White Chicken Chili Recipe {with Cilantro Sauce}

This White Chicken Chili recipe is a healthy and lighter alternative to the traditional beef and red bean chili.  It’s an easy one pot meal made with chicken breasts, white beans, and topped with a cilantro cumin sauce.  Ready and on the table in no time!

White Chicken Chili recipe for a PERFECT winter meal

White chicken chili recipe is definitely one of my favorite recipes.  It’s easy, quick, healthy, and makes a ton of leftovers!  While living in Florida, I probably ate chili only a couple times a year because it’s really not the type of food you want to eat and then go lay out at the beach.  Now I live in New England, so I make chili all the time, especially during the winter months.

Types of beans to use in white chili

There are three type of white beans for the best chili:

• Navy – A small bean that cooks up quickly, becoming soft and creamy.   They are mild in flavor and work well in all kinds of soups, chills, and stews.  It was my Grandmother’s favorite bean to cook with and it’s my favorite too!  My bean of choice for this white chicken chili recipe and I love making them homemade from dried in 30 minutes with my Instant Pot White Beans recipe.
• Great Northern – Medium sized beans with a mild, nutty flavor.  A bean with a firm skin that holds up well to longer cooking periods without breaking up.  Sometimes I like to substitute great northerns for the pinto beans in my beef chili recipe.
• Cannellini – A larger kidney shaped bean that has a meatier nutty flavor with a tender skin.   Most commonly used in the Italian soup Minestrone.  I like to saute them with spices and herbs for a quick Italian side dish or add them to a pasta dish.
  

TIP!!!  To make a thicker chili, purée some of the beans with an immersion blender or in a stand up blender.

Cilantro sauce for one of the most flavorful chili toppings

The idea of topping the chili with a cilantro sauce stared with having some leftover Indian cilantro relish in the refrigerator.  Indian cilantro relish is made simply with cilantro, lemon juice, jalapeños, cumin, and salt and is used as an accompaniment to my tandoori chicken.  

Figured since the cilantro relish was similar to Mexican flavors, I’d adjust it and use it to top the chili.  I added more cilantro, ground cumin, and fresh lime juice, blended it up and stirred it into a bowl of chili.  DELISH!

Can try it as a cilantro lime dressing too!

For another variation of the cilantro sauce, add it to sour cream and use it to top the chili.  You can even use the sour cream cilantro lime dressing to top a fajita salad, nachos, or tacos.  Yum!

Looking for even more chili recipes?  Try these: 

• Beef and Chorizo Chili (homemade chorizo recipe included!) 
• Vegetarian Chili Frito Pie

Try this White Chicken Chili recipe with Cilantro Sauce next time you want a hearty, yet light and healthy chili.  PIN it for later and please let me know in the comments how you top your chili!  

5 from 3 votes

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White Chicken Chili Recipe {with Cilantro Sauce}

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

A healthy and lighter alternative to the traditional beef and red bean chili. Made with chicken breasts, white beans, and topped with a cilantro cumin sauce.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 124 kcal

Author:: Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

FOR THE CHILI:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh or jarred jalapeño peppers , minced
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 8 cups good quality chicken broth (use 6 cups if you want it thicker and less soupy)
• 2 cooked chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), chopped or shredded (To cook chicken breasts: cover chicken with water and simmer until done, about 20 minutes)
• 1 recipe of homemade white beans or subsitute 4 (15.5 oz) cans of white beans, drained and rinised
• salt to taste

FOR THE CILANTRO SAUCE:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of salt

optional toppings: shredded cheese and/or minced jalapeños

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CHILI:

1. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the minced jalapeños, oregano, cumin, and white pepper and cook together with the onion/garlic mixture for another minute.

2. Increase heat to medium-high and add the chicken broth, chicken, and beans to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes.
   

FOR THE CILANTRO SAUCE:

1. Place all ingredients in a small food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add more lime juice or water if need to thin out.

2. To serve: place chili in bowls and top with cilantro sauce, shredded cheese, and/or extra minced jalapeños.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• For a thicker chili, purée some of the beans before adding to the chili.
  
• Can freeze chili by placing in a freezer proof container for up to 6 months.  Thaw chili in the refrigerator when ready to use.
• For a more developed flavor, make the chili the day before and heat up in a heavy bottomed pot, over medium low heat.

Nutrition Facts

White Chicken Chili Recipe {with Cilantro Sauce}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 124 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Cholesterol 48mg 16%

Sodium 1266mg 53%

Potassium 600mg 17%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Protein 17g 34%

Vitamin A 6.6%

Vitamin C 33.2%

Calcium 4.7%

Iron 9.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.