Healthy White Bean Chicken Chili
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Published Feb 15, 2023, Updated Jan 16, 2025
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This healthy white bean chicken chili is loaded with cannellini beans, corn and green chiles. It’s packed with protein, has a ton of flavor and cooks up in just 30 minutes.
You asked, I listened! A few weeks ago I asked what recipes you wanted to see from me and I had a ton of requests for soup! Ask and ye shall receive. 😉
Prior to this recipe, I had never made a white bean or a chicken chili before, so I decided that this would be a fun one to test! I gravitate towards soups that somehow feel relatively light and refreshing while also comforting. This soup is just that. It’s packed with vegetables and flavor while also being dairy and gluten-free.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a one-pot meal – Nothing beats the ease of a simple, hearty dish that requires minimal cleanup. Just one pot to worry about and you’re good to go!
- Packed with protein and fiber – The chicken, white beans, and corn make this chili extra filling and hearty, while keeping it high in protein and fiber to keep you satisfied.
- Perfect for meal prep – Make a big batch and store it in the fridge for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week. It actually gets even better after a day or two when the flavors really meld together.
Ingredients Needed
- yellow onion and garlic – provides a flavorful savory base for the chili.
- jalapeño – for a touch of spice! I used 1/2 of a deseeded jalapeño and the chili had a nice kick. That said, feel free to skip the jalapeño altogether or use less if you’re not a fan of spice or are serving this chili to kids. You can also add the whole jalapeño if you want more spice!
- green chiles – I used mild canned diced green chiles. They’re not too spicy but add a nice, complex flavor.
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – I prefer to use boneless chicken breasts, but boneless thighs work as well. We’re cooking the chicken directly in the soup and then shredding it.
- low-sodium chicken broth – I prefer using low-sodium so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe!
- cannellini beans – adds more protein!
- corn – I like using frozen corn and there’s no need to thaw before adding to the chili.
- spices and seasonings – dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, sea salt and pepper.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: If you’d rather not use chicken breasts, you can easily substitute with shredded rotisserie chicken, or ground turkey for a different protein. For a vegetarian version, try tofu, tempeh, or chickpeas.
- Cannellini beans: If you can’t find cannellini beans, great northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans are great alternatives.
- Green chiles: Can’t find canned green chiles? Mild diced poblano peppers or fresh hatch chiles (when in season) are perfect substitutes for a smoky flavor.
- Broth: If you prefer a lighter version, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. For extra richness, you can use bone broth.
How to Make
This white bean chicken chili is packed with flavor and so easy to make! Just follow these steps and you’ll have a delicious bowl of chili ready to go in no time.
Step 1: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeño and cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in oregano, cumin, and chili powder, and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 2: Add green chiles, chicken, and broth, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Step 3: Remove the chicken from the soup, shred with two forks, and return it to the pot.
Step 4: Add beans and corn, bring the soup to a simmer again, and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with your favorite toppings!
Brittany’s Tip
- Adjust the consistency: If you prefer a thicker, heartier broth, here’s a little trick: before adding the cannellini beans to the pot, use a fork or potato masher to mash one can of beans. It’s an easy way to thicken up your chili without sacrificing flavor. This works for any broth-based soup, and gives it that creamy texture without adding any extra cream!
What to Serve With Chicken Chili
This chicken chili is a full meal on its own – especially if you add all the toppings! That said, I love serving this chili with a little something extra like tortilla chips. If you want something more filling, it’s also delicious with cornbread. My vegan cornbread or pumpkin cornbread would both be perfect!
How to Store Leftovers
This chili is perfect for weekly meal prep or meal prepping before a baby because it’s freezer-friendly! To store, allow the soup to cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
To freeze: Allow the chili to cool completely. Place in a freezer-safe storage container and freeze. Soup will be good for up to three months.
To thaw: When you’re ready to enjoy, place the frozen chili in the refrigerator the night before to partially thaw. The next day, add to a saucepan and heat until warm, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too thick for your liking at this point, feel free to add a little broth or water to thin.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t tested it myself, but I think it’ll work just fine! Here’s how I would do it: Toss everything except the toppings into your slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Once the chicken is tender and falls apart easily, take it out, shred it with two forks, and pop it back into the slow cooker. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed, then top with your favorites before serving. Easy peasy!
This chili has a nice mild heat, thanks to the jalapeño and chili powder, but it’s not overly spicy. If you like a little more kick, feel free to add extra jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper to amp it up!
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
- Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili
- No-Bean Chili (Beef Chili)
- Vegetarian Green Chili
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Turkey Chili
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Be sure to check out the full collection of soup recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
White Bean Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ½-1 jalapeño, seeded and diced*
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 4 oz cans mild diced green chiles
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed*
- 1 ½ cup frozen corn, no need to thaw
- chopped cilantro, green onion, sour cream, fresh lime wedges, jalapeño and/or avocado, for garnish
- cornbread or tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and jalapeño and cook until soft and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder and cook about 1 minute more.
