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Creamy, gently spiced and loaded with flavour, this white chilli chicken is a delicious twist on traditional chilli con carne. Made with tender chicken, creamy beans and a lightly spiced, savoury sauce, it’s the perfect comforting dinner — and it’s on the table in just 45 minutes if you use rotisserie or leftover roast chicken.
“I have just made this white chili chicken dish – it’s SOOO good !! We are obsessed with Mexican in our house so this is going to be on high rotation for sure !! Thanks and can’t wait to make the other 9 things I’ve saved 🤣😉”
Nicky’s Notes
Regular chilli con carne appears on our menu at least once a week. Chris is the Chilli Con Carne master, and frankly I was getting a bit jealous.
So I decided to make my own white chicken chilli version!
Quite a lot faster to make then a regular chilli, it requires minimal simmering time and uses cooked chicken as the protein.
It’s a fantastic comforting winter dinner, and I’d go so far as to say it holds its own against Chris’s hugely popular chilli.
Why white chilli chicken is soo good:
- Faster than red chilli – no need to simmer for ages
- Flexible ingredients – great for using up cooked roast chicken
- Balanced flavour – creamy, mildly spicy and savoury
- Batch cook & freezer friendly – perfect for meal prep
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for white chili chicken
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
- Chicken – you’ll need the meat from a whole cooked chicken, or from 4 cooked breasts or 4-5 cooked thighs. I usually use rotisserie chicken.
- Chillies – jalapeños are the more traditional choice for this type of dish, but you can use whatever chillies you prefer. I used green Fresno chillies as I couldn’t get hold of jalepenos.
- Beans – I use cooked cannelini beans in a tin or carton that have been drained and rinsed. You can use dried cannelini beans that you’ve cooked yourself if you prefer.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Sauté onion, garlic, spices, jalapeños and pepper until softened and fragrant. Add stock and simmer, then stir in beans, milk and shredded chicken. Simmer briefly, finish with lime juice, and thicken with cornflour slurry if desired — then serve with rice and your favourite toppings.
Pro Tips
- If you want to thicken your chilli chicken, stir in a cornstarch slurry of 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 4 tbsp of cold water.
Chris Makes a Cracking Chilli, But…
I have to say, Chris’s classic chilli con carne is legendary in our house – rich, meaty, slow-simmered and full of bold, smoky spice. It’s a proper comfort dish when you’ve got the time. But for those evenings when you need dinner on the table sharpish, this white chilli chicken is every bit as satisfying.
It might be quicker, but there’s no compromise on flavour. I’ve tested this recipe time and again to strike the perfect balance between creaminess, gentle spice and savoury depth – and yes, even Chris gives it a thumbs up!
🍽️ What to serve it with
I love to serve my white chilli chicken with lots of toppings – such as tortilla chips, finely chopped red onion, lime, sour cream, grated cheddar and avocado!
This is worlds apart from the minced beef and tomato version of chilli, but still works really well with all of the regular chilli trimmings like sour cream, guac , coriander and grated cheese.
- Boiled rice
- Pasta
- Tortilla chips or Nachos
- Jacket Potato
- or even with a side of Crispy Baked Oven Chips
If you like it really spicy, add in some dried chilli flakes too. Or, If you’re the other end of the scale, you can always leave out the chillies entirely (although I’m not sure you can call it chilli then :-)).
If I’m cooking for the kids, I’d make this one with half a chopped and de-seeded jalapeno, then serve it with finely chopped chillies for the grown ups.
📺 Watch how to make it
Watch the full recipe video below to see how easy this white chilli chicken is to make.
White Chilli Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 regular onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp cumin
- ½ tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 jalapenos chopped finely (just use one jalapeno and remove the seeds if you don’t like it too hot)
- 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded and chopped in chunks
- 720 ml (3 cups) chicken stock
- 600 g (21 oz) tinned (cooked) cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk full fat or semi-skimmed
- meat from one whole cooked chicken shredded (remove the skin) – this is about 500g (1.1lbs)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 4 tbsp cold water to make a slurry (optional)
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- tortilla chips
- fresh coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped
- grated cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add in the chopped onion and fry for 5-6 minutes on a medium heat, until the onion softens.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 regular onion
- Add in the minced garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, chopped jalapeños, and the yellow pepper chunks.2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground ginger, 2 jalapenos, 1 yellow bell pepper
- Stir and cook for 3 minutes, until the spices start to release their fragrance.
