White Chicken Chili

Years ago our church was having a Chili Night, and everyone was excited that one of the ladies had brought her famous White Chicken Chili. And it was delicious! I don't really like regular chili, so I was especially thrilled with this tasty variation. Later we were in the same small group with her, and when she brought the chili one night we all begged her for a copy of the recipe. Then we tried to make it... and it was inedible!

The chicken wasn't the same, the beans weren't cooked, and it was scorchingly spicy! We figured she must change things when cooking and didn't edit the recipe (like using canned beans instead of dried). It happens! But all this time I still wished we had a good White Chicken Chili recipe, and I finally found one here. The recipe is a little vague ~ 3-6 cups of broth, 2-4 cans of beans, etc. ~ so here are the amounts I chose to use, along with a few tweaks I added along the way. This has a mild spice, just enough to tingle your tongue, but feel free to leave out some of the cayenne, or mix in more sour cream and cheese if needed. If our 4 year old son (and I) can handle it, I think you can too. ;)




(For those of you counting calories, I've added the amount for each ingredient so you can easily make tweaks without having to re-calculate everything. Anything marked with an asterisk* will vary a lot based on what you buy, so make sure to compare your label.)

1 Tbsp. olive oil (120)
1 large onion, chopped (1.5 cups, 90)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves, 0)

2 (4 oz.) cans diced mild green chile peppers, drained (37*)
2 tsp. ground cumin (0)
2 tsp. dried oregano (10)
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (9)
1 tsp. chili powder (8)

1 cup water (0)
1 tsp./cubes chicken bouillon (5)
3 cans great Northern beans, undrained (891*)
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (14.5 oz. 493)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (440*)
¼ cup sour cream (reduced fat, 80*)


1) Heat the oil in a large pot (4 or 6 quart) over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 6 minutes, or until onions are tender.

2) Add the green chili peppers, the cumin, oregano, cayenne, and chili powder. Saute 2 minutes.

3) Add in the water, chicken bouillon, beans, and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

4) Stir in the cheese and the sour cream. Serve with extra cheese, sour cream, and Sriracha on the side. Serves 5-6.

Calories - 437 for 1/5, 364 for 1/6


Now you and your White Chicken Chili can be the star of Chili Night, haha!