Easy White Chicken Chili Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is white chili made of? ›

White chili is made with white beans, chicken (sometimes pork), and mild green chiles. (That said, if you must, must have scorching heat in your chili, there are ways to do that while still keeping the chili white.

There's your red. On the other hand, white versions are made with chicken instead of beef, and without tomatoes but with beans (usually white beans) and tons of flavor from green chilies.

Add a generous dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt to scorching hot chili or stews, or even a touch of milk or cream. For best results, though, go with full-fat dairy. For tomato sauces and stews that don't want dairy, try shredding some cheese on top. Photo by Meredith.

Chili should be thick and hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but sometimes there's just a bit more liquid than you want in the pot. While you can simply keep simmering the chili, that method risks overcooking softer ingredients like the beans, losing all your nice texture to mushy monotony.

Not Cooking It Long Enough

A low and slow cook time—at least an hour total—is key for drawing out the most flavor in a pot of chili.

Cannellini beans are the largest of the group and because of their traditional kidney shape, they can also be referred to as White Kidney Beans. Meatier than Navy or Great Northern beans, they have a nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh, and are often used in Italian dishes like Minestrone.

White beans are a group of legumes with white casings and starchy insides which include navy beans, cannellini beans, “great northern” beans, and lima beans. Navy beans, great northern beans, and cannellini beans are grown from the Phaseolus vulgaris plant, while lima beans are grown on the Phaseolus lunatus plant.

"The difference between the two rests primarily with the heartiness of the cannellini over the northern," explains Vince Hayward, the president of Camellia Brand beans. "Because of the thicker skin, and slightly bolder bean taste, the cannellini lends itself better towards soups and stews," Hayward adds.

White chili is a delicious variation of classic chili, featuring chicken or turkey and white beans in a savory broth base instead of the typical kidney beans and tomato base.

It has no tomatoes and instead uses white beans and green chiles to get its color and flavor. I think the key to this being considered chili is getting the ratio of broth to beans and meat just right so that it is a bit heartier than a regular soup.

Why do you put white vinegar in chili? ›

Stirred into the pot right before serving, a spoonful of vinegar brightens up the finished product, and gives it that full, rounded taste that was missing. Even if the chili recipe you're using doesn't call for vinegar, go ahead and add it anyway. You won't actually taste the tang or sharp flavor of the vinegar.

Too much stock: Although chicken or beef stock adds an earthy flavor to chili, it can result in a watery mixture if you use too much. To fix this issue, add more solid ingredients, such as veggies, meat, and beans, or let your chili cook longer.

The sweet taste offsets some of the spice. I was reluctant to make this because I thought the combination of cinnamon and honey would be bad but it was outstanding. My family has asked me to make this again but to turn up the heat. Excellent chili recipe.

Generally, leftover chili, whether it's a spicy stew of chili con carne, a simple white bean chicken chili, or even a meatless chili with kidney beans, will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Make a cornstarch slurry: Mix together 1 tablespoon each of cornstarch and cold water, stirring well to remove any lumps. Then, stir the slurry into your chili and let it simmer for another 10 minutes to fully thicken.

If you'd like to thicken it up even more, though, try one of these methods: Use a cornstarch slurry: Mix together equal parts cornstarch and cold water, then stir it into the chili.

Cornmeal: Add a tablespoon of cornmeal or masa harina while stirring continuously. Mashed Beans: Mash a portion of the beans and stir them into the chili to thicken it. Crushed Tortilla Chips: Crushed tortilla chips can also be added as a thickening agent.

Add more water or tomato sauce if it's too thick. Keeping the lid on can keep the steam in resulting in thinner chili. Also, if I cook chili in the crock pot it is usually thinner, as the lid collects the steam rather than it evaporating.