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Overhead white chicken chili bowl topped with cilantro and a lime wedge
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White Chicken Chili Recipe

White chicken chili thickened with mashed cannellini beans, with corn, mild green chiles, cumin, and lime. No dairy or flour needed.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 330.6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 454 g, about 2 medium breasts
  • 3 15-oz cans no-salt-added cannellini beans drained and rinsed, about 765 g total
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced, about 150 g
  • 3 garlic cloves minced, about 9 g
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 4-oz can mild diced green chiles 113 g, undrained
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken broth 960 ml
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels 140 g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3 g
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice plus lime wedges for serving
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro about 10 g, divided

Equipment

  • 1 Heavy pot with lid 5 to 6 quarts
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 Potato masher or fork for beans
  • 1 Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

  1. Drain and rinse the beans. Mash one can in a bowl with a potato masher or fork, adding a few tablespoons of the measured broth to loosen it. Leave the other two cans whole.
  2. Heat olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 5–6 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, cumin, and oregano for 30 seconds.
  3. Add remaining broth, green chiles, whole chicken breasts, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, partly cover, and cook 18–25 minutes, until each chicken breast reaches 165°F in the thickest part. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate.
  4. Stir mashed beans, whole beans, and frozen corn into the pot. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring across the bottom to prevent sticking. Shred cooked chicken with two forks while the beans heat.
  5. Return shredded chicken to the pot and stir until evenly hot. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and most of the cilantro. Add a little hot water if too thick. Divide into six bowls and finish with remaining cilantro and lime wedges.
  6. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat with a little water as needed, stirring until the entire portion reaches 165°F.

Video

Notes

Use cooked canned beans, not dry beans. The base contains no dairy or flour; check packaged ingredients for your dietary needs. Nutrition is estimated for six portions using cooked unsalted white beans as a proxy for drained no-salt-added canned beans. Extra toppings and sides are excluded; bean, broth, and chile brands change sodium.
Related video credit: Lisa Bryan, Downshiftology. Her white chicken chili also uses beans for creaminess, corn, green chiles, and lime. This version uses more beans, poaches raw chicken in the pot, and omits bell pepper, jalapeno, coriander, chili powder, and dairy toppings. Follow this card for quantities and timing.