Chicken Chili with White Beans
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This chicken chili is a hearty, healthy dish you can feel good about eating.
If you’re looking for a lighter alternative to my classic chili recipe, this chicken chili is just the ticket. It’s made from scratch, loaded with veggies, and packed with protein-rich chicken and beans. But don’t worry—it’s still hearty and satisfying, even for the biggest football fanatics in your life. The ingredient list might look a bit long at first glance, but don’t let that scare you off. It’s mostly spices, and the active cooking time is only about 30 minutes, though it simmers on the stove for nearly two hours to develop that deep, rich flavor. And here’s a tip: be sure to use regular ground chicken, not the lean variety, for the best texture and taste. For a tasty variation, check out my favorite turkey chili recipe too!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Chili With White Beans
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or nonreactive soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and red bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring to prevent garlic from burning, about two minutes more.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground chicken, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt.
As the chicken cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the meat into very small clumps; cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered with lid ajar, for about one hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the white beans and simmer, uncovered for about 50 minutes more, or until the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined.
For a soupier chili, you can add additional water. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Note that this chili is moderately spicy; feel free to adjust to your liking by increasing or decreasing the cayenne and red pepper flakes.
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Chicken Chili with White Beans
This chicken chili is a hearty, healthy dish you can feel good about eating.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions, from 2 medium onions
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken (preferably not labeled "lean")
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for milder chili)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 (26 oz.) cartons Pomi chopped tomatoes or two (28 oz.) cans chopped or diced tomatoes
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 (15 oz.) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large nonreactive pot over medium heat. Add the onions and red bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring to prevent garlic from burning, about two minutes more.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground chicken, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt. As the chicken cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the meat into very small clumps; cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered with lid ajar, for about one hour, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the white beans and simmer, uncovered for about 50 minutes more, or until the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined. For a soupier chili, you can add additional water. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Note: Pomi boxed tomatoes are available at some regular grocers, Whole Foods and gourmet food shops.
- Note: A nonreactive pot is made of a material that will not react negatively with acidic ingredients. Stainless steel, enamel, glass and nonstick (as long as there are no scratches in the nonstick coating) are all safe to use. Do not use cast iron or aluminum.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The chili can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. (The chili will thicken up some when frozen, so you’ll likely need to add some broth when reheating.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (1 3/4 - 2 cups servings)
- Calories: 374
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 1110 mg
- Cholesterol: 111 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Love this recipe!! Have made it multiple times and often make to have for the week for lunches. I usually 1/2 it because do not need the full recipe but go ahead and use entire can of beans since not practical to have 1/2 can of beans leftover. Very tasty and a little different take on classic chili.
Crockpot Approved! Made recipe and added additional can of beans and green pepper. Sautéed chicken, onions, garlic then added to crockpot with all other ingredients. Couple hours later enjoyed topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, and avocado slices. Plenty leftovers!!!!.
I ❤️ your site, and this recipe did not disappoint! I grind my own meat/chicken to assure quality. Used b/s chicken breasts (even though you said not to use lean grind), and didn’t notice any difference, yay! Hubs has asked several times if we’re having leftovers again for dinner tonight! We will be making this again and again, as hubs loves chili and I try to serve healthier options.
I’m not seeing mention of toppings for this chili. Has anyone added any toppers? Thanks!
Hi, I’ll let other readers weigh in with suggestions, but just thought I’d share that this would be nice with cour cream, crushed tortilla chips and/or shredded cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese. 🙂
Delicious!
I didn’t have enough chicken so I shredded a zucchini and added it plus some nadapeno peppers. Served it with fresh chopped cilantro and avocado slices. So goooood!
I was looking forward to this so much but… Seeing the ingredients ‘3 tablespoons of chili powder’ I hesitated when making it. I didn’t see anyone comment here as to the amount of chili powder but I used 4 teaspoons instead. And that was also way way way too much, we love really spicy food but this is just not eatable. I hate throwing away food but even after adding more sugar, a total of 4 cans of beans, eat it with lots of rice and some yogurt, it’s still flaming hot so all in the garbage. I didn’t even use the chilli flakes and cayenne so the heat is all from the chilli powder. Totally dislike😢
Sorry you had a problem with this! Typical chili powder really shouldn’t be spicy — is there a chance you use ancho chili powder. Regardless, I’m sorry that this was a flop for you!
Delicious!! First time trying one of your recipes & this was a winner. Unique flavor, in a good way. Made as written except used green pepper because that’s what I had in the fridge. Definitely adding this, & your website, to the rotation.
Jenn,
I’ve been looking for a red chicken chili. I am not fond of ground chicken so is there any chance you can use Rotisserie chicken here? If so, how much and when should I add it?
Thanks, Staci
Sure, Staci, that should work. I’d use 2 pounds of chicken and add it for the last 10 minutes or so to warm it through. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
One of my wife’s favorites using ground chicken or ground turkey (white meat and dark together seems to be more flavorful). She is not a fan of spicy food so I skip the cayenne and red pepper flakes as I can add them when I have a bowl. Also, like the beef chili I make, I add one cup of beer and simmer long enough without a lid to thicken to desired consistency. I also use canned Italian made San Marzano tomatoes because they are the best, and a couple of sliced carrots for a sweetener. Better the next day and freezes fine. I even remembered to remove the bay leaves this time.