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]
Clemma
Trying today...cumin seed or ground cumin?
Lisa
Sorry for the confusion. Ground cumin. I hope you enjoy!
yandex
White Chili is a favorite at my house. This recipe has some nice variations I need to try it too. Thanks!
Jason Thomas
Great recipe! I made this for a chili cookoff at work and it wasn't even close! Even the other people that made chili had to vote for this one!
Tracy Lizano
I made this recipe for a chili cook off at my daughters college and she took 1st place!
Lisa
woohoo! congratulations on your big win Tracy!! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment.
Swen Nater
I've made many version of white chicken chili and this is the best. Sour Cream and cheeses (half Monterey Jack and half Sharp Cheddar) make this creamy and more flavorful. I do have a suggestion about the chicken breasts. Use Barbara Tropp "Velvet Marinade" overnight to tenderize the chicken breasts.
1 TBS sherry
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 egg white
Then crock pot with 2 cups chicken broth, Some chili powder (half Pasilla and half Ancho), and some cumin. Leave salt for at end of cooking because the marinated chicken will provide some salt.
Nice Job. My wife was impressed.
Dve
Don't worry about making extra. Like all chili recipes, it freezes and tastes even better.
Christy Lyon
I made this the first time with a double recipe. I did the chicken the day before and so it took longer to heat up again but I had great feedback. I did this with low fat Greek yogurt and no one noticed.
Gail
Have you or anyone tried halving this recipe? It is only my husband and me and I would like to make your recipe in a smaller quantity. Thanks! I got this recipe from a friend who said it was amazing so I cannot wait to try it!
Noreen
Hi Gail,
All you will need to do is 1/3 all the ingredients., I simmer longer than the recipe says for even better flavor. Chili is one of those foods that taste great reheated and you can freeze it as well. Also, I use lean ground turkey in place of the chicken as well to make turkey chili and keep all the seasoning the same., It's a delicious recipe and is my favorite chili recipe so far!
Peter
Looks like a winner! Can boneless chicken thighs be substituted for breasts? I have a package of three of those in my freezer I'd like to use. If so, any adjustments necessary? Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Peter, yes chicken thighs will work well! They've got loads of flavor. You'll be fine if you stick to the same weight - 3 pounds of boneless skinless thighs. Let me know how it turns out!
Peter
Thanks, Lisa - will do!
JAck
Outstanding recipe. We look forward to cooking it every year. Definitely half the cheese and sour cream and add more if you like.
Dawn
Made this tonight it was incredible. A forever keeper in my recipe book
Elizabeth
I made this for family visitors the weekend before Thanksgiving. Absolute winner! All have badgered me for the Recipe. .Even reheated numerous times it held up beautifully and was still great.
Rachel
I made this recipe for my son's high school chili cook off. I walked away the winner of the best chili in the meat category! This recipe was fantastic tasting...I received many compliments and and an almost empty pot.
Thank you for sharing this delicious gem...I will be sure to mention where I got the recipe from to anyone who asks!
Lisa
Congratulations on your big win Rachel! That's so exciting!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and thank you for telling people about Panning The Globe - that's very sweet of you and much appreciated.
Lisa H.
I love the ease of how this recipe comes together! The first time I made it, I was camping. So I grilled the chicken on the BBQ. Then proceeded with the recipe, and it turned out supremely tasty! The best white chicken chili I’ve ever had!
Note: For me, the quality of the white canned beans is important. I didn’t realize this until the second time I made it (which happens to be right now). The first time I bought the store brand Cannellini Beans from Smart & Final grocery store. They were perfectly tender! Tonight, the cannellini beans were by a brand called Simple Truth Organic, which I find to be very tough!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
CELESTE NORRIS
Loved this recipe because it didn’t include cream cheese or half and half. It was healthy and delicious ????
Alisha Love
I decided to enter the chili cook off at my job and have never made chicken chili. It tastes great to me, so hopefully they will love it tomorrow. Regardless of whether I win or not, we are raising money for charity. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!