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White chicken chili hits all the right comfort notes and Tex-Mex flavors. Pulled chicken, white beans, and a good dollop of Greek yogurt make it creamy without being heavy. It’s hearty enough for dinner, and maybe even better for lunch the next day.
White chicken chili and beef chili are not the same thing, and they’re not trying to be. One is deep, rich, tomato-heavy—the kind of thing that sits with you. The other is creamy, a little spicy from green chiles, and built around chicken instead of beef. Both are comfort food—they’re just doing very different things! My little trick is to use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or cream cheese to amp up the protein while keeping things decadent.
Looking for more easy chicken recipes? You’ll love this sheet-pan chicken Philly cheesesteak and these Buffalo chicken bowls.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with protein (37 grams per serving!) from both the chicken and the Greek yogurt
- Great for meal prep and lunches
- Works great as a freezer meal
- Easy for game day, potlucks, or a cozy weeknight dinner
Ingredient Overview
A quick look at the essentials before we dive into the recipe card:
- Chicken—any cuts will work, as long as they are skinless and boneless. You could even try it with ground chicken for that traditional chili texture.
- Greek yogurt—this is what brings on the rich and creamy texture, along with a dose of extra protein.
- Beans—for the rich and creamy texture white chicken chili is known for, you want a creamy white bean like Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans.
- Frozen corn—makes things super easy. But if you have some fresh corn you want to use, go for it!
- Baby spinach—just for the sake of adding leafy greens and extra nutrients.
- Seasoning—cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne are what I use in this recipe, but a good taco seasoning recipe also works.
- Salsa verde—not a traditional ingredient, but I love the extra earthy flavor it provides.
Step-by-Step: How to Make White Chicken Chili
Step 1: Cook the Chicken
Pat the chicken gently with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a deep Dutch oven or stock pot over low heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160-165ºF. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool.
Recipe Tip
Cooking the chicken on low is important. It takes a bit longer, but you want to avoid drying out the exterior before the interior is cooked through.
Step 2: Sauté the Onions & Garlic
Add about 1/4 cup of broth to the pot to deglaze it, scraping up the browned, crispy bits left from the chicken. This will add flavor. Then, add the onions and garlic, and simmer until softened—about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the Broth, Veggies, & Spices
Pour the remaining broth into the pot, then add the frozen corn, spinach, salsa verde, diced green chiles, and spices. Stir well, and let it simmer on low.
Step 4: Make the Bean Blend
Rinse the beans with a fine mesh strainer and set them aside. Ladle about a cup of the broth from the pot into a small bullet blender or a stand blender, then add 1 cup of rinsed beans. Blend until smooth, then stir it back into the pot (this will help create a thick, rich broth for the chili). Stir the remaining beans into the soup.
Step 5: Shred the Chicken
Now that your chicken has had a chance to cool a bit, transfer it to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Another option is to tear it into pieces, place them in a large mixing bowl, then shred the chicken with
a hand mixer. This is quicker and easier on the hands. When done, stir the chicken into the pot.
Step 6: Stir In the Yogurt
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the yogurt until well combined. Serve with your choice of toppings. Check out some ideas below.
Note: Full-fat yogurt can handle the heat when stirred into hot liquid, but if you’re using a light or fat-free variety, you will need to temper it. You can do this by putting the yogurt into a small mixing bowl, then using a ladle, slowly pour some of the hot broth into the yogurt while whisking vigorously. Then you can stir it into the hot liquid.
Topping Suggestions
- Freshly chopped cilantro
- Seasoned tortilla strips
- Avocado
- Cheese, like crumbled cotija, shredded cheddar, or a drizzle of queso
- A drizzle of salsa
- Hot sauce
Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-Free: Use a plain dairy-free yogurt instead, but temper the yogurt so it holds to the heat.
- Ground Meat: If you want your chicken chili to have a more traditional chili texture, you can use ground chicken (or even ground turkey).
- Rotisserie Chicken: For a fast and easy dinner, skip cooking your own chicken and stir in some shredded rotisserie chicken at the end.
- More Veggies: Feel free to go heavier on the veggies by adding diced bell pepper, mushrooms, or zucchini.
- Add Heat: For a spicy chili, add some jalapeño to the mix or stir your favorite hot sauce into the broth.
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store the chili in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze the chili for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. For chilis and soups, I love these silicone trays!
- Reheat: Heat leftover chili in the microwave in 35-second increments until warmed through.
What to Serve With It
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken, white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, or navy), green chiles, and a rich chicken broth, thanks to either a spoonful of sour cream or cream cheese stirred in at the end, or in this recipe’s case, plain Greek yogurt. It’s mild, bright, and fast, and it wants cilantro on top, maybe some cheese, and definitely tortilla chips!
A big mistake is adding dairy too early—don’t do it! It will curdle and look terrible, and you’ll be sad. Another common slip is overcooking the chicken. Overcooked chicken is hard to shred and will leave you with a dry, chewy texture.
White Chicken Chili With Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless), For convenience and quicker cook time, you could use prepared pulled rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Simply add it to the chili when you add in the beans to warm it through.
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 14 oz cans of Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups ribboned or roughly chopped baby spinach
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 4 oz can of diced green chiles
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- A few cranks of ground pepper
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
- 2-3 limes 1 lime to zest and juice, the other to cut into wedges for serving
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Other Topping Ideas:
- Cut up avocado
- Dollop of plain Greek yogurt
- Hot sauce
- Crunchy tortilla trips or corn chips
Instructions
- Pat the chicken gently with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper.1.5 lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- Heat oil in a deep Dutch oven or stock pot over low heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160-165ºF. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool.
- Add about 1/4 cup of broth to the pot to deglaze it, scraping up the browned crispy bits left from the chicken. This will add flavor.
- Then, add the onions and garlic, and simmer until softened—about 5 minutes.1 small yellow onion, diced, 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Pour the remaining broth into the pot, then add the frozen corn, spinach, salsa verde, diced green chiles, and spices. Stir well, and let it simmer on low.3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cup frozen corn, 2 cups ribboned or roughly chopped baby spinach, 1/2 cup salsa verde, 4 oz can of diced green chiles, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp chili powder, 1.5 tsp sea salt, 1/8 tsp cayenne
- Rinse the beans with a fine mesh strainer and set them aside. Ladle about a cup of the broth from the pot into a small bullet blender or a stand blender, then add 1 cup of rinsed beans. Blend until smooth, then stir it back into the pot (this will help create a thick, rich broth for the chili). Stir the rest of the beans into the soup.2 14 oz cans of Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Now that your chicken has had a chance to cool a bit, transfer it to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Another option is to tear it into pieces and place them into a large mixing bowl, then shred the chicken using a hand mixer. This is quicker and easier on the hands. When done, stir the chicken into the pot.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the yogurt until well combined. Then stir in the lime zest and lime juice.1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
- Serve with your choice of toppings.
So flavorful! Would love a crockpot or instant pot variation but this came out perfect! I swapped some chicken broth with chicken bone broth for added protein. I’ve also never seen a chicken chili with spinach in it – love that addition!
Taking note to come up with a slow-cooker variation ;)
I’m so glad you like it! And heck yeah, why not just throw baby spinach into everything.
Yum yum 😋 love this and all of the good protein that’s goes into it.. also great flavours.
A comfort food good for the soul.. ❤️😊
Such a protein-packed meal! So glad you love it.