Easy White Chicken Chili Recipe with Northern Beans

Easy White Chicken Chili, with delicious northern beans, chicken, and lots of great seasonings, is a simple creamy white chicken chili with sour cream.  If you are looking for an easy white chicken chili recipe, this one is great! This is an easy and straightforward white chicken chili that takes almost no time at all to prepare. 

I think one of the best things about white chicken chili is that its easily adaptable. It can be made in one pot on the stove, cook all day in a crock pot or even cut that time way down in a pressure cooker.

No matter how you choose to cook your chili, you can look forward to a full belly and great dinner.  Let’s get cooking!

Chicken Chili with Great Northern Beans

Here is my chicken chili base.

This recipe is easily adapted and I put a few of my other suggestions below on creating the prefect chili for your home.  As with all my recipes, if you just need the printable recipe and instructions, scroll to the bottom for an easy to follow recipe card. 

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, cubed (uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cans, 15.5 oz each, great northern beans, un-drained
• 1 can, 4 oz, diced green chilies
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole whipping cream
• shredded cheese

Chili Ingredient Variations

• (OPTIONAL) fresh chopped cilantro at the end
• (OPTIONAL BUT I LOVE) 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice
• OPTIONAL- Chicken chili can often look bland and a drained can of fire roasted (or regular) corn looks and tastes great in this recipe.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili 

You can easily translate this chicken chili recipe into a crock pot by adding all ingredients to a crock pot and cooking on low for 8 hours.

Prior to serving, shred chicken and add a little extra broth if you prefer it a little less thick (Some will boil off during the cooking process). 

You never want to over add liquid in the beginning as its so hard to take out but so easy to add in.

Chicken Chili Toppings

In our house this recipe isn’t complete without toppings!

I serve with crunchy tortilla chips for dipping, sour cream and cut up avocados. 

Easy Creamy Chicken Chili

Add oil, chicken and garlic to a large stock pot.

Heat chicken on medium until all chicken is browned.

RECIPE NOTES: Some people prefer a shredded chicken in a chili. Unfortunately shredded chicken takes extra time, so if you want to have shredded chicken you either have to boil it, crock pot it, or buy pre-made rotisserie chicken from the store.

When you are wanting to cook quickly, this is the best way to handle chicken chili. 

 

 

Stir in beans, chilies, broth and all your seasonings.

Heat chili on high heat until boiling.

Reduce heat and cover.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and whole cream at the very end and whisk in.

 

Serve your chili topped with toppings like cheese, cilantro, avocado, black olives, and a side of crunchy tortilla chips!

Serves 4-6

 

Dirty Keto Chicken Chili

I get a lot of questions on recipes on if they are or are adaptable to Keto or Low Carb Diets. Chicken Chili (and really all chili) is really difficult to adapt due to beans. See below for my thoughts on if this is a safe keto chicken chili. 

What is Dirty Keto?

There are two schools of thoughts when it comes to Keto Dieting (low carb dieting). One of that your carbs needs to come from specific whole foods (clean keto) and one is that it doesn’t matter where your carbs come from as long as they are regulated (which is how people justify fast food on a keto diet).

Beans are one of those foods you have to be cautious with as they can be high in carbs and chili can be difficult to measure them out in consumption. 

So are Northern Beans Keto?

Beans, in general, are high in carbs, but they are also high in fiber and are good for you!  There are so many kinds of lifestyle and food restriction diets that its hard for me to tell you what you can eat or not eat. Your best bet is to add the ingredients and adjust servings to your own particular needs.

How can you even have chili on a low carb diet?

There are a lot of chicken chili recipes that are fully keto in nature, do not use  beans, and simply thicken the broth with cream cheese and whipping creams. I am still working on a great low carb chicken chili recipe that makes it feel like chili and not just soup. 

Reasons to love Making Different Chili Recipes!

• Easily adaptable to other beans, addition of ingredients and seasonings
• Hearty and filling for a fully satisfying dinner
• Has a lot of fun toppings so everyone has a unique bowl custom to their taste buds
• Reheats up great the next day
• Beef, Chicken, Sausage or Turkey, you will never run out of chili ideas.