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]
Ernest
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
Lisa
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!
sue
Hi! Ever use thighs instead of breasts for this?
Lisa
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!
Nurin
Brilliant. Just what I needed and it was a hit!
Lifesaver!
Deborah
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.
Vicki Edwards
i want to make this chili, can I freeze it
Lisa
Yes Vicki. It freezes well. Defrost it in the fridge and reheat it gently so it never comes to a boil. Enjoy!
Tammy
Have you ever tried this in a slow cooker?
Lisa
I haven't, mostly because it doesn't need to cook for very long.
RayMingaHammondIN
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!!
Lisa
Great. Can't wait to hear!!
Kori-Lee Dymond
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
Lisa
Woo hoo!! Congratulations!!! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the chili and that you won!
Krissy
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?
Lisa
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!
Sharon
Can I substitute the sour cream with anything else? Trying to make this clean recipe.
Lisa
Hi Sharon, I usually opt for Greek yogurt to sub for sour cream. It's got that nice thick and creamy consistency and a sour taste. I think that would work well. I suggest using whole milk yogurt for best results. Since yogurt has less fat than sour cream it's a little more likely to curdle. So you may want to stir it in at the very end and heat the chili very gently. Here's an great article for you to read on the subject https://www.thekitchn.com/heres-how-to-substitute-yogurt-for-sour-cream-tips-from-the-kitchn-219130 I hope you enjoy the chili. Let me know!
Erin
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?
Lisa
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.
Courtney
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!!
Lisa
Best of luck to you in the cook-off! Let me know!!
Cheryl
Make no this Sunday. Did you use cumin seed or ground cumin?
Lisa
Ground cumin. Sorry it wasn't clear. I hope you enjoy the chili.
Hellen
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.
Mrs.AAP
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.
CK
This recipe has been a hit with family and friends. Thank you!
Lisa
I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you for checking back to let us know.