Easy White Bean Chicken Chili is perfect for busy weeknights when you're craving a warm, comforting bowl with chili flavors, but wish to take a break from the slow cooker beef con carne style. Cooked exclusively on the stove top, this tasty chili recipe uses tender, precooked or rotisserie chicken, along with hearty white beans and chicken broth for a lighter change of pace.
Easy White Bean Chicken Chili borrows a lot of inspiration from my signature Easy Stove Top Chili--a simple, Texas red-inspired chili recipe that has a wonderful, robust flavor.
This slightly creamy, alternate version is even easier to make! With precooked chicken (a huge timesaver) and canned white beans, it definitely has more of a white chicken chili kind of vibe.
And of course it's always served with all those tasty chili toppings (quite possibly the best part about eating a bowl of chili!). From green onions to extra shredded cheese, avocado slices, crunchy tortilla chips and more, every delicious spoonful always satisfies!
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👪Why you'll love it
| Uses precooked chicken- This easy chili recipe is a great choice for leftover or rotisserie chicken. The meat gets very tender and flavorful when it simmers in the spicy broth! For more recipe ideas with precooked chicken, see: Easy Leftover Chicken Recipes That You Don't Want to Miss Easy recipe- It's cooked in one pot within 2 hours and served in one bowl. It doesn't get much easier than this, people! Stores well in the freezer- Unless you're enjoying leftovers for lunch the next day, I recommend freezing them. Sometimes I like to freeze individual servings in freezer bags, then defrost them as desired for a special, tasty lunch! |
Please note: Not all listed ingredients are pictured above.
🥘Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients with quantities, check out the printable recipe card below.
- Precooked chicken--I typically use shredded leftover breast meat, but rotisserie also works
- Seasonings--chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt & pepper, cayenne pepper (feel free to omit the cayenne if you don't like super spicy chili)
- Low sodium chicken broth--adds savory flavor, without too much added salt
- Canned white beans--I prefer cannellini beans because they're creamier and more tender, but in a pinch, I use great northern beans as pictured
- Sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese--these ingredients are stirred in just before serving to provide a little tangy, gooey creaminess
Suggested toppings include: green onions, additional sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack/cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, and oyster crackers
🔪Instructions
For more detailed instructions, see the printable recipe card below.
- Pour the chicken broth into a large pot. Add the 2 cans of beans and all the seasonings.
- Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour.
- Add the precooked shredded chicken. Bring to a boil once again, reduce heat and allow to simmer for an additional hour.
- To serve, ladle chili into serving bowls, then swirl in some sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack (my preferred cheese for this recipe) for an added tangy, creaminess to the broth.
Hint: I recommend only adding the sour cream and shredded cheese to individual serving bowls. If you have leftovers, the chili keeps better in the freezer without those ingredients.
🥣Substitutions
Protein: Shredded precooked turkey can be used instead of chicken.
📖Variations
Spicy: Add a few shakes of hot sauce and a can of green chilies to the broth. Top the chili with poblano or jalapeño peppers.
Extra Creamy: Purée one cup of the white beans in a food processor until smooth and add this mixture when you add the chicken. This makes the soup creamier and thicker.
🍽Equipment
- cutting board and serrated knife
- 5-6 quart pot with lid or Dutch oven
- colander
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- stirring spoon
- ladle
🍶Storage
Cool completely, then store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 1 day; otherwise freeze. You may choose to freeze individual servings in freezer bags, or store the entire leftover in one freezer safe container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months! When ready to enjoy enjoy again, simply defrost the chili overnight in the fridge.
When reheating, stir occasionally until evenly heated over low to medium heat on your stove. (You can also reheat it in the microwave--just make sure you stir it a lot before serving in order to prevent those dangerous heat pockets!)
It's sometimes helpful to add a little extra chicken broth to leftovers for a smoother consistency.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite side dishes to serve with Easy White Bean Chicken Chili:
📋Recipe
Easy White Bean Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
- 2 (15 oz.) cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed can use Great Northern beans instead
- 4 tablespoons chili powder feel free to dial this amount back if you're not craving spicy
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper feel free to omit, as it does add a little bit of extra heat
- 2-3 cups precooked chicken, shredded can use leftover or Rotisserie chicken
- light sour cream swirl a dollop into each individual bowl before serving
- shredded Monterey Jack cheese sprinkle some on top of each individual bowl before serving
- Suggested toppings include: green onions, additional sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sliced avocado, tortilla chips and oyster crackers
Instructions
- Start making Easy White Bean Chicken Chili by pouring the chicken broth into a 5-6 quart pot or Dutch oven. Then add the two cans of white beans and all the seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
- While the chili simmers, prep the precooked chicken. I often slice larger pieces down to a manageable size with a serrated knife on the cutting board. Then, to create shredded chicken, I use my fingers to pull apart the pieces (or use a fork as you would with a rotisserie chicken).
- After the broth simmers for one hour, add the precooked, shredded chicken. Stir to incorporate.
- Cover the pot again and bring to a boil; then gently simmer for an additional hour, stirring occasionally.
- To serve, ladle chili into serving bowls, then swirl in some sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese for an added tangy, creaminess to the broth.
- Top with your favorite chili toppings.
- For leftovers, cool completely, then store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 1 day; otherwise freeze. You may choose to freeze individual servings in freezer bags, or store the entire leftover in one freezer safe container.
- When reheating leftovers, stir occasionally until evenly heated over low to medium heat on the stove. (You can also reheat it in the microwave.)
Janet C. says
This was our first time trying white bean chili and we really enjoyed this recipe. Next time, I think I'll try it with leftover turkey.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
So glad you liked it. it will be great with leftover turkey! Come back and let us know which way you liked it better.