There is nothing more satisfying on a chilly day than a big bowl of chili. I happen to love chili and my favorite type of chili just happens to be the white chicken variety. This white chicken chili is so easy to pull together and happens to be a fast recipe thanks to the convenience of a rotisserie chicken, canned beans, and a box of chicken broth.
The magic with this recipe is in the mix of spices to achieve your own balance of spiciness and smokiness. Garlic and chopped chilies add flavor and help round out the spice and flavor in this easy chili.
It is certainly not the prettiest bowl to photograph, but it doesn’t take away from the delicious flavors you will experience once you take a bite of this. Chili haters in your house? This just might convert them over to the chili-lover crowd. My husband hates chili, but gobbled this satisfying chili up, much to his (and my) surprise.
To create a thicker chili, I used my immersion blender and blended one can of beans into the broth. As I have commented before, my immersion blender gets a daily workout in my house, whipping up my favorite lattes and blending soups. For less than $20, it has served me well over the years and earned its keep in my kitchen.
The trick with my quick soups and chili is the rotisserie chicken. It costs relatively the same as an uncooked bird and saves loads of time. If you like this recipe using the rotisserie chicken, be sure to check out my Quick Weeknight Chicken Noodle and my Greek Lemon Chicken Soup for a couple more ideas on how to put those chickens to work in your kitchen!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped (I do omit this and add 1 teaspoon onion powder instead)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
- peppers
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 small pinch of cayenne pepper (or adjust to your own personal taste)
- 3-4 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you like your chili)
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 3 (15 ounce) cans Great Northern white beans, drained
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (for topping, optional)
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender.
- Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne.
- Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender (a few minutes).
- Chop or shred the meat from your rotisserie chicken for your soup.
- Mix in the chicken broth, chicken, and two cans of white beans.
- Reserve the third can of beans as a thickener to your chilly. Mash these beans or blend with an immersion blender. Add this can of beans to your chlii broth. Stir well.
- Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the mixture from heat.
- Ladle into individual bowls and top with cheese, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.
Have a favorite chili recipe? Feel free to share it here or link back to your own favorite bowl of delicious chili!
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I love white chicken chili! That’s a great idea to use a rotisserie chicken!
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Amy Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 9:27 am
I am all about those rotisserie chickens, Tammy, for my soups and chilis! You can’t beat it
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What a great recipe Amy and pictures are very tempting too!
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Amy Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Oh, thank you so much! I so appreciate your comment today!
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Your comment about the bowl made me laugh out loud! I was thinking the opposite,”ohh LOVE the bowls… I wonder where she got them?!” ha!
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Amy Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Ha! I meant the chili itself. I went to buy that soup bowl because it really looked ugly in my white dishes! I think those are $2.50 each at Walmart! They had lots of colors too
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Nichole D. Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
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I love white chicken chili! thanks for the reminder that my recipe has been gathering dust and I should bring it out again. Oh, I made quinoa for the first time tonight! I had your post for the rice-cooker version and that was my plan but our electricity was out all day and it didn’t come back on until an hour after supper. I ended up putting it in a casserole dish with some chicken breasts, chicken broth, some green pepper and onions and baking it (gas stove, thank God!). We all really liked it. I am now planning on using quinoa for breakfast, adding cracked wheat, barley, and some rice, putting it in the rice cooker and having a hot multi-grain cereal. I hope it works!
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This soup get five stars from me. It is so good!!! I was lucky enough to get a taste of the first batch!
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Just made this for a girl’s weekend. Smells delicious! Thanks, Amy!
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Amy Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Oh, awesome! I hope it was a hit, Jennifer! I could really go for a girl’s weekend
xoxo
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Jennifer Young Reply:
November 14th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Everyone loved it! I think my chicken was too big. Next time I will either use less chicken or add more broth. I also added a teaspoon of smoked paprika–yum!
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Amy Reply:
November 14th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Sounds so good! Yum! I will have to try the paprika addition! My chicken was a little sad so I am jealous you had extra on your bird