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 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon 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.
Joelle says
This is so good!! It is unlike any other white chili I’ve had. That Neufchâtel cheese just makes it so creamy and delicious. And so much protein!! Go make this now!
Chancy Smith says
THE easiest meal prep for a busy week. I cheat and use already shredded chicken. It’s so freaking good. I add some diced up raw zucchini on the top and sometimes crush up Good Thin Corn crackers. I use my vegetable chopper to have this meal prepped and in the pot in less than 20 minutes.
AddieLou says
One of my favorites! Easy to make, so tasty, reheats well (if you have any left!).
Sarah says
This soup is amazing!!! A lightened up version of my favorite soup, but it does not lack flavor. Super simple to make, keeps great for multiple days (hello meal prep), AND has great macros! Highly recommend this recipe 🙂
Al says
Jordo... thank you. This is one of my faves that you've made.
Kara says
I love this recipe! It is easy to make—one pot chili, which makes clean up easy too. The flavors are perfect. I added corn to mine because we had it and I knew my chicken ratio was a little less than 1.5 lb. This will be added to our rotation of meals! Thanks JORDO!
Emily says
This is my favorite white chicken chili recipe! It can also be done in the instant pot. So easy and delicious. Definitely recommend it with tortilla chips.
Kathryn Score says
Look. I can’t cook. But my husband loved this! Looooved. Like I made with the anticipation of leftovers…. No leftovers were had
Tracie says
I have made several different White Chicken Chili recipes throughout the years, and this one is by far the best! Slightly creamy, just the right amount of spice…a nice, hearty lunch or dinner. To save a little time I used shredded rotisserie chicken. Can’t wait to make it again!
Colleen says
Super easy to make and sooo delicious. My husband has already requested it become a regular in our meal rotation!
Also I used the dairy free cream cheese as suggested to replace the Neufchâtel cheese and it was still super delicious.
Lacey says
Added some nutritional yeast for some cheesy flavor and to hopefully thicken it up a bit but omg it smells so yummy!!!
Thanks for all you do for all of us!!!
Karli L says
This white chicken chili is delicious!!! So easy and tasty!
Carman says
With the cold weather here i wanted to find something my whole family would enjoy. Made this and everyone had two helpings! So good. We didn't even use crackers or anything!
Jess T says
Easy, delicious and reheats well!
Amy Jacobs says
I am addicted to this soup! I have made 3 batches in 5 weeks!! It’s so comforting and delicious and the perfect protein packed and macro balanced lunch companion!! I sun bone broth for regular to really amp up the protein!! So delicious!! Do yourself a favor and go make some now!!