Sure, there are lots of chili recipes out there. But none of them are as magical as this healthy white chicken chili recipe.
Healthy White Chicken Chili
Sometimes the names of food products or recipes don't explain exactly what's going on in the dish, or suggest something different than you might imagine. Ever heard of grape nuts? Neither grape, nor nuts!
This healthy white chicken chili doesn't reach that level of deception. However, the concept of white chili can be a little misleading if you've never had it before.
What is white chili made of?
White chili isn't white, exactly, but it's light in color, especially compared to a classic red chili.
What's a bit confusing—to me, anyway—is that *white* chili recipes use *green* chiles. Yet it would be ridiculous to call the dish a green chili!
If you can get past the name problem, though, you'll be rewarded with one of the tastiest, creamiest, zestiest bowls of goodness you could imagine.
Easy White Chicken Chili Recipe
As a recipe developer, it's easy to hesitate sharing a recipe in a category where so many other versions already exist. But I don't have any hesitation to share my white chicken chili recipe with you.
The reason? There are a few:
- It's really easy
- It tastes incredible
- It's relatively nutritious
- It's a crowd favorite
- It's extra creamy
On that last point, this is one I always feel great making for guests. People have opinions on foods, and especially chili. But the consensus on this healthy white chicken chili recipe is that it's a winner.
White Chicken Chili Ingredients
All right—I've hyped this one up enough. It will speak for itself! Let's get down to the details of what goes into this white chicken chili recipe:
- chicken
- onion
- bell pepper
- garlic
- green chiles
- great northern beans
- low-sodium chicken broth
- Neufchâtel cheese
- green salsa
- chili powder
- cumin
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado
You might be wondering: what's up with the Neufchâtel cheese? I barely know how to pronounce that—why should I put it in a chili? Well, the noof-sha-tell cheese is the not-so-secret ingredient to ensure a creamy base to this dish.
How To Make Healthy White Chicken Chili
Here's what goes into making this healthy white chicken chili:
- Gather all ingredients.
- Chop the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Set aside.
- Measure all the spices. Set aside.
- Heat a large dutch on the stovetop over medium heat.
- When the dutch oven is hot, coat well with cooking spray.
- Add pepper, onion, garlic and seasonings to the dutch oven. Stir frequently.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to get soft.
- Add the block of Neufchâtel cheese to the dutch oven. Use a spoon to crush the block of cheese and help the melting process. Stir around until creamy and melted, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the cans of northern beans (drained & rinsed), green chiles, salsa, broth, and chicken (cooked & shredded) into the dutch oven.
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until mixture is heated well and beans are tender.
- Serve in bowls with cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado.
Wow many calories is white chicken chili?
Obviously, calories per serving vary widely by recipe. This healthy white chicken chili is 431 calories for a 1.5-cup serving!
That comes along with 48 grams of protein and only 10 grams of fat. Pretty darn good if you ask me.
Does chicken chili have a lot of carbs?
This white chicken chili recipe has 33 g of carbohydrates per serving—pretty standard for chili recipes overall, and it comes with a really solid nutrition profile. I have no trouble fitting this into my meal plan, and it tastes like comfort food (because it is).
Why is my white chicken chili watery?
In chilies, the consistency of the final product depends a lot on the liquid to solid ratio in the ingredients. As you can imagine, there's no hard-and-fast rule that will make all chili recipes turn out perfectly.
This healthy white chicken chili recipe utilizes Neufchâtel cheese to create a final texture that's rich and silky. If you skip that ingredient, you may find yourself adjusting to get a consistency that's right for you.
How long does white chicken chili keep?
I have no problem keeping this in the fridge for 5, even 6 days. You can store much longer if you opt to freeze it.
How to meal prep white chicken chili
Chili (and soup in general) can be a great food for meal prep. You can divide the dish into individual airtight containers for an easy grab n' go. Alternatively, if you've got room, you can keep this in a fridge inside the pot you cooked it in!
How to reheat chili
When it comes time to reheat your chili, you basically have a couple of options.
If you stored your chili in separate containers, you can pop one of those in the microwave (assuming it's microwave safe) and you're good to go! If you stored your whole chili pot, however, you can likely reheat the whole shebang over medium-low heat until it's warmed through. It's like you just made it!
More easy healthy recipes
Like what you see? Love what you taste? Try another one of these Jordo's World staples:
Healthy White Chicken Chili
Equipment
- large pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken tenderloin cooked and shredded (24 oz)
- 1 onion raw & diced (150 g)
- 1 large bell pepper raw & diced (150 g)
- 4 cloves garlic raw & minced (28 g)
- 2 cans green chiles 8 oz total
- 2 cans great northern beans drained & rinsed (30 oz total)
- 1 box low-sodium chicken broth 32 oz
- 1 block Neufchâtel cheese 8 oz
- 1 cup green salsa 240 g, mild or medium depending on heat preference
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Chop the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Set aside.
- Measure all the spices. Set aside.
- Heat a large dutch on the stovetop over medium heat.
- When the dutch oven is hot, coat well with cooking spray.
- Add pepper, onion, garlic and seasonings to the dutch oven. Stir frequently.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to get soft.
- Add the block of Neufchâtel cheese to the dutch oven. Use a spoon to crush the block of cheese and help the melting process. Stir around until creamy and melted, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the cans of northern beans (drained & rinsed), green chiles, salsa, broth, and chicken (cooked & shredded) into the dutch oven.
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until mixture is heated well and beans are tender.
- Serve in bowls with cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado.
Notes
- 1 serving is 1.5 cups or 440 grams of chili
- This recipe is gluten-free.
- To make dairy free, use a dairy-free cream cheese.
- If you’re needing to cook chicken for this recipe, 2 lbs of raw chicken will make about 1.5 lbs cooked chicken.
Margot
Monday 20th of March 2023
So easy & so delicious! I thought soup season was passed us, and we were on to warmer weather, but we were hit with a cold front and it was the perfect opportunity to make this soul warming chili! I used green chiles & diced jalapenos since that what I had in my pantry which gave it a little extra heat to clear the sinuses. Another slam dunk!
Shelby
Sunday 29th of January 2023
Easy, delicious chili that got rave reviews from my family. This is the perfect recipe for the snowy, cold day we were having! I cooked chicken in my pressure cooker the day before, which made this the easiest thing to throw together in under 30 minutes. I’ll definitely make it again!
Laura
Monday 16th of January 2023
This was so good! Husband and 8 & 5 year old approved!
Luna
Friday 30th of December 2022
Literally so easy and a staple in our home now! I used rotisserie chicken i had so it made it quicker, so so good!
Tracy
Sunday 20th of November 2022
This was absolutely delicious, exactly what I was looking for. Looking forward to my next bowl of it.