Best White Chicken Chili Recipe

Readers agree, this 30 minute, easy White Chicken Chili recipe is “ahhhmazing!,” “excellent!” and “THE BEST chili I’ve ever made.” It’s creamy, comforting, hearty and deeply satisfying elevated by chicken bouillon, sweet corn, creamed corn, salsa verde and cilantro. This quick White Chicken Chili is ideal for weeknight dinners, fabulous for crowds and tastes even better the next day for meal prep or stress free entertaining.

WATCH: How to make White Chicken Chili (EASY!)

Chicken broth: use low sodium broth so we can control the salt. The canned beans are fairly high in sodium, so using a low-sodium broth helps prevent the chili from being overly salty and it allows to amp up the flavor with chicken bouillon. Chicken bouillon: please do not skip! Knorr® Granulated Chicken Bouillon is a secret ingredient that adds tons of flavor. It is essentially dehydrated vegetables, chicken stock, a small portion of fat, salt, and seasonings AKA it is salt with flavor! Salsa verde: I use salsa verde instead of green chilies because it boasts TONS of flavor. It is mildly tart, citrusy, bright, and tangy. It is typically made of roasted tomatillos, serrano or jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, lime juice and cilantro all blended together for you. You can use my spectacular homemade salsa verde recipe or salsa verde can be found in jars next to the other salsas at your grocery store. Make sure you use MILD salsa verde so there is wiggle room with the spice level. White beans: you can use either cannellini beans (white kidney beans) or Great Northern Beans. Cannellini bean are a little larger but they are both creamy, tender, and nutty Corn: I use canned corn but you may also use frozen corn but add it towards the end of cooking, just so it has time to warm through, otherwise it can breakdown. If you happen to be making this recipe when fresh corn is in season, then you can use corn from 2 ears of corn. Cream-style corn: makes the soup extra creamy with the added bonus of subtle sweet cream flavor to balance the salsa verde. Onion: half a large yellow onion or you may substitute the onion with 1 teaspoon onion powder for an easy, no chopping soup. The salsa verde already has some onion in it, but we want more 😉, same with the garlic. Garlic cloves: you can substitute the garlic with 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Jalapeno: remove the seeds and the veins of the jalapeno because they are super spicy. You’ll only want to add a jalapeno if you want a spicy soup because the salsa verde already has a kick. Half and half: I often don’t keep half and half on hand, but I do keep heavy cream on hand. If you’re like me, you can substitute the half and half with half cream and half milk. For a lighter alternative, you may substitute the half and half with evaporated milk mixed with 1 additional tablespoon cornstarch. Flour: helps thicken the soup by creating a roux. You may substitute with gluten free all-purpose flour. Seasonings: ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano and salt round out the flavor profile.

Step 1: Sear chicken

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drying the chicken allows the seasonings to stick. Sear chicken in a large Dutch oven/soup pot until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate but leave drippings. Searing the chicken results in the Maillard reaction, in which amino acids and reducing sugars produce browning, and as we know, color= flavor! The delicious brown bits left in the bottom of the pan will season the entire White Chicken Chili as they permeate the broth.

Step 2: Sauté aromatics

Sauté the onions and jalapenos for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and cook an additional 1 minute while stirring (it will be thick). The flour creates a roux which thickens the soup and then we’ll add half and half later to make the soup thick and creamy.

Step 3: Add soup ingredients

Add chicken back to the pot followed by white beans, creamed corn, corn, salsa verde, chicken bouillon and all seasonings. Whisk cornstarch with 1 cup of chicken broth and stir in. Add remaining chicken broth. The cornstarch will further thicken the soup without having to add more flour which would mean adding more butter.

Step 4: Simmer soup

Next, we simmer the White Bean Chicken Chili for 12-15 minutes in order to develop and meld the flavors and for the chicken to cook until juicy and tender in the bubbly broth. The technique of cooking chicken covered and gently simmered until cooked through is known as poaching. I LOVE this fool proof method for cooking chicken as the moist heat gently cooks the chicken and prevents it from overcooking too quickly so you get succulent, tender chicken every time – as long as you don’t overcook your chicken which is pretty hard to do. That being said, I recommend checking your chicken right at 12 minutes or even earlier if you have extra thin chicken thighs. You will know they are ready when they easily shred with a fork.

