Panning The Globe

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Award Winning White Chicken Chili

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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.It's easy to cook a big pot of this award winning white chicken chili, and it's the absolute BEST white chicken chili! Tender chicken, chilies, white beans, spices and a few more goodies in this winning white chicken chili 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!”

Eddie watches Dean make his award-winning white chicken chili

There are multiple layers of delicious flavor and spice in Dean’s 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.

Baked chicken for white chicken chili

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.

white-chicken-chili-before-cheese

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! 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 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.

white-chicken-chili-in-pot

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 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!

Champions of Chili

Dean’s 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.

Award winning white chicken chili • Panning The Globe

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.

Here’s the recipe for Dean’s award winning white chicken chili. If you make it I hope you’ll come back and let us know how it turned out!

Print

Award Winning White Chicken Chili

It's easy to cook a big pot of this award winning white chicken chili, and it's the absolute BEST white chicken chili! Tender chicken, chilies, white beans, spices and a few more goodies in this winning white chicken chili recipe.

★★★★★

4.9 from 23 reviews

Spicy and delicious chicken and white bean chili!

  • Author: Panning The Globe, adapted from Dean's Award Winning Chili Recipe
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Yield: 6-8
  • Category: Main Dish
  • 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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)
  3. 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.
  4. Serve chili in bowls with garnishes on top or on the side.

Award Winning White Chicken Chili Recipe • Panning The Globe

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hope you got through the big storm ok and I hope you enjoyed the chili Stefanie! I often enjoy being snowed in, as long as I have something delicious and comforting cooking!

      Reply

  2. This sounds great, but one tiny aspect of the recipe brings out the pedantic jerk in me: in my dialect “chili powder” includes broth ground chiles and other stuff (e.g. cumin), whereas “chile powder” is powdered dry chiles. Your note about using multiple kinds makes me think you’re thinking of “chile powder”, but the ingredients list specifies “chili powder”. Ok, I’ll take a chill(i/e) pill now. 🙂

    Reply

    • Jane…I had to look “pedantic” up, so thank you for teaching me a new word. Also…I didn’t know about chile/chili either! Thanks again!

      Lisa…I can’t wait to try your recipe!

      Reply

  4. Looks great, I am definitely trying this. I would be careful though, as 3 Tablespoons of Cumin is quite a lot and can overpower the other flavors. You can always add more if necessary, but I have ruined a meatloaf with 1 tablespoon of cumin (and I love spicy food.)
    Thanks for another great recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. The game didn’t turn out as we hoped, but the chili did! Great recipe Lisa, Ed and Dean! And thanks to my wife Carol for bringing to life! Now I get to clean up and think and reflect on a great season of football.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Too bad the football didn’t turn out the way you (and I) wanted it to. But on a happier note, I’m really glad you enjoyed the chili! Thank you for leaving a comment!

      Reply

        • I don’t think this is a good dish for cooking in a crock pot Cora, because it only needs to cook for a short time. If you want to get this on the table quickly, perhaps you can roast and shred the chicken the day before and keep it in the fridge.Then it will take you only about 45 minutes to make the chili, start to finish. I hope this helps!

          Reply

          • Hey Lisa,

            If I make this recipe can I then put it in a crock pot and take it to the office for the chilli cook off the next day?

            Thanks for the help and it looks so good.

            Reply

            • Hi Josh, yes you definitely can! You can refrigerate it overnight and then heat it in the slow cooker. Just be sure to heat it on low. Good luck with the cook off!

              Reply

  8. I tried white chili for the first time a few months ago and now I’m hooked. This version looks fabulous – simple but with enough complexity in the flavoring to make it special. I love your tip about including various types of chile powders to provide a “layered”chile flavor.