- Add green chiles, chicken, and broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Use a fork or tongs to remove chicken from the soup, place on a plate and shred with two forks.
- Place shredded chicken back in the pot and add beans and corn. Bring soup to a simmer and let cook another 10 minutes. Taste soup at this point and season with additional sea salt and pepper if needed.
- Portion chili into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro, green onion, extra jalapeño and/or avocado.
Notes
- Feel free to use a full jalapeño. I used 1/2 of a deseeded jalapeño and the chili had a nice kick.
- To make the chili thicker, you can mash 1 can of the drained and rinsed beans before adding them to the pot.
- To freeze: cool chili, place in a freezer-safe storage container and freeze. To use, partially thaw chili in the refrigerator overnight. Add to a saucepan and heat until warm, stirring occasionally. If soup is too thick you can add a little broth or water to thin.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chili is sooo good. I would have never though to make a white bean chili. I add like 3 jalapenos and make with cornbread when i’m feeling up to it. It’s so easy to make and tastes even better the next day. I’ve shared this recipe with a few friends and they all love it. Thank you!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Justine. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
Delicious & easy! I don’t handle spicy very well so I didn’t add the jalapeño or the canned green chiles (I probably would’ve the canned chiles but I didn’t have any on hand & didn’t feel like going to the grocery store). I subbed ancho chili powder for the chili powder & used leftover rotisserie chicken. I served with a little sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, & tortilla chips. Really good & even better the following 3 days!
YUM! I am SO glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you, Jan. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
Made this in the crockpot was amazing! Doubled the jalapeño and left in the seeds.
Sounds delicious, David! Thank you for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
In Australia we don’t have canned green chillies. what would be a good alternative?
Hi Beth – You could simply omit them, but you can also add a poblano pepper or some additional jalapeño peppers (maybe an addition 1/2 to this recipe). Hope you enjoy this recipe!
So good!!
Excellent! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Cara. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.
Delicious
Oh my gosh, made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing!!! One of the best soup recipe I’ve come across in a while 👏👏👏 I had to skip the green chili peppers for the little one and was a little worried a little flavor was going to be missing, but it was DELICIOUS!
Woo! So happy to hear this, Jaimee! Thank you for making this recipe and coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it.
I’m have to track my calories, protein, etc- after WLS surgery. I’m trying ti determine this info for a 1 cup serving. I’m having trouble figuring out exactly how much is in 1/6 of the recipe. I eat very small portions and feel sure I’m not eating 1/6 of the recipe. Can you help?
The recipe is DELICIOUS and I want to keep making it AND sharing it.
Hi, Allison! Unfortunately, I don’t know how much this recipe makes in volume. I think your best bet would be to make the soup, measure how much you get total, and then see what 6 servings would be (for instance, if it makes 6 cups total, 1 cup would be one serving). I apologize I don’t have a better answer for you.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it many times this year.
I haven’t been able to find cans of the mild diced green chiles. Do you know how many green chiles (the small hot ones) can replace those 2 cans in the recipe? Thanks a lot!
Hi, Jacqueline, I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe! I did a quick google search and found that 1 4-oz can of diced chiles requires about 4-5 peppers. I hope that helps!
Hello, I am just curious as to the serving size, 1 cup? I would like to use this recipe for a chili cookoff coming up in which I need 7 gallons of chili. Just need to know the serving size to adjust ingredients. TIA!
Hi, Beth! I’m really not sure how many cups the recipe makes. I would recommend making one batch and measuring it. Once you’ve done that you should be able to figure out how much you’ll need to make in order to get 7 gallons. Let me know how it does in the chili cook-off!!
My whole family loved this recipe. Such great flavor and so easy to prepare for a weeknight meal. I will definitely be cooking this again. Thank you!
Woo!! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Cathy. Thanks so much for making it and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
The meal was super delicious! I used it for a 4-day meal prep and day 4 was just as delicious as day 1! 🙂
Woo! Happy to hear this chili was a hit. Thanks for trying it out, Jeni! And I really appreciate the review :).
I love the sound of this recipe but is there something else I can substitute for the corn, as I dislike it off the cobb, without increasing the calories. Please and thank you.
You can skip the corn!
I am not the one to every leave comments on recipes, but this is by far my favorite thing to make ever! I’m a college student and lack the time/money for a really good home cooked meal. This recipe has been my savior. I have made this recipe over 50 times since finding it and my friends constantly beg for me to make it. It’s super easy to meal prep this for the week and then just reheat when you need a warm meal!
Ah yay! I’m so pumped to hear how much you’ve been enjoying this chili, Cierra! Thanks so much for making it and coming back to leave a review and star rating. It seriously means so much to me!
This is a phenomenal recipe. It is quick, easy, and so delicious. My boyfriend ate 2 full bowls and kept raving about how it was, like, his favorite soup ever. I will be making this recipe over and over again.
