It’s easy to cook a big pot of this award winning white chicken chili, and it’s the absolute best! Tender chicken, chilies, white beans, spices and a few more goodies in this winning recipe.
Winning the office chili contest is an annual objective for my husband. Eddie has a really great, very meaty chili recipe that he’s been perfecting over time. Last year Eddie’s chili took first place and time before he came in second. In both cases the contest was decided by one vote and in both cases the other contender was his colleague Dean.
When Dean’s white chicken chili took first place, Eddie came home with his empty pot a bit dispirited by his second place status but couldn’t stop raving about the winning chili. I said “let’s invite Dean over for chili — his chili!”
THE BEST White Chicken Chili Ever!!!
Dean came over and cooked chili for us and it was INCREDIBLE – rich, creamy, flavorful, loaded with tender chicken and white beans, and just the right amount of heat. Easy to see why this chili is always a favorite at the office chili cook-off.
How to make Award Winning White Chicken Chili:
There are multiple layers of delicious flavor and spice in Dean’s white chicken chili. The first layer is baked right into the chicken.
Cumin, chile powder, a bit of cayenne and salt are spread over boneless chicken breasts and they go into a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes.
While they bake you can get the rest of the chili cooking – onions, garlic, beans, broth, chili peppers, spices.
The cooked chicken is shredded and simmered for a bit with everything else.
Then, for the final (knock-your-socks-off) layer, shredded cheese and sour cream get stirred into the mix. And the result is truly spectacular! This white chicken chili is one of those savor-every-bite kind of dishes.
Now, I have to admit that I tweaked Dean’s recipe the tiniest bit in this area of cheese and sour cream. I stayed with the quantity of cheese and sour cream that Dean prescribed but I only added half of each into the soup. I left the other half for adding as a garnish. My reasoning for doing this?
- Firstly, after I made this chili a few times and experimented a bit, I discovered that it’s still totally amazing with only half the cheese and sour cream.
- Secondly, I love adding exciting garnishes to the top of my chili, so better to reserve lots of cheese and sour cream for that.
I can also appreciate that many of you may want to follow Dean’s white chicken chili recipe to the T and so I’ve explained how you can do that, if you wish. Delirious food happiness will be yours no matter which version you choose.
Dean and Eddie have been work associates for many years, and over that time he and his wife Kathy have become our friends. But even as a friend, Dean was extremely generous to share his secret winning white chicken chili recipe with us and with the world (PTG’s followers).
I am so appreciative! Also, how about a friend who you invite to dinner and he brings all the groceries and does all the cooking? Dean is the best! Thank you Dean!
Dean’s white chicken chili is great for a crowd and just the thing for Sunday football.
It’s also perfect if you’re looking for a delicious festive dish that you can make ahead. It will keep for several days in the fridge. Just remember to reheat it slowly and gently.
Exciting news flash – Eddie’s award-winning pork and beef chili recipe is now on the blog!
Also, check out Eddie’s other great recipes on Panning The Globe: Eddie’s olive bread, Eddie’s linzertorte, Eddie’s Swinging Sultan Cocktail, and Eddie’s Perfect Manhattan, Eddie’s Basil Vodka Gimlet
Here’s the recipe for Dean’s award winning white chicken chili. If you make it I hope you’ll come back to leave a star rating and a comment and let us know how it turned out!
PrintAward Winning White Chicken Chili
Spicy and delicious white chicken chili!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chile powder,*divided
- 3 tablespoons cumin, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 3 cups chopped onion (2 medium)
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic or more if you love garlic (4–5 large cloves)
- 3 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
- 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles (hot or mild, depending on your preference)
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 4–6 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 6 cups shredded cheese, divided (half Monterey Jack, half cheddar)
- 2 cups sour cream, divided
- Garnish:
- Chopped scallions
- Chopped cilantro leaves
- Your favorite hot sauce
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- • A note on chili powder: One of my secrets to great chili is to use two or three different chili powders for a great depth of flavor. For this chili I used New Mexican and Chipotle chile powders.
