I told you this Creamy White Chicken Chili recipe is the greatest you will ever have. This chili is packed with of cheddar, salsa verde, roasted poblano peppers, flavorful chicken, and substantial beans. You’ll like the warming and reassuring aromas of this beloved chili. It’s a standard because it really does strike the spot—I mean, lick the bowl clean! Very rich and creamy!
It’s white chicken chili, that’s right, everyone! One of my all-time favorite chilis. Do you think it should be categorized as a stew or a soup? Although I think it might go either way, we’re not interested in that particular aspect at this time, hehe. This meal reminds me of The Cheesecake Factory, a well-known restaurant franchise, every time I think of it because it’s one of my favorites there. My goal was to create a DIY version that fulfills all requirements, and naturally, Joe, we succeeded!
BEST White Chicken Chili Recipe
When a food blogger claims that their dish is the finest, don’t you just adore it? Haha. I’m stating it from the bottom of my heart because this recipe for white chicken chili is seriously amazing. Heck, bloop, it could even take home some ribbons from the county fair. Sincerely, I think that white chicken chili should be exceptionally creamy, packed with a substantial texture, and bursting with flavor.and this recipe succeeds in providing just that. Very, very nice!
This Dreamy, Creamy White Chicken Chili & Its Recipe Highlights:
- DEPTH OF FLAVOR: This chili isn’t playing around, with tastes ranging from roasted poblano peppers to aromatic spices and a range of well-rounded flavors. Along with warmth and spice, there are many more flavors. Each ingredient produces a flavorful, tasty chili, and all of the tastes work well together.
- TEXTURE ELEMENTS: Now that we’re talking about major taste, let’s talk about each component. We have our beans, of course, just like any other chili recipe. I’ll just quarrel with someone else—I think a chili without beans is ridiculous. But we also have corn, salsa verde, chopped jalapeños, and freshly roasted poblano peppers. The soft chicken bits in this dish are something else I adore. There are wonderful, plump chunks of seasoned chicken throughout, as opposed to the shredded chicken types.
- EASY & SIMPLE GOOD: This is a really easy dish. Nothing that leaves you scratching your head in confusion or causing a fuss. This recipe for creamy white chicken chili is really easy to make, from start to end!
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe:
- Oil: used to brown the chicken and roast the poblano peppers.
- Poblano peppers are mild chili peppers that have a bite, comparable to bell peppers, and roasting them first gives them a ton of flavor.
- Chicken: I use pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Spices: salt, white pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.
- Butter: to provide flavor and to sauté the onions.
- Onion: after all, what would chili be without a hint of flavorful onion?
- Garlic: ya know, garlic is #bae and garlic is life.
- Just enough flour to make the chili thicker.
- Jalapenos, when diced, offer a delicious heat.
- A tasty liquid that is necessary to give the chili body is chicken broth.
- Half and half: this blend of half cream and half milk gives food a creamy mouthfeel.
- Sour cream: as a thickening agent and for a hint of acidity.
- Use white beans, such as navy, great northern, or cannellini beans.
- Salsa verde is a somewhat piquant green salsa made with green chili peppers and tomatillos.
- Corn: To add a little smokiness, I use fire-roasted corn—yum!
- Cheddar cheese: to add some cheesiness and boost the richness.
Let’s Look At How To Make This Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe:
- Pinch the poblano chiles. Turn the oven on to 425°F. Spoon 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the poblano peppers on a medium-sized rimmed baking sheet, then toss to coat. Then roast the peppers for 30 minutes, or until aromatic and blistered.
- Give the chicken a spice. The chicken, oil, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, white pepper, and salt to taste should all be combined in a big bowl. Work the spices into the chicken with your hands until they are thoroughly distributed. While the peppers roast, marinade them covered and set away.
- Chop the chilies. Take off the peppers’ stems and papery outer covering. Slice the peppers open gently, then remove the seeds with a spoon. The peppers should then be roughly chopped. Put aside the chopped poblano peppers.
- Let the chicken brown. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. After the chicken starts to sizzle, add it to the saucepan in batches. Cook the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Next, move the sautéed chicken to a spotless platter using a slotted spoon and put it aside. Continue until all of the chicken has been sautéed.
- Let the aromatics sear. Fill the saucepan with the leftover oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes, or until it becomes soft, after it is heated. After that, add the chopped poblano peppers and garlic, and simmer for a further minute or so.
