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Home » Recipes » Most Popular Recipes

Award Winning White Chicken Chili

September 2, 2018 Updated April 26, 2022 by Lisa Goldfinger 362 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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bowl of award winning white bean and chicken chili
pinterest pin: award winning white chicken chili in a white bowl

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.Bowl of white chicken chili with sour cream, cheese and scallions

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

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.

roasted spiced chicken breasts for making award winning 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.

pot of award winning white chicken chili with white beans

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!

Champions of Chili

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.

award winning white chicken chili with white beans

 

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!

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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 white chicken chili! Tender chicken, chilies, white beans, spices and a few more goodies in this winning white chicken chili recipe.

Award Winning White Chicken Chili


★★★★★

4.9 from 109 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Yield: 8-10 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Spicy and delicious white chicken chili!

Adapted from Dean's Award Winning Chili Recipe


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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.

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, ½ 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, 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)
  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.

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

Keywords: chicken chili, award winning chili, white bean and chicken chili

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

[Originally published January 2016. Updated September 2018. Same delicious recipe with added nutritional information]

Award Winning White Chicken Chili Recipe

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Entertaining, Fall Favorites, Lunch and Brunch, main course, Mexico, Most Popular Recipes, North America, Soup, Special Features, Stew Tagged With: best entertaining recipes, chili, gluten-free

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Lynn Daniel

    September 29, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    Thank your husband for me! I used his recipe for a chili contest for my son's school and I won!! It was a huge hit!!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      October 04, 2017 at 7:03 am

      Wow, congratulations! I will pass along the news. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Nicole Schultheis

    September 26, 2017 at 12:11 am

    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
    • Nicole Schultheis

      September 26, 2017 at 12:14 am

      I forgot to say at the end: It was delicious! Just finished a bowl of it with shredded cheese on top.

      Reply
  3. H l

    September 25, 2017 at 10:09 am

    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
  4. Maryann Holtcamp

    August 29, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    This recipe never disappoints! LOVE IT

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Rob White

    July 02, 2017 at 5:19 am

    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
    • Lisa

      July 02, 2017 at 9:10 am

      haha! Maybe I should put a warning on that chili "eat at your own risk." It's hard to stop, isn't it? 🙂

      Reply
  6. David Adams

    March 07, 2017 at 10:56 am

    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
  7. Jody Osborn

    March 05, 2017 at 7:23 pm

    Excellent...my family loved it!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Teddy

    February 04, 2017 at 6:01 am

    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
  9. Trinh

    February 02, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    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
    • Lisa

      February 03, 2017 at 10:36 am

      Yes, you can definitely wait to add the cheese and sour cream! Enjoy!!

      Reply
  10. phil

    February 02, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    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
    • Lisa

      February 02, 2017 at 2:40 pm

      Congratulations on your win! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chili. Great that it continues to win awards! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Sarah

    January 20, 2017 at 8:10 am

    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
    • Lisa

      January 20, 2017 at 2:21 pm

      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
  12. Sandra

    January 15, 2017 at 6:57 pm

    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
    • Lisa

      January 16, 2017 at 7:58 am

      Thanks Sandra 🙂

      Reply
  13. Cindi Elder

    December 13, 2016 at 10:41 pm

    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
  14. tricia

    December 12, 2016 at 7:02 am

    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
    • Lisa

      December 12, 2016 at 9:56 am

      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
      • tricia

        December 14, 2016 at 7:51 am

        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!

  15. Gary

    December 03, 2016 at 7:16 pm

    Very good. Definitely will cut back on the spices next time. And there will be a next time. Thanks.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Whitney

    December 02, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    Hi!
    Wondering if you can freeze this? I'd like to make the batch and save half for later...

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      December 02, 2016 at 4:24 pm

      Yes. It freezes well. Just be careful reheating. Let it defrost and reheat gently and it will be great!

      Reply
  17. amy

    November 20, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    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
    • Lisa

      November 21, 2016 at 11:31 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it Amy. Thanks for your comment - made my day!

      Reply
  18. Kate

    November 13, 2016 at 5:42 pm

    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
    • Lisa

      November 14, 2016 at 7:58 am

      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
  19. Kelly K

    October 30, 2016 at 10:32 am

    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
    • Lisa

      October 30, 2016 at 10:59 am

      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
  20. Renotta

    October 29, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    I am looking forward to making this recipie! Will putting this in the crock pot to keep warm ruin the chili?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      October 30, 2016 at 10:57 am

      No - just head it gently. As long as it doesn't come to a boil, it should be great!

      Reply
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