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]
I decided to enter the chili cook off at my job and have never made chicken chili. It tastes great to me, so hopefully they will love it tomorrow. Regardless of whether I win or not, we are raising money for charity. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
★★★★★
How much will the recipe change if I used boneless, skinless thighs? Or maybe a combo of thighs and breast? I have a chili contest I MUST win this year and going in a totally different aspect. Usually do venison chili. Won one year 🙂
Hi Mary. I happen to adore chicken thighs. I think they will be a bonus if you use them here. Maybe go half and half, thighs and breasts. I love mixing it up because it adds a richness of flavor and texture. I hope you win! Keep us posted.
Just made a batch today with a few minor tweaks and it’s delicious and definitely a keeper!!!!
★★★★★
Hi there! This is absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing. One question…what is the serving size?
Does it freeze well?
Yes Emily. It freezes well. To reheat, defrost it and reheat it slowly, on very low heat, so the milk solids don’t separate.
I followed the instructions and I still have soup not chili. Dairy didn’t incorporate.
★★★
Update–I might be too hard on myself. Despite consistency issues, this chili just placed a close 3rd place out of 14 at the office.
★★★★
This was an awesome chili. It will be my go to for white chili now!!!!! Thank you!
Yay! That’s great to hear Marcy. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Do you mean fresh or dried oregano?
Hi Emily. I’m sorry for the confusion. The recipe is asking for 2 teaspoons of dried oregano. But if you would like to use fresh, I’m sure it will be delicious. Since dried is more potent than fresh, I would suggest using 4 or 5 teaspoons of fresh chopped oregano.
Hi, is it safe to make this in the morning and then put in the slow cooker on low or keep warm until dinner time?
Hi Hunter, I’m not an expert on slow cooker safety but here’s an article from a reputable source https://www.thekitchn.com/the-5-safety-rules-of-slow-cookers-224313 –
They say it’s best not to leave food on warm in the slow cooker for more than 2 hours. I bet you can get away with a little more than that but I wouldn’t suggest leaving it on all day. Could you put it in the fridge after it’s done and then reheat slowly before dinner?
Score card from our household- A+!! I was running short on time so I used a rotisserie chicken- shredded him up and went on to the chili prep part of the recipe- delicioso!! I will make next time as called for as it sounds yummy!! Thanks for passing the award to me from my family!!
★★★★★
Shopping in Canada…can you please tell me what kind ‘white’ beans are? White kidney beans?
Thanks.
Hi Margaret. Sorry it’s not clear. White beans refer to cannellini beans which are the same thing as white kidney beans. So whichever ones you find at the store will work.
Can I make this with chicken thighs?
Hi Brenda, Yes you can absolutely use thighs. Thighs have so much natural flavor – I bet they will be delicious in this chili!
I’m thinking about making this but will adding the chili powder make it spicy? Is this a spicy chili? THank you!
I made this sans 1 can of beans and I added a red bell pepper, poblano pepper, Serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, and Anaheim pepper. I also took out the sour cream and cheese. At the end, in bowls, I added a tablespoon of reduced fat sour cream and reduced fat Mexican cheese mix. When I get rid of my little muffin top I’ll make the original recipe, but to be honest, the modification was beyond good. Thanks!
★★★★★
Nice Katie! I’m glad to know the low-fat version is great too!
Reduced fat foods don’t make you lose weight. You’re misinformed.
I just made this and it was delicious! The only change I made was to add a diced jalapeno along with the onion and garlic because we like things spicy. I took your advice and used 3 different kinds of chili powder (regular, Ancho and Chipotle), it tasted as if it was cooking all day. This will definitely be my new chicken chili recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Yvonne, Thanks for your note – I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed!!
Just made this chilli exactly per your recipe. It is amazing. I did cool for 10-15 minutes before adding sour cream and cheese and chilli came out perfectly. I’m sensitive to tomatoes and love chilli and Mexican style food so been trying out lots of tomatoe free recipes. This one is a keeper. Thanks!
★★★★★
Made this without the dairy and it was fantastic.
Thank 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.
Oh Karen this makes me happy. Haha, flavor trumps clumps, love it. I’m so glad you enjoyed despite the pitfalls 🙂
Need 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.
Oh 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
Just tasted the final product. Anticipating rave reviews!
★★★★★
This was a huge hit at the office. So many compliments!! Thank you for posting and sharing!
★★★★★
This is my second time making this chili. It’s the best. I added Monterey, extra sharp and white cheddar cheese. DELICIOUS. Thanks
I 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!
★★★★
So the chicken was not in the slow cooker during those 8.5 hours? It was cooked, shedded and kept out separately until after the 8.5 hours?
Amazing! I never leave reviews but this was awesome! To make it easy I used a bbq rotisserie chichen and it was awesome! Thanks!
★★★★★