Finishing & Serving Chili:
- To coat and cook out the flour, sprinkle it over the mixture and stir thoroughly, approximately 1 minute. Stir thoroughly to mix the sautéed chicken, diced jalapeños, and any remaining juices in the saucepan.Next, gradually add the chicken stock or broth with one hand, stirring with the other to remove any remaining pockets of flour until they are all gone. Allow the mixture to boil for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Next, thoroughly mix in the sour cream and half & half. Stir thoroughly to properly incorporate the beans, salsa verde, corn, and shredded cheese. For the flavors to fully combine, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the chili for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Spoon into serving dishes the creamy white chicken chili. Garnish this chili with your preferred toppings and serve right away. Suck it all in and relish life! 😋
Storing Leftover White Chicken Chili:
Folks, this chili freezes really well. Ensure that the chili has cooled to room temperature before serving. Next, pour the chili into a big, flat plastic bag that is suitable to freeze or into an airtight container or deli container. For extra precaution, mark the date of preparation on the chili’s label. The chili may be preserved for up to three months if frozen. Thaw the chili overnight in the refrigerator when ready. Just warm everything up on the stovetop over low heat to reheat. As an alternative, reheat in the microwave until well heated.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili:
Let’s see whether you want to use your crockpot to create this chili.
First, proceed as directed on the recipe card below, omitting the broth step # 1-6. After transferring everything, pour the broth into the slow cooker container. Cook for 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low. Once you reach the halfway point, proceed with steps #7-8 to ensure a creamy white chicken chili is served.
⇢ The question is this: Is it possible to cook anything in the crockpot without first roasting, browning, or sautéing it? Sure. But, I urge you not to omit those stages since they really bring out the taste, people.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili:
Likewise, let’s take a look at whipping up this chili in a pressure cooker…
To roast the poblano peppers, first follow step #1 on the recipe card below (and then step #3). Next, using steps #2 and #4, season the chicken and sear it in the instant pot vessel. Then, proceed with steps # 5 and 6 to make the chili foundation and sauté the aromatics. After that, put the IP on pressure cook mode, cover, and seal, and cook for 20 minutes. After cooking is complete, let the IP vent until no more steam is produced. Lastly, go to step #7 and thoroughly mix in all the remaining ingredients. After selecting the sauté setting on the IP, cook for ten minutes or longer. Next, proceed as instructed in step #8.
More recipes to check out:
Creamy White Chicken Chili
I told you this Creamy White Chicken Chili recipe is the greatest you will ever have. This chili is packed with of cheddar, salsa verde, roasted poblano peppers, flavorful chicken, and substantial beans. You'll like the warming and reassuring aromas of this beloved chili. It's a standard because it really does strike the spot—I mean, lick the bowl clean! Very rich and creamy!
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 3 large poblano peppers
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste (or 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 4-ounce can diced jalapeños
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed & drained
- ⅓ cup salsa verde
- 1 cup fire-roasted corn (canned (drained) or frozen (no need to thaw))
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For serving & garnishing chili– optional:
- fried corn tortilla strips (chopped avocado & chopped cilantro)
- Turn the oven on to 425°F. Spoon 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the poblano peppers on a medium-sized rimmed baking sheet, then toss to coat. Then roast the peppers for 30 minutes, or until aromatic and blistered.
- Season the chicken in the meanwhile. The chicken breast pieces, 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, chili powder, white pepper, and salt to taste should all be combined in a big bowl. If you’d like, put on some disposable gloves and use your hands to thoroughly mix the spices into the chicken. While the peppers roast, marinate the bowl covered and leave away.
- Coming back to the peppers, let them a few minutes to cool off before handling. Next, cut off as much of the peppers’ papery outer skin and stems as you can. Slice the peppers open gently, then remove the seeds with a spoon. After transferring the peppers to a chopping board, roughly chop them. After that, set aside the chopped poblano peppers.
- Melt the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. After the chicken starts to sizzle, add the pieces in a single layer to the saucepan while working in batches. For about 3–4 minutes on each side, sauté the chicken until it turns golden brown and becomes caramelized. Next, move the sautéed chicken to a spotless platter using a slotted spoon and put it aside. Continue until all of the chicken has been sautéed and removed from the heat.
- Fill the saucepan with the final tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated, add the chopped onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes, or until it is soft and golden brown. After that, add the chopped poblano peppers and garlic, and simmer for a further minute or so, or until the garlic is fragrant.
- To coat and cook out the flour, sprinkle it over the mixture and stir thoroughly, approximately 1 minute. Stir thoroughly to mix the sautéed chicken, diced jalapeños, and any remaining juices in the saucepan.Next, gradually add the chicken stock or broth with one hand, stirring with the other to remove any remaining pockets of flour until they are all gone. Allow the mixture to boil for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Next, include the sour cream and half and half, being sure to thoroughly mix them together. Stir thoroughly to properly incorporate the beans, salsa verde, corn, and shredded cheese. For the flavors to fully combine, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the chili for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Spoon the white chicken chili onto individual serving dishes. If preferred, garnish chili right away with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and fried corn tortilla strips. Have fun!
- Needs to avoid gluten? Replace the all-purpose flour with any gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio (Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour is our favorite!).
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.