Award Winning White Chicken Chili (With Shortcut Ideas)
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This flavor packed white chicken chili will have you feeling great about your cooking from scratch skills! Made with bone broth and beans cooked from dry, this stellar chili take two days to make– but it’s packed with nutrients and flavor! In this post we provide directions for a long version, there’s also ideas for a stove-top version using canned beans with canned or leftover chicken. Whichever method you choose, this creamy white chicken chili is loaded with tender chunks of chicken and will be a staple meal!

This white chicken chili is not only delicious– it’s also won a first place award from the National Chicken Council! It’s my go-to recipe for sharing a soup suppers, chili contests, or with friends on a cold winter night!

Why you’ll love this white chicken chili
- It’s adaptable! Make a quick version with canned chicken & canned beans. Use what you’ve got– black beans work!
- It’s delicious! White chili is a nice variation from traditional beef chili
- It’s basic! You’ll feel like a rockstar making this from kitchen staples
Ingredients for White Chicken Chili
- 1 lb dry white navy beans, or great northern beans, soaked overnight
- 2 chopped onions
- 4 oz green chiles (use bell peppers of half of each for less heat or a red bell pepper)
- 8 minced garlic cloves
- Meat from 1 roasted chicken- In a hurry? Pressure cook some chicken breasts!
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 12 oz shredded Monterey jack cheese (or pepper jack cheese)

This recipe has many ingredients that we source on our farm! Learn more about our products and how to order with the link below. For everything else we do not source from our farm, we buy in bulk from Azure Standard. Learn more and shop Azure Standard here! We appreciate you using our affiliate links to sign up for Azure as we receive a small commission when you enroll!
Directions on how to make our Award Winning White Chicken Chili recipe
The directions below take about two days to prepare the chili, but we think the extra time is worth it! If you want to make a quicker version, refer to our shortcut ideas below to cut down on time.
Day one:
Cook chicken using our Roasted Chicken Recipe or in the crockpot.

Remove the meat from the bones and put the meat in the fridge to use on day two! Add the bones plus 10 cups of water to the slow cooker and cook on low for 12 hours to create chicken broth.

Put the dried beans in a bowl of water to soak overnight.

Day two morning:
Strain the chicken broth, and combine 8 cups of broth and beans back to the crockpot.
Sautee the onions and garlic on the stovetop on medium heat until tender. Add to the crockpot of dried beans along with all spices, green chilies and chopped chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Add cheese and the cup of sour cream about 30 minutes prior to eating, serve once the cheese is melted.

Just like traditional ground beef chili or chili con carne, this chili is best served the next day! You’ll thank yourself for having a big pot ready! We often put this soup in reditainers and freeze for quick meals. Portion off the reditainers before adding sour cream and cheese for best results.
Serving ideas:
After you pour yourself a big bowl of the best chili, you’ll want to top it with all the delicious toppings!
Tortilla chips, lime juice, fresh cilantro, dollop of sour cream, black pepper, jalapeno peppers, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and hot sauce all take this bowl of chili to the next level! Serving these items on the side is a great way to make it a dish even little kids can enjoy!

Shortcut Ideas for this recipe
These shortcuts will not have the deep flavors of the long version, but still make for an amazing chili:
- Start with frozen cooked chicken or canned chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat on the stovetop in a large pot until warm.
- Use canned beans (we prefer to cook from dry to soak overnight to help with digestion and cook in the broth for added flavor!)
- Before adding cheese and sour cream, put this soup in an airtight container like reditaners to freeze! Add the cheeses when reheating.
- We often sub with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving for a turkey chili. You could even use ground turkey if you’ve got it.
- Use a rotisserie chicken!


White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry white navy beans or great northern beans, soaked overnight
- 2 chopped onions
- 4 oz green chiles use bell peppers of half of each for less heat or a red bell pepper
- 8 minced garlic cloves
- Meat from 1 roasted chicken- In a hurry? Pressure cook some chicken breasts!
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 12 oz shredded Monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Day one:
- Cook chicken using our Roasted Chicken Recipe or in the crockpot. [katies images of chicken]
- Remove the meat from the bones and put the meat in the fridge to use on day two! Add the bones plus 10 cups of water to the slow cooker and cook on low for 12 hours to create chicken broth.
- Put the dried beans in a bowl of water to soak overnight.
- Day two morning:
- Strain the chicken broth, and combine 8 cups of broth and beans back to the crockpot.
- Sautee the onions and garlic on the stovetop on medium heat until tender. Add to the crockpot of dried beans along with all spices, green chilies and chopped chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Add cheese and the cup of sour cream about 30 minutes prior to eating, serve once the cheese is melted.