – I like to stock up on the dried beans that we don’t grow in bulk from Azure Standard. To cook, soak overnight in water and then bring to a boil and simmer until soft. Alternatively, canned beans (drained) would also work perfectly in this white chicken chili.
Corn – Use fresh, frozen, freeze dried, or canned corn. Any of the above will be great in this simple chili.
Chicken Broth
Chicken
Spices (cumin, paprika, oregano, chili powder, and sea salt) – Feel free to play around and swap spices to use what you have. We like to buy spices in bulk from Azure Standard and refill smaller spice jars to keep in the kitchen.
Heavy Cream – This is something we always have on hand, so it’s the easiest to add to this soup for us. However, cubed cream cheese or sour cream would work as possible substitutes. Half and half could also be swapped; the soup would be slightly less creamy.
How to Make White Chicken Chili
Gather all of the ingredients and begin by chopping the veggies (garlic, onion, pepper).
Pro Tip: Always start by mincing garlic first. Garlic needs 10-15 minutes resting at room temperature to achieve maximum nutrition. If cooked right away, the compound allicin does not have time to form, destroying most of garlic’s main health benefits.
In a medium sized dutch oven (ours is 6.5 quarts), heat cooking fat and sauté the garlic, onion, and pepper over medium to high heat until they are fragrant and start to soften (typically 3-4 minutes).
After veggies are sautéed, set aside. In a blender or food processor, add 2 cups of white beans and around 1.5 cups of broth to the container. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Return the dutch oven to stove and add remaining chicken broth, and bring to boil.
Once a gentle boil is reached, stir in creamy bean/broth mixture, spices, corn, the remaining beans, and chicken.
Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Before serving, mix in cream and stir until completely incorporated.
We love to top this chicken chili with shredded cheese, avocado slices, sour cream, and chopped green onions. It also pairs perfectly with a side of cornbread.
How to Store White Chicken Chili?
– Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Can I freeze white chicken chili?
– Yes, but it is best to freeze before adding the cream. When reheating, add cream before serving.
Simple White Chicken Chili Recipe
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:
– 1 onion, diced
– 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced
– 1 tbsp heat stable cooking fat (i.e. coconut oil, lard, tallow)
– 4 cups chicken broth (divided)
– 1-½ tsp chili powder
– ½ tsp cumin
– ½ tsp paprika
– ½ tsp oregano
– 1-½ tsp sea salt
– 1.5 cups corn (fresh, frozen, dried, or canned)
– 4 cups white beans or 2 cans, drained (divided)
– 3 cups chicken, chopped
– 1-½ cups heavy cream
– Optional for serving: shredded cheese, avocado slices, sour cream, green onions
Directions:
1. Heat cooking fat over medium to high heat in a dutch oven and sauté garlic, onion, and peppers until soft and fragrant (3-4 minutes)
2. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend 2 cups beans with 1.5 cups of chicken broth until smooth and creamy.
4. Return the pot back to medium to high heat and add remaining 2.5 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil.
5. Once boiling, add creamy bean/broth mixture, spices (1-½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp oregano, 1-½ tsp sea salt), corn, remaining beans, and chicken.
6. Let chili simmer for 10-15 minutes at low-medium heat.
7. Before serving, stir in cream until everything is warmed through and fully incorporated.
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More hearty soups that you will love:
Simple White Chicken Chili
Whenever I whip up this simple white chicken chili, it is always accompanied by squeals of delight from our kids. It’s creamy and comforting while also being extremely nourishing and easy to make. It truly checks all the boxes!
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp heat stable cooking fat (i.e. coconut oil, lard, tallow)
- 4 cups chicken broth (divided)
- 1-½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1-½ tsp sea salt
- 1.5 cups corn (fresh, frozen, dried, or canned)
- 4 cups white beans or 2 cans, drained (divided)
- 3 cups chicken, chopped
- 1-½ cups heavy cream
- Optional for serving: shredded cheese, avocado slices, sour cream, green onions
Instructions
- Heat cooking fat over medium to high heat in a dutch oven and sauté garlic, onion, and peppers until soft and fragrant (3-4 minutes)
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, blend 2 cups beans with 1.5 cups of chicken broth until smooth and creamy.
- Return the pot back to medium to high heat and add remaining 2.5 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Once boiling, add creamy bean/broth mixture, spices (1-½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp oregano, 1-½ tsp sea salt), corn, remaining beans, and chicken.
- Let chili simmer for 10-15 minutes at low-medium heat.
- Before serving, stir in cream until everything is warmed through and fully incorporated.
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