Yay!! So thrilled to hear this chili was such a hit, Alisha. Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
So delicious. Topped it with avocado and cilantro as suggested. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
So glad you loved this chili, Debora! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
This is by far the best healthy Tortilla Soup I’ve ever made. I took 1 can of white northern beans and pureed with a little chicken broth in the blender, then stirred into the soup (I tried mashing at first but still had too many chunks of beans, so pureed did the trick!) Added in extra chili powder and cumin and beyond that, followed all your topping suggestions. Everyone raved about it at home! Will make a again (and again).
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m pumped this recipe was a hit. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Wonderful! I made it successfully in the crockpot (I added everything to the crockpot except the green chilis and 1 can of beans -just didn’t have room in my small crockpot!). After 4 hours on high I shredded the chicken then added in the green chilis and 2nd can of beans, mixed it all together and voila! A great meal prep recipe for lunches all week. Thanks!
Ohh good to know that it turned out well in the crockpot. Thanks so much for sharing and for coming back to leave a review, Anna. I really appreciate it!!
Just tried this recipe tonight for dinner, it was truly delicious!! However, my sister and I made several adjustments to the original recipe such as adding 2 tbsp tomato paste and 1/4 cup of salsa for 2 servings to enhance the traditional chilli flavours. WE’LL DEFINITELY BE MAKING THIS AGAIN!!!! highly recommend!!
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe, Keira. Thanks for making it and for coming back to share your adjustments you made. I so appreciate it!
This soup/chili was amazing! It had so much flavor and was fun to make. Adding the avocado at the end really makes a difference
So glad you loved this chili, Ali!! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it. <3
SO GOOD! Nuff said 🤤🤤🤤
Made this recipe with just a little twist and added 1/2 tsp turmeric
And only removed the seeds from the Jalpeno leaving in the vain giving it a little heat!
Thank you!
This recipe is easy and delicious! After finding it, we make it every other week!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad this chili is a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it.
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
Hey Jeff – I haven’t made this in the slow cooker, but I imagine it would work just fine! You should be able to just toss everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or once the chicken is cooked and shreds. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
That was a very flavorful and tasty chili. Even my lovely wife said it was great. Put in a can of spicy green salsa to sub for green chilies. Served with cornbread. Thanks for recommending the avocado and cilantro. I think that put it over the top.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Wayne. I’m so glad this chili was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe was very easy to make and tastes amazing! Very bold flavors! I will be making this again.
Yay!! Glad this chili was a hit, Tracey. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Outstanding. Simple. Common Ingredients that I had on hand. Everyone in the family LOVED this. This is going into my weekly rotation for sure! Thank you!
So glad this chili was a hit with your family, Tracy! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This was SO good and full of flavor. I used low sodium chicken stock and found myself adding more salt at the end. Our avocado wasn’t ripe so we left that out and garnished it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkled with cilantro and had tortilla chips along side. Will definitely be a repeat recipe in my house!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad this chili was a hit. Thanks for making it + for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Andrea. I so appreciate it.
This recipe is delicious! Do you have any suggestions for increasing the healthy fat? I was thinking about doubling the olive oil.
Yes, more olive oil or more avocado added to the top!
I really enjoyed this recipe! For those looking for a vegan-ized version, this is what I did for a half batch. I replaced the chicken broth with vegetable broth and the chicken with about 3/4 of a package of Comrade Cluck (I chopped it roughly first and just left it in the pot after step 2). I halved all the ingredients except for the garlic and jalapeno (because yum). After I added the beans and corn, I also added the juice from half a lemon and 1 tbs nutritional yeast. It was delightful! Thanks, Brittany!
Thank you so much for sharing the subs you made with us, it’s super helpful to other readers!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup, Katherine. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. <3
Loved this recipe! Perfect just the way it is.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Christina!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
This chili is AMAZING. Seriously the perfect amount of spice and it is so wholesome and filling. I made it for meal prep and ate it for lunch this week and I enjoyed every single bite.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Lauren!! So glad you enjoyed this chili. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it. <3
So easy and delicious! Thank you!
SO good. My family doesn’t love spice, so I used green and yellow pepper instead and added some red chili pepper flakes for a little heat! I tripled the recipe and everyone loved it.
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit with your entire family. 🙂 Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Delicious recipe! So balanced and clean taste. I added roasted corn instead of regular. Definitely a fave at our home.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it!
Loved this recipe, added stewed tomatoes with green chiles and red pepper instead of the jalapeños.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Katie. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Made this last night for dinner–it was sooo good! My 7 year old actually ate 2 helpings, which doesn’t happen often. Definitely keeping this one on hand!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Larissa!! I’m so glad this soup was a hit. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
This sounds great! Is there any way to make this vegan?
Hey Michelle! I haven’t made this without the chicken yet, but I bet you could add more types or white beans or chickpeas instead of the chicken. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!!
Can’t wait to make this soup this weekend. One thought: before adding shredded chicken back to the broth, you could add and purée a few of the beans using an immersion blender to thicken the soup!