This is my quick, weeknight recipe for white chicken chili. Â I make it when we need dinner in a hurry, and/or we've got some leftover chicken that I want to use up. Â It's a lot less finicky than the full fledged version, and takes advantage of store bought ingredients like canned beans and canned green chiles. Â It's also a lot less spicy, since my kids won't touch anything that might be a little hot.*
*Because of this, I now own a wide
range
of hot
sauces
, so I can bump the heat up at the table.
📖 Recipe Card
White Chicken Chili the Easy Way
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A quick, kid-friendly weeknight white chili made with ground turkey or leftover chicken, canned beans, and green chiles.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken (or leftover cooked chicken, shredded)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 3 cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles
- 4 cans great northern beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups homemade chicken stock, water, or a 15 ounce can low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the oil in a 6 quart or larger Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until softened and lightly browned.
- Cook the meat: Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until it just loses its pink color, 3 to 5 minutes. (If you're using leftover cooked chicken, just stir it in.)
- Add the spices: Make a hole in the center of the pot, and add the garlic, coriander, cumin and oregano. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then stir into the meat. Add the green chiles, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Simmer the chili: Add the beans and the chicken stock. The liquid should just come up to the top of the beans - add more stock or water if needed. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes (30 minutes is better, to help the flavors combine).
- Season: Stir in the brown sugar and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Slow cooker: Follow the recipe through step 3, then put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. For my chili fest at work, I do steps 1 to 3 the night before, refrigerate, and toss everything in the slow cooker in the morning.
Leftover chicken: Skip the ground turkey and stir in shredded leftover chicken at step 2. This is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken.
Grilled chicken: Grill about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut them into cubes, and use them in place of the ground turkey.
No lime? Substitute the juice of ½ lemon, or 1 teaspoon cider vinegar.
Spice it up: Add a diced fresh jalapeno, a teaspoon of chipotle puree, or some pickled jalapenos with the onions. I usually leave the heat out for my kids and pass pickled jalapenos and hot sauce at the table.
Good sides are barbecued frozen corn, corn bread, tortilla chips or Fritos, or oyster crackers. Good toppings are hot sauce, lime wedges, sour cream, and shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar or pepper jack).
For a from-scratch version, see White Chicken Chili Done Right.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Inspired by:
White chicken chili recipe from Viking
Really Hot Sauce: El Yucateco Extra Hot Habanero Sauce
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MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Lori:
You're welcome! Thank you for the kind words.
Lori Kimmel says
What a wonderful chili! It works great for me when I need a quick dinner and yet it tastes like the chili took hours instead of minutes. Thanks again for a great recipe.