Step 5: Make it Creamy!

At this point the chili will be very thick. Now it’s our chance to make it thick and creamy by adding half and half and cilantro for flavor.

Step 6: Adjust to taste

As with every recipe, it is important to adjust to taste. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and/or lime juice to taste. Serve with sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, chopped avocados and cilantro.

Cream cheese: soften 4 oz. cubed cream cheese and stir it into the chili over low heat until fully melted. Cheese: stir in freshly shredded Monterrey Jack cheese until melted. Cornstarch: remove about ¼ cup chili and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with a fork until smooth then whisk it back into the soup. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Repeat if needed. Flour: remove about ½ cup chili and whisk in 2-4 tablespoons flour with a fork until smooth then whisk it back into the soup. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Repeat if needed. Creamed corn: add an additional can of creamed corn. Puree beans: add cannellini beans to a blender along with some of the soup. Puree until smooth to create a paste. Stir back into the soup and warm through.

Sour cream: a must in my book! It adds a wonderful creaminess but most importantly, cuts through the richness and tanginess of the soup. You can also use fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt. Cheese: Monterrey Jack, sharp cheddar or Pepper Jack for added heat. Use freshly grated cheese for superior taste and melting ability. Crushed tortilla chips: you can’t beat the CRUNCH of salty, chips or strips! Cilantro: chopped cilantro adds a fresh, zesty flair. Lime juice: the salsa verde is pretty tangy so you probably won’t need it, but you can always add more for a zippier soup. Avocado: chopped or sliced avocados add a wonderful creaminess. Hot Sauce: pass around the hot sauce so individuals can customize the heat. Sliced jalapenos: also a fabulous topping for those who want more heat.

Prep Ahead. You can trim your chicken, chop your onions, jalapenos and garlic and prep all your topping ahead of time. Use chicken thighs. This White Chicken Chili recipe will work with chicken breasts or chicken thighs, but for best flavor use chicken thighs or shredded rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken. Stock shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken portioned into 3 cup freezer bags so you always have chicken ready to add to any soup, casserole or pasta. Stir often. The soup can stick to the bottom and burn while it’s simmering because it’s quite thick, so you’ll want to stir often so the bottom doesn’t burn. Make it less thick. I love my soup thick and creamy BUT the consistency is totally up to you! For a thinner soup, simply add additional chicken broth. Season to taste. Spice it up with hot sauce or cayenne pepper, add lime juice for more tanginess, add Knorr® Granulated Chicken Bouillon to enhance the flavors.

Add rice. Add 1 cup of long grain white rice after the chicken has been cooking for 5 minutes and simmer for 8-12 minutes. You will need to add additional chicken broth to accommodate the rice. Use rotisserie chicken. To make this recipe even easier, skip searing the chicken thighs and sub in shredded rotisserie chicken instead. Swap protein. Substitute the chicken with ground beef or ground turkey and brown with the onions. Make it vegetarian. Omit the chicken and add an extra can of beans. Add vegetables. Add any of your favorite veggies such as bell peppers, zucchini, chayote, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc. Add cream cheese. Omit the cornstarch and add 4 oz. softened cream cheese to the chili at the end of cooking. Add sour cream. Stir sour cream directly into the chili instead of individual servings. Make non-creamy chili. Omit the flour and cornstarch and replace the half and half with chicken broth. Make it cheesy. Stir Monterrey Jack cheese directly into the soup. Make it spicy. Stir in hot sauce or cayenne pepper to amp up the heat. Swap in canned mild diced green chilies. Substitute the salsa verde for 2 cans of mild diced green chilies and add 2 cups chicken broth. The chili won’t be quite the same because salsa verde is tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, etc. all in one, but if diced green chilies are all you have on hand, it will still be tasty. Beans. You can try pinto beans, garbanzo, beans, etc.