    Reply

  10. Sounds wonderful … on the menu for this week. And yes, I’d love to have Eddie’s recipe too! Thanks very much.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. I made this weekend for my family and needless to say they were awe struck! The flavors are amazing and delicious. Cant wait to make this again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  16. Almost done w/ my first batch, can’t wait to try it tonight! Instead of canned chiles, I used 4 chopped jalapeño peppers & 2 poblano peppers, adding them in with the onions and garlic to get nice and mushy. Also, to save time when making this again, I made a big batch of the entire spice mix: 1 jar Cumin, 1 jar Chilli Powder, 1 jar Chipotle Pepper, 5T. Oregano, 2tsp, cayenne, and 1 T. sea salt. ….. I used 2T. of this mix for roasting the chicken, then 3T. into the pot w/ onions, garlic, & chilies.

    Reply

  17. I made this over the weekend and it was delicious. So easy and everyone loved it. I had a little trouble mashing the beans, so it was a little soupy. Then I had the idea to crush up some tortilla chips ( I was serving them on the side) and mix them in with the chili. It thickened it up and gave it great flavor. Perfect for a windy and chilly Sunday afternoon. Thanks for another delicious and easy recipe Lisa!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  18. This looks and sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it. If I want to make it for a potluck, can I make it the night before, minus the cheese and sour cream, reheat it in the crockpot and add the cheese and sour cream 15-30 minutes before serving?

    Reply

    • Hi Jen, yes you definitely can do it that way! You can also make the whole thing and reheat it, as long as you reheat it slowly and make sure it doesn’t boil. Enjoy!!

      Reply

  19. Excellent recipe! We all enjoyed it-including all my kids 🙂 Half of us are vegetarian so I split the recipe in 2 & made half according to the instructions & half I made vegetarian by subbing frozen white corn & extra beans for the chicken (& used vegetable broth for both pots because that’s what I had). Really great, both the original & the vegetarian version were well received. Thank you for posting it-will definitely make it again!

    Reply

    • For little kids I would leave out the cayenne and either buy mild chili powder or cut the amount of chili powder in half. Plus, if you’re adding the full amount of cheese and sour cream, that will cut the heat quite a bit.

      Reply

  22. Hi Lisa, if I make this the night before our office party, could I bring it in the crock pot and reheat at office the next day? Would I reheat on warm or low? Suggestions for how long? Worried about the dairy separating. Thanks for any tips!!! Super excited to make this. 🙂

    Reply

    • Kelly, you should be fine to heat it in the crock pot. The only concern is if you boil it – then the dairy separates. But the slow and gently heat of a crock pot is the perfect way to reheat. Enjoy!

      Reply

  23. I don’t normally comment on bloggers/recipes because I normally make so many modifications that it goes against the integrity of the recipe. However, I made this and can’t hold my tongue….so delicious!!!! Didn’t change a thing (except halved recipe and added avocado as a garnish). Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

    • I’m so happy that you enjoyed the chili so much! And I really appreciate that you took the time to leave a comment. It really makes my day to get great feedback like this. It also helps other visitors to the blog to know that a recipe has been tried and enjoyed. THANK YOU!!

      Reply

  24. Oh my goodness. I don’t often comment on recipes, but this was just incredible. Just absolutely excellent. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  27. I’m a little late to the party here, but hope you see this. I’ve searched for “White Chili for A Crowd” and yours recipe sounds delicious. For clarification, though – this recipe says serves 6-8. Is that accurate? It seems like a LOT of ingredients to only serve 6-8, and I need to feed about 15. Should I double it, or am I right that the recipe as-is will work for that many people? Thanks and am so glad I found your site!

    Reply

    • Hi Tricia, I’m glad you found my site too! You are right about this recipe being generously portioned. You might be able to feed 15 but I always worry about not having enough food so I always err on the side of making too much. I just looked at the recipe again and I don’t think you have to double it. I think you’d be safe to “one-and-a-half” it – especially if you’re serving salad and bread or other sides with it. If you end up with leftovers it freezes really well.

      Reply

      • Thanks so much for the quick reply, Lisa! I think your idea is good – I’m going to one-and-a-half it. I’m also serving a vegetarian chili but, like you, I always want to have more food than less. Leftovers are a good thing!

