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]
Jill
Just made this last night—it was fantastic! Thank you!
Lisa
Thanks such great news! Thanks for circling back!!
Jeanette
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!!
Jessica Cooper
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!
Maggie
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!
Shawnee Harrigan
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?
Lisa
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!
Lauren
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!
Lisa
Thanks for making my day with your comment Lauren. I hope all the sore throats are feeling better!
Deb
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.
Lisa
Thanks so much for coming back to let us know how it turned out. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed!!
Nikki
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!
Lisa
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!
Jack Bechtel
Your receipe says it mahes 10 servings. Ehat are your serving sizes. (1) cup or (1 1/2) cups?
Lisa
The servings are generous - 1 1/2 cup servings or even a bit more.
Ann Roberts
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!
Kiki
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!
Chili Cookaroo
Big hit with a family of four and even the most picky eater admitted that he liked it.
Lisa
Yay! That's so great to hear.
Kathryn
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!
Lisa
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!
Barbara
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.
Lisa
Great to hear!
Casey
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?
Benjamin
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!
Billy Roy
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
Lisa
Congratulations on your blue ribbon!! So fun!! I'm thrilled that everyone loved it, even if Grandma Jane got the credit 🙂
Tracey
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