White Chicken Chili

January 11, 2026
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This recipe checks all the boxes for fall or winter comfort food, especially if you love Mexican flavors. Its is packed with chicken and white beans, and has a touch of the spice you would expect in a Mexican dish, but also a fresh taste because of the lime juice. This recipe is super healthy with chicken, white beans and the peppers. Sometimes to make it even healthier I will add some kale or spinach for extra greens.

TIPS: Using rotisserie chicken makes this dish super easy. For the white beans, canned cannellini, pinto or northern beans would all work. For variety you could even throw in black beans if thats what you have on hand. This is best eaten fresh, but will store well in the refrigerator also. You may find the beans soak up a lot of the liquid when refrigerated, so when reheating you may want to add a touch of chicken broth. You can adjust the heat of the dish by adding more or less peppers and spices. Play around with it until it has the flavors you like.

White Chicken Chili

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 – 14 .5 oz cans white beans (like cannellini)
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper minced
  • 1 large poblano pepper diced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground corriander
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 4 C low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 small limes juiced
  • 4 C rotisserie chicken meat
  • 1/4 C chopped cilantro leaves
  • sour cream for topping (optional)
  • chopped tortilla chips for topping (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Drain and rinse the beans. Separate the beans and roughly mash half of them with a potato masher. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a dutch oven or deep pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to the vegetables. Add the cumin, chili powder and corriander and saute for about a minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken stock and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the beans and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
  • Stir in the shredded chicken and cilantro. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if necessary. Simmer about 5 more minutes until heated through.
  • Serve in large bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips (optional).
  • Enjoy!