Name: Creamy White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into bite-size pieces; Salt and pepper, to taste; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups chicken broth; 2 cans (14 oz each) white beans, such as cannellini, drained; 2 cans (4 oz each) mild green chiles, with their juices; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 4 oz cream cheese, softened; Sour cream; Lime wedges; Shredded cheese; Crushed tortilla chips; Fresh cilantro

Four ounces of soft cream cheese, stirred in during the last 5 minutes, is what gives this white chicken chili its pale, creamy broth. Around it go white beans, mild green chiles, chicken breast, and a short list of dried spices.

The whole white chicken chili comes together in about 35 minutes. That’s why it’s a weeknight pot in my kitchen.

What I watch most is the chicken, which goes in raw. It only has to lose its pink on the outside before the broth goes in, and the simmer handles the rest.

I keep the juice from the green chile cans too. It goes straight into the pot with the chiles, and it’s part of what seasons the broth.

Prep: about 10 minutes · Cook: about 25 minutes · Total: 35 minutes · Serves: 4 to 6

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How do you make white chicken chili creamy?

Stir 4 oz of softened cream cheese into the pot at the very end, once the chicken, white beans, and green chiles have simmered for 10 minutes. Keep stirring over the heat for about 5 minutes, until no white streaks remain. Some versions go another way and stir 2/3 cup of sour cream in off the heat.

Why It Works

Bite-size chicken breast only needs to lose its pink on the outside before the liquid goes in. The pot then simmers for 10 minutes, and small, even pieces cook through in that window.
Chili powder, ground cumin, and dried oregano carry the seasoning in both classic sources. Salt & Lavender uses 2 tsp, 1 tsp, and 1/2 tsp, and Spend With Pennies lands close at 1 1/2 tsp, 1/2 tsp, and 1/2 tsp.
The dairy goes in last. Softened cream cheese melts into the hot broth over about 5 minutes of stirring and turns the whole pot pale and creamy.

Before the cream cheese goes in, I cut one of the biggest chicken pieces in half. If it’s white all the way to the center, the pot is ready for the dairy.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This One

One pot and about 35 minutes, so it fits a weeknight dinner.
Most of the pot comes from cans: white beans, mild green chiles, and chicken broth.
The chicken goes in raw, with no second pan for cooking it first.
A spread of toppings lets everyone build their own bowl.

Grab These Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz each) white beans, such as cannellini, drained
2 cans (4 oz each) mild green chiles, with their juices
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 oz cream cheese, softened
Sour cream
Lime wedges
Shredded cheese
Crushed tortilla chips
Fresh cilantro

Ingredient Notes and Swaps

The cream cheese decides the texture of the whole pot. I set the block out on the counter while I chop, so it’s soft enough to press with a spoon by the time it goes in.

Cream cheese straight from the fridge takes longer to melt, and I’d rather not chase cold lumps around the pot. If you prefer sour cream, some recipes use 2/3 cup and stir it in off the heat.

Buy the mild green chiles in the small 4 oz cans and pour them in with their juices. The beans get drained, but the chile liquid stays.

Any canned white bean works here, and cannellini are the ones named in the classic versions. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is what both sources use, cut small so it cooks through in the short simmer.

Let’s Make It

Soften the cream cheese. Set the 4 oz of cream cheese out on the counter before you start chopping. By the time the chili has simmered, it should be soft enough that the back of a spoon presses into it easily.
Cook the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until it’s soft, translucent, and just turning lightly golden at the edges.
Cook the chicken until no pink shows. Add the chicken, season with a little salt and pepper, and stir. Cook until the outside of every piece has turned white with no pink showing. The centers can still be raw here, since the simmer finishes them.
Add the garlic. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until it smells fragrant. Keep it moving across the bottom of the pot, because garlic left sitting on hot metal darkens fast and turns bitter.
Pour in the liquids. Add the broth, drained white beans, green chiles with their juices, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Stir well, scraping the bottom, and bring the pot to a boil, until bubbles break across the whole surface instead of only at the edges.
Simmer the chili. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. It’s ready when a cut piece of chicken is white all the way through. The USDA sets 165°F as the safe internal temperature for chicken.
Melt in the cream cheese. Drop the softened cream cheese into the pot in small pieces. Stir over the heat for about 5 minutes, until it melts completely, no white streaks remain, and the broth turns pale and creamy.
Season and serve. Taste the white chicken chili and add salt and pepper until the broth tastes seasoned all the way through. Ladle it into bowls and set out the sour cream, lime, cheese, tortilla chips, and cilantro so everyone can top their own.

Tips From My Kitchen

Salt is the one thing I don’t measure in this pot. I’d rather taste it after the cream cheese melts and add a pinch at a time.
Don’t pour off the green chile liquid. It’s part of the seasoning, and the beans are the only can that goes through the colander.
Cut the chicken into pieces of about the same size. Small, even pieces are what let a 10-minute simmer cook them all the way through.
If you’d like more vegetables in the bowl, one version cooks 2 poblano peppers with the onion and adds 1 cup of corn. They’re an easy addition, and the steps stay the same.

Storing and Reheating

Leftover white chicken chili keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Other versions allow 3 to 4 days, so I go with the shorter window.

Freezing is less settled. One version says you can freeze it but warns the dairy may change texture, while Spend With Pennies freezes its sour cream version for up to 8 weeks.

Because of that split, I don’t call this a freezer meal. If a pot is headed for the freezer, I’d rather leave the cream cheese out and stir it in after reheating.

Reheat leftovers gently on the stove over low heat, stirring often, until hot all the way through. A splash of broth loosens it if it has thickened in the fridge.

On the Side

Tortilla chips on the side, for scooping beans and chicken straight out of the bowl.
A crisp green salad with a squeeze of lime, since the acid cuts through the creamy broth.
Warm flour tortillas, torn and dragged through the last of the broth.

Special Equipment

A large heavy pot or Dutch oven, roomy enough to hold the broth and all four cans with space left to stir.
A sharp knife and a cutting board, so the chicken goes into even bite-size pieces.
A can opener and a colander for draining the white beans.
A flat-edged wooden spoon for scraping the bottom of the pot and breaking up the cream cheese.
A ladle for serving.

Common Questions

Can you make white chicken chili with sour cream instead of cream cheese? Yes. Some recipes use 2/3 cup of sour cream and stir it in off the heat, along with cilantro. I stick with cream cheese because it melts right into the simmering pot.

Do you need to cook the chicken before adding it? No. Raw bite-size pieces go in after the onion and only need to lose their pink on the outside. They finish cooking during the 10-minute simmer, and the USDA safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°F.

Can you freeze white chicken chili? You can, but the dairy may change texture. Leave the cream cheese out of the freezer portion and stir it in after reheating.

What beans go in white chicken chili? Canned white beans, drained. Cannellini are a common pick, and this pot uses two 14 oz cans.

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