This recipe for chicken chili is fantastic! I adore a substantial bowl of beef chili just as much as the next guy, but there’s nothing wrong with occasionally switching to a lighter bowl of white bean and chicken chili that’s just as satisfying.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine cornmeal
- 2 cups chicken broth, divided
- 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped green onions
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip breasts, cover the pan, and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool before chopping into cubes.
- Return skillet to medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir until onion turns translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir ancho chili powder, cumin, flour, chipotle pepper powder, and oregano into onion mixture; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in cornmeal and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in beans and 1 more cup of chicken broth. Cut cooled chicken breasts into cubes, add to chili and bring to a simmer. Add remaining cup of chicken broth, season with salt, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper to taste; cook until heated through. Serve garnished with green onions, sour cream, and cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 410 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 55 g |
| Cholesterol | 41 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 772 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is a great use for leftover rotisserie chicken.
I made it as you listed the instructions and it came out wonderful. My wife found it too spicy, but she finds everything spicy…lol…But thanks for detailed instructions. It taste Great!!!
My husband does not like hot spice. I eliminated the tomatillos, green chilies and used half of the cumin.
This recipe was DELICIOUS! The only thing I changed was I added another teaspoon of flour instead of the cornmeal because that’s what I had on hand, and I added a cup of frozen corn. My whole family loved it! I will definitely be making this again! Served with sour cream and tortilla chips. (No green onion or cilantro on hand) Super delicious flavor without having too much heat (spicy). LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
I used rotisserie chicken breasts, added only a dash of chipotle pepper, and limited the chicken broth to 2 cups to keep it thicker. I also added a can of Rotel at the end. Tasted it both ways, and it was great! My kids said they liked it, but they didn’t eat much…
Slightly increased the recipe by about 1/3. Topped with a quick Guac instead of sour cream and a squeeze of lime wedge for a little brightness. At the rate this is disappearing, I’m not going to have to worry about leftovers. Keeping this one handy!
Fantastic. Yummy. Yummy. YUMMY ! EXCELLENT combo of spices ! I made it exactly as listed.
This hit the spot! I added a can of drained whole kernel organic corn, crushed tomatoes, and finished it off by adding shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a squeeze of lime! Can’t wait to make it again! The cilantro, lime and sour cream balance out the heat, making it somewhat creamy with a hint of sweetness from the cilantro and lime! So so good!!
Yum! Watch the video, do as he does, double it as others have said, and add a touch of heavy cream if you like, then enjoy! You’re very likely to like it very much! My sons are home from college and all my guys gave it a hearty thumbs up!
This was very good and easy to make. I didn’t have white beans only red beans, but the chili still was flavorful. We are a family of 5 and next time will need to double the amount to 4 chicken breasts. Used chunks of feta cheese to top off the chili along with a dallop of sour cream! Delicious.
Chef John, I have tried and enjoyed many of your recipes but, this chili is fantastic. I view recipes as a guide, not an absolute. For those who are not sure what they like they should stick to your recipe and, if they know they don’t like spicy food try half the amount of spice. I dont care for cilantro so I don’t add it, no big deal. They can always add more or less of whatever spice they like, very simple. The only suggestion I really found helpful was doubling it. Thank you for your continued contributions to Allrecipes. Dale
Cut back on the cayenne and ancho chili powders also the cumin as other said
Excellent recipe. I opted to poach and shred my chicken and added one can of diced tomatoes (drained).
Great flavor and quick to make on a weeknight!
This recipe is am ALL TIMES favorite! I’ve cooked this countless amount of times for my family and for my church. Everyone raves about and requests it very often.
I made a double recipe using mayocoba beans and pasilla pepper powder in place of the ancho. I left out the sugar and the cayenne and it was on the low side of moderately hot. I’ll make sure I have ancho next time, but this was delicious even with the substitutions.
I’ve made this 4 or 5 times. On the first few occasions, I accidentally put 3x’s as much of one of the ancho powders as it called for. It was HOT! But, we ate every bit. It really is one of my favorites as I like spicy and this certainly fits the bill. Only issue is it doesn’t make much so if you have a very large family, you’ll need to double the recipe. I also serve it with homemade cornbread.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed this recipe a ton and didn’t change much other than adding a bit of smoked paprika which gave another layer of flavor. I also substituted boneless skinless chicken thighs per the comment in the video and am glad that I did. Please keep the great recipes coming Chef John!
Doubled all ingredients to serve 4 people
A really excellent recipe. I used a package of ground turkey I had on hand instead of the chicken breasts and it worked out very well. I followed the recipe as written although I can’t remember if I added the bit of sugar. So this will be my new go to when I need a spice blend for a turkey or chicken chili.
I’m disappointed. I followed the directions to a T, even though it was a gorgeous presentation, and the heat level was right on, it was bland. My husband said he enjoyed it, but I knew it could have been better if I had seasoned each layer. I would make it again but I would have to change it up.