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!”
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 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, white beans
[Originally published January 2016. Updated September 2018. Same delicious recipe with added nutritional information]
I am planning to make this for a chili cook off! The event is on a Sunday @noon. Would you cook the day before minus the dairy items OR cook everything the morning of?
Beth, either way will be great! Do whichever is easier for you.
This is my second time making it and my husband and I are HOOKED! I can’t eat hamburger meat (because of texture) and so I wanted to make a white chicken chili. My husband was a little hesitant at first, but now he insists that I make the full amount so he can have leftovers! So good!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Wow..just wow. This lived up to the ratings and the hype. Delicious!!!
★★★★★
I’ve never made White Chili before but wanred to try. I googled “Award winning White Chicke Chili” and found this recipe. I made this for last night, my husband started eating it and said “Honey, this will win your chili cook-off at work”. Lol! I didn’t use all of the cheese or sour cream it called for, just my my preference. I will be making it again and definitely will submit it in October for our contest at work. Thank you for the great recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed! Keep me posted on your chili cook-off results. I hope you win!
Can I put the chilli in the freezer?
Maybe I can put it before adding the cheese and sour cream?
How long can I keep it in the fridge when it’s all mixed?
Thanks
Yes, Marie, you can freeze it. I like your idea of adding the cheese and sour cream after you defrost it. There’s always a risk of separation when reheating frozen soups that contain dairy. This way you’ll be able to add the diary when the soup is warming up and it should be perfect. Once the soup is mixed it can be kept in the fridge for up to three days. I hope you enjoy!
Made this for dinner tonight & it was a huge hit! I was hesitant to add the cheese & sourcream at the end (knowing that we always use them to top our chilli)….i was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it made the chilli! I halved the recipe (because it’s just 4 of us with 2 being 6 & 3 yrs old 😉) I’m regretting not making the full recipe to throw some in the freezer! Will definitely make again in the near future. Thanks for a delicious recipe!!
★★★★★
You are so welcome Annie! I’m glad you enjoyed. Thank you for coming back to leave a comment.
Hi Lisa,
I have been an avid cook all of my life and just wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic recipe! We are not spicy eaters in my family, so I left out the cayenne and went easy on the canned green chilies. Your recipe still had delicious warmth and depth of flavor. I will be making this again and again!
Thank You!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed Pamela!
Made it. LOVED IT! Even the picky eaters in my family enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks so much for coming back to let us know!!
Have been searching for (and tryng!) MANY white chicken chili recipes. This one is the best! My whole family loves it. I take the shortcut of just using an entire rotisserie chicken from the store (and boiling the carcass for the broth), and it’s still fantastic. Thank you! I feel like my long search for an amazing white chili is finally over!
★★★★★
Congrats for finding your favorite white chicken chili Melanie! I’m thrilled you found it here on Panning The Globe. 🙂
I have never comment on sites before. But I found this recipe from Pinterest, and I decided to make it for my company’s chicken cookoff. I followed the recipe to the tee. Happy to share that I took home 1st place among 12 competitors. Folks raved about this chilli and demanded the recipe. So thank you very much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Congratulations on your win! That is so exciting! I’m really glad you decided to leave a comment – I love hearing that a recipe turned out great – makes my day.
Just made this last night—it was fantastic! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks such great news! Thanks for circling back!!
I made this for a Chili Cook off last night and won 1st place in “Fan Favoritte”!! The only addition was 2 poblano peppers and a jalapeño. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you heaps for sharing this recipe and helping me bring home the trophy!!
★★★★★
I made this recipe last night. I cooked it ahead of time (minus the cheese and sour cream) and left it to warm in the crock pot while we were at practice, and then I added the remainder of the ingredients when we got home. It was amazing!
★★★★★
I just made this for my family and they LOVE it. I changed it a little. I used half the chicken and added a can of sweet corn. It is so yummy!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Very excited to try this recipe out for Christmas this year! Do you have a recommendation for making this in the crockpot? The chicken will be cooked beforehand either way, but how long should I leave it to cook in the crockpot for it to be best?
I haven’t tried making this in a crockpot but I my guess is that it will work well, as long as you keep it on the low setting so it never comes to a boil. Here’s a great article on how to convert a recipe to the slow cooker: https://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343 I hope you have a great holiday and a delicious Christmas dinner!
I just made this and literally just took the last bite of my bowl and had to comment on how amazing this chili is!!!! I’ve always enjoyed a traditional white chili but this completely knocked our socks off. The whole fam enjoyed it and it soothed some sore throats today. The only change I made was I used only 2 cups of cheese and 1 cup of sour cream and I added 4 lbs of chicken. It’s definitely not as creamy as your pictures but I still think it had so much flavor. So so SO good!
★★★★★
Thanks for making my day with your comment Lauren. I hope all the sore throats are feeling better!
Wow this recipe is amazing! Thank though for sharing. I made with 2% and red onion due to ingredients on hand. The chicken flavor was amazing. A little pink when I removed from oven but knew the simmer would cook it through. Used extra oil from chicken to fry onions and garlic.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for coming back to let us know how it turned out. I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed!!
