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Cozy up to a bowl of the best chicken chili recipe EVER! Mexican chicken chili is full of flavor from three kinds of beans, corn, tomatoes with chiles, chicken, and onion.
Top it off with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream, and you have yourself a bowl of the most delicious chicken chili soup ever!
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Best Chicken Chili Recipe
Chili is one of my favorite foods. What could be better than a simple chili recipe, put together in just a little over 30 minutes? Flavorful, easy chicken chili is one of my all-time favorite ways to make chili. But this Mexican chili soup… it’s something else!
This is not your basic chili recipe! The seasoning, three kinds of beans, and tomatoes with green chiles really kick this Mexican chili up a notch from your average classic chili recipe.
This is a spicy chili recipe, but not overpowering. Adding corn gives it a nice, sweet crunch, and once you melt the cheese on top, it’s all over!
You are going to LOVE this Mexican chili. It’s similar to a Chicken Tortilla Soup, but a thick, hearty chili soup.
This recipe is so easy and just amazing.
Maryjo on Pinterest
Chicken Chili Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion, finely chopped
- Navy beans
- Black beans
- Northern beans
- Whole kernel corn
- Tomato sauce
- diced tomatoes with green chiles
- taco seasoning
- skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked, or 1 whole rotisserie chicken
How to Make Chicken Chili
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped white onion to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften and become translucent.
- Stir in packet of taco seasoning or this delicious taco seasoning blend.
- Add half of a can of navy beans, half a can of black beans, and one whole can of northern beans to a blender and puree.
- Stir pureed beans to the pot.
- Add a can of tomato sauce, a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and a can of drained whole kernel corn to the pot.
- Add shredded chicken to the pot. You can use leftover chicken such as rotisserie chicken or the meat of 3 cooked chicken breasts.
- Mix in the remaining half can of navy beans and half can of black beans, then stir to combine.
- Let your white bean chicken chili simmer over medium heat until fully heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the juice of 1 lime and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.
Chicken Chili Recipe Tips
- One of the BEST parts about this easy chili recipe is that you can use leftover chicken to make it.
- I like to use shredded rotisserie chicken to make mine, but it’s perfect for making a chicken dinner like Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and then repurposing it the next night for this easy chili recipe.
Chili Toppings
- Corn Tortilla Strips OR Frito Chips
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Green Onions
- Diced Tomatoes
Chili Seasoning
Taco seasoning generally contains a mix of spices like paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano. It has a nice, spicy kick to it, without being overwhelmingly hot.
What are the best beans for chili?
- Navy beans: Also known as haricot beans, Boston beans, or pea beans. These are small white beans that are perfect chili beans.
- Black beans: Black beans are a common bean also known as black turtle beans. They are dense, with a meaty texture, so they’re great for making chili with beans.
- Northern beans: Northern beans, also known as Great Northern Beans, are a large white bean. They are larger than navy beans and smaller than cannellini beans. They actually resemble lima beans, with a nutty flavor and a great texture for chili beans!
How to Thicken Chili
This is a thick chili recipe already, but if you find your chili is not thick enough, you can add a thickening agent like flour, cornstarch, or even corn masa flour.
Take a bit of liquid from your chili, about a cup if possible, and mix in 1 tablespoon or so of your thickening agent. Add another Tbsp. if 1 does not do the job.
If you mix outside of the pot of chili, it’s less likely to clump up and easier to mix in and thicken your Mexican chili with!
Chicken Chili Recipes FAQs
Chili lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can freeze chili soup in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To reheat, just thaw on the countertop and heat in the microwave or the stovetop.
Best Chili Recipes
If you are in the mood for an amazing breakfast recipe, my favorite is my chilaquiles recipe! It is the absolute best brunch recipe!
For more chicken recipes and inspiration on how to cook chicken perfectly, follow my Chicken Temperature Chart!
📋 Recipe
The Best Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 white onion finely chopped
- 1 can navy beans 15.5 oz.
- 1 can black beans 15.5 oz., drained & rinsed
- 1 can northern beans 15.5 oz., drained & rinsed
- 1 can whole kernel corn 15.5 oz., drained
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles 14.5 oz., undrained, such as Rotel
- 1 packet taco seasoning 1.25 oz.
- 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded; or, 1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded – amounts to about 4.5 cups total
Optional Chili Toppings
- corn tortilla strips OR frito chips
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped white onion to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften and become translucent.
- Stir in 1 (1.25 oz.) packet of taco seasoning.
- Add half of a 15.5 oz can of navy beans, half a 15.5 oz can of black beans, and one whole 15.5 oz. can of northern beans to a blender and puree.
- Stir pureed beans to the pot.
- Add an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, two 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and a 15.5 oz. can of drained whole kernel corn to the pot.
- Add about 4.5 cups of shredded chicken to the pot. You can use leftover chicken such as rotisserie chicken or the meat of 3 cooked chicken breasts.
- Mix in the remaining half can of navy beans and half can of black beans, then stir to combine.
- Let your white bean chicken chili simmer over medium heat until fully heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add juice of 1 lime and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.
Video
Notes
- If you find the chili is not thick enough to your liking, take about a cup of liquid from the chili. Mix it with 1 to 2 Tbsp. of a thickening agent such as flour, corn masa flour, or cornstarch. Add the mixture back to the chili and slowly mix it in to thicken the chili.
Taylor Kiser says
Amazing flavors going on in this chicken chili recipe! This will be perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Taylor! We love this chili for game day. It’s a big hit.
Suzy says
I LOVE how you made this with chicken! So delicious and flavorful! We serve our chili over rice!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Suzy! Chili over rice is one of our favs. We have a perfect rice recipe for it, too: https://sundaysuppermovement.com/how-to-cook-perfect-rice/
Katie says
This looks so delicious, can’t wait to pair it with my homemade cornbread!
Em Beitel says
YUM! Love cornbread with chili! A cheesy jalapeno cornbread would go deliciously with this chili especially.
Tawnie Kroll says
This was seriously amazing and really THE BEST I’ve had! Can’t wait to make it again for Super Bowl Sunday!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Tawnie! Chili’s the best for game day, right?
Anita says
This was so so good, and a good use for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. This will be a repeat recipe for sure. 🙂
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Anita! We totally agree- great use of rotisserie. It makes everything so easy.
Duran says
Recipe calls for two can diced tomatoes but don’t see where there is a second can added?
Em Beitel says
Hi Duran, so sorry for the confusion and thank you for asking! They are both added at once – that was an error on our part. We’ve adjusted. Thank you!