        Reply

  28. Thank you, Dean, Eddie and Lisa, I already know this is going to be great! I also really like the idea of using 3 different types of chili I want to try out the award winning barbeque too.Thanks again! Very happy to find your site!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  29. WOW!!! I love it! I plan to make this to bring to work as well. Made as you suggested, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Truly award winning.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  30. This recipe looks awesome. But I have a 2 and 3 year old. Is it spicy? How would you alter the recipe so it’s not spicy but still full of flavor. Thank you!!!!

    Reply

    • Leave out the cayenne pepper. Use mild chili powder or, if using spicy chili powder, reduce the amount by 1/2. It will still be delicious. Those who like spice can add hot sauce to their own bowls of chili, as needed, to amp up the heat.

      Reply

  31. Lisa,

    Thanks for posting this, i cooked it yesterday for a chili cook off at work (i have entered several of these at various companies trying multiple recipes, never winning) and my coworkers plowed through it!

    i backed off the meat seasoning before cooking, more or less sprinkled over the meat. Plus, i found that i only needed three cups of broth.

    Still though, I won my first workplace chili competition, and couldn’t be happier! This is indeed, an award winning chili recipe!

    Thanks again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. Hi after searching for an award winning chicken chili recipe I found this recipe pop up. I sat down and read all the comments. Every single comment made mention this chili is amazing. This is my first time making it and it already taste delicious. I am making this chicken chili for my school chili cook off tomorrow. Do you think it okay if I don’t add the cheese and sour cream in until tomorrow when I warm it up?

    Reply

  33. I made this recipe with a slight twist of Fajita marinated smoked chicken and wow. Can’t wait to share this with everyone. Thanks for sharing it with us.

    Reply

  35. This was absolutely delicious! I agree with you, you can halve the cheese/sour cream, but do not skip adding some directly to the pot. This chili gets outrageously good as it sits for a day or two! I substituted two fresh poblano peppers and two jalapeno peppers (minced) for the canned chiles, put in one can of garbanzo beans with two cans of cannellini and also used 1/2 boneless, skinless thighs. My new go-to chicken chili recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  36. Yo! Finally got around to making this tonight, award-winner indeed! Great way to use up those end pieces of cheese, had about six variates in there, otherwise followed the recipe. Excellent recipe, just finished my third bowl – can’t move – send help!

    Reply

  38. Well I did mine exact except I did three poblanos instead of canned chiles, and the cheese and cream has separated even on a warm setting… frustrated, this was for a potluck and now I don’t even want to share it!!!!

    ★★★

    Reply

  39. Oh gosh, Lisa, you’re so responsive to comments. I live alone and divided the recipe by 3. But of course when you adapt a recipe the exact measurements are merely advisory. I started with dry beans the other day… with no clear plan in mind except reducing the amount of meat in my diet. After I soaked, cooked, portioned them out and froze them, I somehow didn’t quite have enough in the small container that I thawed for this recipe.

    To compensate, I added some brown rice to the pot, and upped the low-sodium chicken broth to accommodate the rice. And the little can of green chilis I was scrounging around for in the pantry turned out to be chipotles, so no. Instead, to the sauteeing onions/garlic, I added a couple of jalapenos that were starting to turn red in my garden. And then I found a lonely chayote squash in my fridge. Once the chicken came out of the oven, I cubed the chayote (dice sized) and coated it with oil and roasted it in the chicken pan while the chicken was cooling off and the brown rice was cooking in the chili pot.

    Then I assumed I could use some Greek yogurt somehow instead of sour cream, cuz I didn’t have any sour cream, but d’oh, I was out of Greek yogurt. But I did have apocalypse-ready cream cheese powder, and made do with that, adding a little cider vinegar to make up for sour cream acidity.

    So you get the picture. It’s your recipe but it’s not. More veggies, and I assert, still quite healthy. 🙂 I actually took a pic but it just looks like the recipe you posted. Anyway… thank you!

    Reply

    • I don’t think this is a good dish for cooking in a crock pot because it isn’t a long-cooking kind of dish. If you’re short on time and want to get this on the table quickly, perhaps you can roast and shred the chicken the day before and keep it in the fridge.Then it will take you only about 45 minutes to make the chili, start to finish. I hope this helps!