Recipe looks awesome. Would love to make for my family Christmas this year. If I make it a day or two ahead of time, does it heat back up well in a crockpot? With all the dairy it it, I’m concerned it may separate by refrigerant and reheating. Would you recommend following the recipe until the addition of dairy and then on the day it will be eaten, do that last step? Any suggestions? Thank you. I know my family will love it!
Hey Nikki, good question. I like your idea of adding the dairy on the day you’re serving the chili. You’ll have much more control that way and minimize the risk of the dairy separating. Heat it slowly and gently when adding the dairy, stirring often, and don’t let it bubble or boil, and it should be perfect! I hope you and your family have a fun and delicious holiday!
Your receipe says it mahes 10 servings. Ehat are your serving sizes. (1) cup or (1 1/2) cups?
The servings are generous – 1 1/2 cup servings or even a bit more.
I won a chili cookoff with this recipe yesterday. The only change I made was to add 2 roasted Poblano peppers and two chopped jalapeños. Thank you for the recipe! It definitely is a winner!
I followed this recipe to the T a month or so ago and my whole family loved it. We mixed all of the dairy ingredients into the chili just to see how it turned out and it was bomb.com. Today we decided to swap out the sour cream and use coconut milk and pumpkin to thicken. We still used some of the cheese but wanted to cut down on the dairy. It turned out nice. This recipe will forever be in our family lineup. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Big hit with a family of four and even the most picky eater admitted that he liked it.
★★★★★
Yay! That’s so great to hear.
My 10 yr old daughter wanted to enter-and win the chili cook off at our church’s Harvest Festival. Your directions were so thorough, she was able to follow them easily (after reading through a few times). We only used 1/2 an onion. The flavors are wonderful! We should have made it a day ahead since the flavors really settled and were more robust day 2. And, she won the coveted chili cook off trophy! Thanks for such an awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Wow, congratulations to your daughter on her big win! And I’m glad to know that you and your daughter found the directions thorough and easy to follow – thank you so much for your feedback!
I made this last night and it’s amazing. I know roasting the chicken is part of the process, but I was in a hurry and used a rotisserie chicken. It was still delicious.
★★★★★
Great to hear!
I just made this tonight for a chili cook off at church tomorrow! So excited! I am putting it in the fridge overnight and reheating tomorrow on low heat. I hope that doesn’t take away from this chili. Is that what you would do? Make it the night before and put it in the fridge?
★★★★★
This truly is an award winning chili! I just took second place in my company’s chili cook-off with a variation of this recipe. I missed out on first place by 1 vote. Thank you very much!
Found out Saturday afternoon that we had a chili cookout in a park right next to me on Sunday afternoon..so I rushed to Publix and dutifully purchased all the ingrediate— my wife said we already had half the ingrediates, oh well got up early did the chicken and veggies went to church came home, made the chili exactly like your recipies…26 contestestants and my/your chili won hands down…I did add more cheese than you which I regretted because I ran out of toppings after about 20 servings… so, a blue ribbon that cost around $75 with a six pack of beer…thank you very much…everyone asked for the recipie and I told them it was a secret recipie from my grandmother Jane who is a terrific cook…..I’m a life long golfer and have had 12 hole in ones and have won many tournaments but I think I got a bigger kick out of winning this Blue Ribbon for my chili
★★★★★
Congratulations on your blue ribbon!! So fun!! I’m thrilled that everyone loved it, even if Grandma Jane got the credit 🙂
Well it a cool, gloomy enough day Oct 5 2018 in chicago.
So I thought I needed a pot on the stove.
So I made this FABULOUS recipe.
Thanks so much
★★★★★
Hello Lisa I found you just today I was looking for a good chicken chili and yours is great, I am a blogger and a retired chef,I have made so many chili recipes, but really never a chicken chili, so when my brother asked me for some ideas, I googled for chicken chili and got yours, in fact I will make some for myself later, I did give my brother your recipe I just gave him a few ideas, I would like to post your recipe on my blog ,and link it back to you, so my viewers can get the recipes I would never take credit. with your permission of course. you have a great looking site and i see many dishes, from middle east? very interesting. Thank you for the recipe and your great blog.
chef Ernie
Hi Ernest, Great that you found this recipe and Panning The Globe! Thanks for your kind words about my site. I’ll check out your blog too. With regards to reposting my recipe, all photos and content are copyright protected so please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to Award Winning White Chicken Chili on Panning The Globe. Thank you!
Hi! Ever use thighs instead of breasts for this?
I’ve never tried this with thighs. It’s so good with chicken breasts that I haven’t felt the need to experiment further. But thighs are so flavorful – I’m guessing they’d be great!
Brilliant. Just what I needed and it was a hit!
Lifesaver!
Great receipe…just made it for a small gathering…it definitely has a bite to it…but not out of hand…I added another can of beans to mine …and went ahead with the cheese and sour cream…it really gave it that extra bar. I like mine with a dash of lime along with a savory red pepper cornbread.
★★★★★