Instructions
- Spice and Roast the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread chicken out in a roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch or two of cayenne. Roast for 30 minutes. Shred or cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Cook the Chili: In a large pot heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, until tender. Add beans, shredded chicken, chilies, oregano, 2 tablespoons chile powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more, to taste). Add 4 cups of chicken broth, reserving the rest for thinning the chili to your desired consistency. Stir to combine and simmer gently on low for 20 minutes. (to keep the chicken tender, do not let the pot boil)
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes or so before proceeding. With the pot still off the heat, stir 3 cups of cheese into the pot, 1 cup at a time. Then stir in 1 cup of sour cream. (Or for Dean’s richer, creamier version, add all 6 cups of cheese to the pot and 2 cups of sour cream) Bring the pot back to a gentle simmer over low heat (to keep the dairy products from separating, don’t boil). Simmer the chili for 15-20 minutes, adjusting with additional chicken broth, if you like. A method I like to use for great added texture is to use a potato-masher in the pot to mash half the chicken and beans. Then stir to combine with the rest.
- Serve chili in bowls with garnishes on top or on the side.
Notes
Nutritional information for this white chicken chili recipe is calculated assuming you’re following the lighter version of the recipe.
Nutrition Information shown is an estimate calculated by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
Keywords: chicken chili, award winning chili, white bean and chicken chili
[Originally published January 2016. Updated September 2018. Same delicious recipe with added nutritional information]
Karen
September 12, 2019 at 5:52 pmThank you for replying fast. I have never tasted such a delicious soup, and Im a soup snob!
We dealt with the clumps of cheese because flavor trumps clumps! I did not add any of the Chile’s or heat because we can tolerate, and the soup still was a hit. Leftovers were heated next day and because I wished to deviur another bowl, I could not wait for it to get hot. Lets just say…Eating it cold and having intense flavor tells you the soup is great.
Lisa
September 13, 2019 at 3:23 pmOh Karen this makes me happy. Haha, flavor trumps clumps, love it. I’m so glad you enjoyed despite the pitfalls 🙂
Katen
September 9, 2019 at 5:46 pmNeed some help. Made everything as written when I added the cheese it just melted in stringy for and never incorporated into the soup base. It just is floating in strands and clumps here and there.
I tried cooking longer and the cheese just clings to my spoon. What did I do wrong. I used a good quality cheese that I normally would use and never have trouble with it melting in other dishes. Goid thing this was not for company or it would have been conversation for the night.
Lisa
September 11, 2019 at 1:06 pmOh no. I’m sorry your cheese separated. Generally when that happens it’s because the chili is too hot when the cheese is stirred in. But if you kept the chili at a very gentle simmer and then let it cool for a while before slowly adding the cheese, one cup at a time, that shouldn’t have happened.
Is it possible that you used low-fat or part-skim cheese? Low-fat dairy is less stable when heated.
Again, I’m very sorry your chili was a disappointment. If you want to give it another try, I suggest you make sure you’re using full-fat cheese and also try letting the chili cool for longer before adding the cheese. Then, once the cheese is added, be sure to simmer the chili on low heat, never letting it come to a boil. I hope that helps. L
Lynn
September 8, 2019 at 12:09 pmJust tasted the final product. Anticipating rave reviews!
★★★★★
Laurie
September 8, 2019 at 12:00 amThis was a huge hit at the office. So many compliments!! Thank you for posting and sharing!
★★★★★
Doris Smith
September 4, 2019 at 7:00 pmThis is my second time making this chili. It’s the best. I added Monterey, extra sharp and white cheddar cheese. DELICIOUS. Thanks
Tiffany
June 28, 2019 at 11:03 amI adapted to the slow cooker by adding all of the ingredients, except the cheese and sour cream to the slow cooker and cooking on low for 8.5 hours. I then shredded the chicken and added the cheese and sour cream before serving – cut down on prep time and still came out great!
★★★★
Erin
March 24, 2019 at 8:09 pmAmazing! I never leave reviews but this was awesome! To make it easy I used a bbq rotisserie chichen and it was awesome! Thanks!
★★★★★