White Bean Chicken Chili

If you are looking for a hearty warm meal for a cold wintery day, try this delicious White Bean Chicken Chili!

white bean chicken chili



It's a wonderful change from the usual tomato-beef-kidney bean chili I'm used to.



Check that you have these staples at home

  • in the cupboard

    • olive oil
    • garlic
    • chili powder
    • ground cumin
    • dried oregano
    • whole wheat flour
    • canned chicken broth
    • canned evaporated milk
    • canned white kidney beans
    • salt
    • pepper

  • in the fridge or freezer

    • boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs/680 g)
    • onions
    • sour cream

Buy these fresh ingredients

  • celery

Get out your equipment

  • Essential

    • a large pot with a lid
    • a cutting board
    • a sharp knife
    • a wooden spoon (or your favorite spoon for stirring)
    • a can opener

  • Nice to have but not necessary

    • kitchen shears




    The recipe

    2 tsp/10 mL olive oil

    1 1/2 lbs/680 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

    2 cups/500 mL chopped onion

    1 cup/250 mL diced celery

    2 cloves garlic, pressed

    1 Tbsp/15 mL chili powder

    2 tsp/10 mL ground cumin

    2 tsp/10 mL dried oregano

    1/4 cup/60 mL whole wheat flour

    3 cups/750 mL chicken broth

    1 can (14 oz/385 mL) evaporated milk

    2 cans (each 19 oz/540 mL) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

    salt and pepper, to taste

    1 cup/250 mL sour cream

    Cut the chicken into 1 inch/2 cm cubes.
    Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
    Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink.
    Add the onions, celery and garlic. Cook and stir until they begin to soften.
    Add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Mix well and cook for another minute.
    Add the flour. Stir until chicken is well coated.
    Add the broth and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
    Add the beans, salt and pepper. Cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream. Serve.



    Substitutions

    • You can use any cut of chicken in this White Bean Chicken Chili. Boneless, skinless breasts are easiest to cube - but other cuts will be less expensive.

    • Use any flour in place of the whole wheat flour.

    • Use vegetable stock in place of the chicken broth.

    Ideas for making this recipe your own

    • Make your own chicken stock from scratch and use it in place of the canned broth! (It's not nearly as hard as I thought it would be!)

    • Cook your own beans instead of using canned.

    • Top each bowl of chili with a handful of grated cheese and/or a bit of fresh cilantro.

    Tips

    • I like to use kitchen shears to cut the chicken.

    • If you are missing one or more of the spices, go ahead and make this anyway. You can't really go wrong with this white chicken chili recipe!

    • If you make this ahead of time, leave out the sour cream. After you reheat the chili, ladle it out and let each person add a dollop of sour cream.




    If you enjoy this White Bean Chicken Chili, you may also like these other very easy chicken recipes:










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