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!
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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!
PrintRecipe
Award Winning White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
Spicy and delicious white chicken chili!
Adapted from Dean's Award Winning Chili Recipe
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
- ½ 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.
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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, ½ 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, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ 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.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
[Originally published January 2016. Updated September 2018. Same delicious recipe with added nutritional information]
Trinh
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?
Lisa
Yes, you can definitely wait to add the cheese and sour cream! Enjoy!!
phil
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!
Lisa
Congratulations on your win! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chili. Great that it continues to win awards! 🙂
Sarah
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!!!!
Lisa
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.
Sandra
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.
Lisa
Thanks Sandra 🙂
Cindi Elder
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!
tricia
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!
Lisa
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.
tricia
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!
Gary
Very good. Definitely will cut back on the spices next time. And there will be a next time. Thanks.
Whitney
Hi!
Wondering if you can freeze this? I'd like to make the batch and save half for later...
Thanks!
Lisa
Yes. It freezes well. Just be careful reheating. Let it defrost and reheat gently and it will be great!
amy
Oh my goodness. I don't often comment on recipes, but this was just incredible. Just absolutely excellent. Thank you so much for sharing!
Lisa
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Amy. Thanks for your comment - made my day!
Kate
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!
Lisa
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!!
Kelly K
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. 🙂
Lisa
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!
Renotta
I am looking forward to making this recipie! Will putting this in the crock pot to keep warm ruin the chili?
Lisa
No - just head it gently. As long as it doesn't come to a boil, it should be great!
Mon
Is this recipe too spicy for young kids? Would you leave out the chile powder?
Lisa
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.
Jen
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!
Jen
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?
Lisa
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!!
Donna
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!!
Lisa
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Chili Donna. And I love your adaptation. You're very innovative in the kitchen!