      Reply

  44. I used your recipe as a base in our work annual chili cook-off and came in 2nd! I used some roasted peppers from our garden instead of canned and then added some corn to the mix too. Thanks for a great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  45. First, this is the best chicken chili I’ve ever had. Second, I think you can still further decrease the sour cream and cheese and make it delicious. I used lite sour cream and just 1 1/2 cups of cheese. It was a little liquidy – probably because it didn’t have the extra cheese and sour cream – but I think you could either decrease the amount of broth or add a little cornstarch to thicken it up. I can’t wait to eat this again for dinner tonight!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  46. I can’t thank you enough for posting this incredible recipe. I woke up early this morning to make this before my boyfriend woke up and the delectable smells made him rise early from bed. This was the first time I made chili ever in my life and I can’t see me trying any other recipe. It was absolutely amazing, and delicious. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  47. This is absolutely delicious!!! Was easy and fast
    Just perfect on a cold, rainy fall night. Picky
    Hubs loved it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  48. I made this tonight and had a hard time getting the cheese to blend well into the broth… it almost was too liquid with chunks of cheese engulfing the chicken, even after stirring incessantly. Any suggestions? It’s in the fridge now as I am reheating for a few hours in a crockpot tomorrow at work before a chili cook off. (I was hoping the slow reheating with occasional stirring may help blend all together for a creamier texture… possibly the addition of some cornstarch?) Thanks for any insight!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m not sure what’s going on with your chili. Is it possible the chili was still simmering on the stove when you added the cheese? Too much heat can have a negative effect of tightening the cheese into hard pieces, rather than gently melting it. In any event, we’ve got to save the chili before your cook off! Any chancy you can scoop out most of the cheese clumps and go out and buy new cheese? Even if it’s time consuming, it’s probably your best bet. To add the cheese, heat the soup up, remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheese. It should melt perfectly. Fingers crossed for you. Let me know!

      Reply

  50. First time making a white chili and this is def a keeper. Tasty, easy to prepare and cook time is reasonable for a busy person. Having this for dinner tonight.

    Thanks for the share.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  51. Thank you very much for this recipe, l made this chili for a chili cook-off charity event, l did not win but everybody said it was the best chili, some were coming for seconds. Highly complimented. May do it again next year. Like someone said, be gentle on the spices, l did just that.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  53. I’m entering this in my workplace chili cook off tomorrow! Wish me luck! I’ve nade this before and i use a rotisserie chicken from Costco instead of roasting my own. Faster and just as tasty!!

    Reply

  54. Lia, I need to make 8 quarts of Chili for a soup exchange. Do you know if I should double this recipe or about how much one batch will make quart wise?

    Reply

    • Erin I’m not sure of the exact amount but I’d guess the recipe makes at least 4 quarts and maybe 5. I think you’d be safe to double it.

      Reply

  56. I plan on making this recipe soon. I was wondering if the chili would be too liquidy if I only used 1.5lbs of chicken? I plan to follow the rest of the recipe as is… except when seasoning the chicken I would use a little less spice. What do you think?

    Reply

    • Hmmm. If you’re using half the amount of chicken specified, you might want to simply cut the recipe in half. That would be the best bet in my opinion. But if you want to go ahead with the recipe as is, at least hold off on some of the chicken broth until you see the consistency of the chili. Maybe add 2 cups of broth instead of 4 and then adjust with more broth towards the end of the cooking time (see step 3 in the recipe). I hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  57. I won first prize for this chili. I was a MAJOR hit. I doubled the recipe, and was a little worried that would muck the taste up, but it didn’t! It was the best chili I had ever made and ever tasted.
    Everyone raved over it.

    Thank you for sharing it!
    KD

    Reply

  58. I am trying this tonight! My husband and I are tired of eating the same old stuff. We are branching out, in the house of course. When I mentioned White Chili he chuckled and said “this should be interesting”. I will let you know how it turns out!!

    Reply

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