- Add in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the cannellini beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, until heated through.720 ml (3 cups) chicken stock, 600 g (21 oz) tinned (cooked) cannellini beans
- Stir in the milk, then add in the shredded cooked chicken. Bring to the boil again and simmer for 5 minutes.120 ml (1/2 cup) milk, meat from one whole cooked chicken
- Stir in the 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice.1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- If you'd like the sauce to be thicker, stir in half of the cornflour slurry. Add the rest if needed.2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- Turn off the heat and serve over boiled rice with some tortilla crisps. If you like toppings, try some of these suggestions: fresh coriander, grated cheddar, sour cream, avocado, red onion, and jalapeno slices.boiled rice, tortilla chips, fresh coriander (cilantro), grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapenos
Video
Notes
Make ahead & freezer advice
This chilli chicken is a brilliant make-ahead dinner. Cook it up (without the toppings), then quickly cool, cover and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to eat, just reheat it gently in a pan until piping hot, then load it up with your favourite toppings. It also freezes beautifully. Once cooled, portion it into tubs and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the hob until hot all the way through. A splash of milk stirred in while reheating will bring the sauce back to its lovely creamy texture.Ingredient swaps
- Use cooked shredded pork or chicken thighs (instead of the shredded meat from a whole chicken).
- Swap out the yellow bell pepper for red or green peppers
- Swap out the cannelini beans for butter beans or haricot beans. You could even use red kidney beans if you like.
- Add extra veg – such as courgette or canned or frozen sweetcorn. Add them in with the yellow peppers.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
You can half or double the recipe using the same ratios of ingredients.If you’re doubling the recipe, it will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook altogether (slightly longer time to soften the onions and heat through the chilli). Nutritional Information is per serving (serves 4) – without the serving suggestions of rice, cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, coriander or jalapenos.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This white chilli chicken recipe was first published in Sept 2016, updated in Feb 2021 with new photos, extra hints and tips, improvements to the recipe and a recipe video. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this chilli freezes really well. Make the chilli (don’t add any toppings), then quickly cool, cover and freeze.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a pan until piping hot before adding your toppings.
Yes! Make the chilli (don’t add any toppings), then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheat in a pan until piping hot, then add the toppings.
Yes, I’d add it in with the onions in step one. You may need to adjust the overall cooking time to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
It’s more on the mild-to-medium side – enough warmth to keep it interesting, but not blow-your-head-off hot! If you like it gentler, just use one jalapeño and take out the seeds. After more of a kick? Sprinkle in some chilli flakes or add an extra jalapeño.
🌯 More Mexican Inspired Recipes
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What do you think about adding cut up butternut squash?
Hello! I accidentally came across your website when googling for a roast veggie soup recipe. I’ve now saved 10 recipes to my phone from you! They all look amazing. Anyway, I have just made this white chili chicken dish – it’s SOOO good !! We are obsessed with Mexican in our house so this is going to be on high rotation for sure !! Thanks and can’t wait to make the other 9 things I’ve saved 🤣😉 Tania
Delicious and enjoyed as leftovers two days later!!
Really like this idea of using chicken for a change, one for the girls? Enjoy all you recipes Nicky, food for living in the real world!
Lovely and simple to make. Making this again today.
I made this and my family just loved it ❤️
Can this be frozen I wonder……..?
hi, just wondering if this recipe is freezable? thanks
Yes, the recipe freezes well, but I wouldn’t freeze it if you’re using leftover chicken from another dish to make the recipe (it’s not a good idea to cook the chicken, cool it, reheat for this recipe, then cool, freeze and reheat a second time).
Chilli con carne is one of my favorite meals to batch cook. Tried this one for a change and it’s a keeper. Thank you.
I made this for my wife and son last weekend. It was a hit. They want me to make it again this weekend. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Fab!! I haven’t made it in ages, I think I’ll make it this weekend too!
What is half a cup of milk? I,m surprised on an English blog to find American measurements!
Hi Julie, even though I’m English, more than half of my readers are from the US, so I try to include both English and US measurements. Just putting the the US measurement for the milk was an oversight that I’ve corrected now, thanks for the heads-up 🙂