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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Loved this. Will be making it again with a touch more heat! Thanks Jen!
This chili recipe is a keeper! I’ve made it multiple times, for us and for a crowd, and always satisfying!
I followed this exact recipe and served it to company with steamed texmati rice, Scallions, and cheese. It was a huge hit and the we devoured the entire pot. The only thing I did differently was add an extra can of beans (black). I will make it again and again. Delicious!
Thanks, this is a great recipe for a basic chili and very good for a beginner level cook like myself. I’ve made it twice, first time I followed the recipe almost exactly and it was good but could use some improvement. Second time I added more chili flakes and put in a tablespoon of chipotle paste and some mild jalapenos and it was much better. Gave it a bit more bite and some smokeyness and fit well with the base recipe.
So this is a tasty recipe that’s basic enough that you can easily expand upon and change it to your liking.
I made this using ground chicken – all I could find at my large grocery store was lean. Other than the chicken I followed the recipe exactly, but ultimately it was much too watery, especially the frozen left overs. And when drained it was just sort of like stir fried ground chicken and beans. Perhaps the brand of tomato I used had too much liquid.
I love this chili. It is so flavorful and delicious. It is one of my favorite chili recipes. Thank you so much!!!!
Hello Jenn,
Just found your site and can’t wait to try your receipes. Could this chili work with ground pork instead of chicken? Thanks!
Sure, Lili – it will probably be even better with pork.
Hi Jenn, I make your recipes all the time and have found them to be perfect. I used turkey instead of chicken & my chili was rather watery. I was able to boil off the excess liquid but am wondering if ground turkey has more liquid in it than ground chicken. My turkey released a lot of liquid & another one of your reviewers had a similar issue with turkey. I will make it again as it’s a great recipe – I just may stick with ground chicken!
Hi Linda, the amount of liquid released by ground meat varies based on how lean it is (with a leaner cut giving off a bit more water), so I suspect that the turkey was leaner than the chicken that the recipe calls for.
I’ve been making both chicken and turkey chili a lot recently. I think I prefer the texture of the chicken over turkey. Regarding turkey chili, I did try the less lean, 93% but I didn’t like the taste, I like the 99% lean ground turkey better. To make it work, I chop up 2-3 thick slices hickory smoked bacon and mix it it with the turkey before putting it into the pot, this gives the fat needed and a nice flavor.
I use garbanzo beans in my chili, which is probably an acquired taste, but I like the bite it gives
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but it looks good and I will try it the next time I decide to make chili.
While I love a traditional white chicken chili, I keep coming back to this recipe. Everyone loves it! I sometimes use ground chicken (or turkey), but I prefer cooking chicken breasts and shredding the meat. It’s a texture thing, and I get to bust out my pulled pork claws. Usually I have most of the ingredients on hand, and I was very happy to learn how good Pomi tomatoes are. I like to have a variety of garnishes on hand for people to top as they wish: sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese (cheddar or jack), chopped scallions, lime wedges and a couple of hot sauces. Oh, and don’t forget the corn bread.