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    Home » Recipes » Dinner Ideas » Chicken Chili Recipe

    Chicken Chili Recipe

    Published: Sep 21, 2023 Modified: Sep 21, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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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. Make yourself a bowl of the most delicious chicken chili in just 30 minutes!

    Best Chicken Chili Recipe: Bowl of chicken chili topped with sour cream and tortilla strips
    Jump to:
    • Chicken Chili
    • Chicken Chili Recipe Ingredients
    • Recipe for Chicken Chili
    • Best Chicken Chili Recipe Tips
    • Chicken Chili Recipes Toppings
    • Chicken Chili Recipe FAQs
    • How to Shred Chicken
    • Best Beans for Chili
    • How to Thicken Chili
    • Chili Recipes
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Chicken Chili

    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! This is a stove top spicy chili recipe, but it is not overpowering. Adding corn gives it a nice, sweet crunch, and once you melt the cheese on top, it’s all over!

    This recipe is so easy and just amazing.

    Maryjo
    A bowl of chicken chili next to the skillet of chili

    Chicken Chili Recipe Ingredients

    • Olive oil
    • Onion, finely chopped
    • Navy beans
    • Black beans
    • Northern beans or Pinto Beans
    • Whole kernel corn
    • Tomato sauce
    • diced tomatoes with green chiles
    • taco seasoning
    • skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked, 1 whole rotisserie chicken, or shredded chicken

    Recipe for Chicken Chili

    1. Heat 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.
      Frying onions in pan for white bean chicken chili
    2. Stir in a packet of taco seasoning or my delicious taco seasoning blend.
      Stirring in taco seasoning for white bean chicken chili
    3. Add navy beans, half black beans, and northern beans to a blender and puree.
      Adding beans to blender for best chicken chili recipe
      view of blended beans for white bean chicken chili
    4. Stir pureed beans into the pot.
      Adding bean mixture to onions
    5. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and whole kernel corn to the pot.
      Adding corn to best chicken chili recipe
    6. Add shredded chicken to the pot. You can use leftover chicken such as rotisserie chicken or the meat of 3 cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I love making shredded chicken in the instant pot. It is super easy.
      Adding chicken to white bean chicken chili recipe
    7. Mix in the remaining half can of navy beans and half can of black beans, then stir to combine.
      Stirring to combine best chicken chili recipe
    8. 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.
      Adding lime to Mexican chili recipe
    9. Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.
      Serving Mexican chili recipe

    You are going to LOVE this Mexican chili. It’s similar to a Chicken Tortilla Soup, but a thick, hearty chili soup. I love dipping tortilla chips in it!

    Best 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 or instant pot shredded chicken to make mine. It’s also perfect for making a chicken dinner like Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and then repurposing it the next night for this easy chili recipe.
    • Want a little more spice? Add some chili powder or cayenne pepper to it.

    Chicken Chili Recipes Toppings

    • Corn Tortilla Strips OR Frito Chips
    • Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese
    • Sour Cream
    • Green Onions
    • Diced Tomatoes
    • Avocado
    • Cilantro
    • Lime Juice

    Chicken Chili Recipe FAQs

    How long is chili good for?

    Chili lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

    Can you freeze chili?

    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.

    What is the secret to perfect chili?

    The secret to perfect chili is creating depth of flavor with your ingredients, Pay attention to the seasonings used, kinds of beans, and tomatoes with green chiles really kick this Mexican chili up a notch from your average classic chili recipe.

    How to Shred Chicken

    This is the easiest way to make shredded chicken. Quickly make the chicken in the Instant Pot and shred it using a hand mixer. You can follow my step-by-step instructions on how to make shredded chicken.

    Topping the best chicken chili recipe with frito chips

    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, and with a meaty texture, so they’re great for making chili with beans.
    • Northern beans: Northern beans, also known as Great Northern Beans, are large white beans. 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!
    Close up of the best chicken chili recipe in a bowl with frito chips and sour cream

    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 tablespoon 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!

    Chili Recipes

    • Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
    • Ground Beef Chili Recipe
    • Chili Mac and Cheese

    Try my Ropa Vieja Recipe if you love this dish! Plus, this chili is one of my favorite football foods – get more Super Bowl Food Ideas!

    📋 Recipe

    Bowl of the best chicken chili next to the pot of chili

    Chicken Chili Recipe

    Isabel Laessig
    This is not your basic chili recipe! This is the best chicken chili recipe, ever. 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.
    4.69 from 72 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main or side dish
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6
    Calories 243 kcal

    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
    Cooking Conversions

    See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

    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.
      1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 white onion
      Frying onions in pan for white bean chicken chili
    • Stir in 1 (1.25 oz.) packet of taco seasoning.
      1 packet taco seasoning
      Stirring in taco seasoning for white bean chicken chili
    • 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.
      1 can navy beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can northern beans
      Adding beans to blender for best chicken chili recipe
    • Stir pureed beans to the pot.
      Adding bean mixture to onions
    • 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.
      1 can tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1 can whole kernel corn
      Adding corn to best chicken chili recipe
    • 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.
      3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
      Adding chicken to white bean chicken chili recipe
    • Mix in the remaining half can of navy beans and half can of black beans, then stir to combine.
      Stirring to combine best chicken chili recipe
    • 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.
      Adding lime to Mexican chili recipe
    • Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and sour cream to serve.
      corn tortilla strips OR frito chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream
      Serving Mexican chili recipe

    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 19gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 1217mgPotassium: 1068mgFiber: 8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1215IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword chicken chili, chicken chili recipe, chicken chili recipes, recipe for chicken chili
    Did you try this recipe?Tag #SundaySupper on social and leave a comment below!
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    Isabel, AKA Family Foodie

    About Isabel Laessig

    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!

    » About Me

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Taylor Kiser says

      January 22, 2020 at 10:58 am

      Amazing flavors going on in this chicken chili recipe! This will be perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 22, 2020 at 11:34 am

        Thanks so much, Taylor! We love this chili for game day. It’s a big hit.

        Reply
    2. Suzy says

      January 22, 2020 at 11:23 am

      I LOVE how you made this with chicken! So delicious and flavorful! We serve our chili over rice!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 22, 2020 at 11:35 am

        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/

        Reply
    3. Katie says

      January 22, 2020 at 11:53 am

      This looks so delicious, can’t wait to pair it with my homemade cornbread!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 23, 2020 at 5:39 pm

        YUM! Love cornbread with chili! A cheesy jalapeno cornbread would go deliciously with this chili especially.

        Reply
    4. Tawnie Kroll says

      January 22, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      This was seriously amazing and really THE BEST I’ve had! Can’t wait to make it again for Super Bowl Sunday!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 23, 2020 at 5:38 pm

        Thank you so much, Tawnie! Chili’s the best for game day, right?

        Reply
    5. Anita says

      January 22, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      This was so so good, and a good use for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. This will be a repeat recipe for sure. 🙂

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 23, 2020 at 5:38 pm

        Thank you, Anita! We totally agree- great use of rotisserie. It makes everything so easy.

        Reply
    6. Duran says

      February 07, 2021 at 11:41 am

      Recipe calls for two can diced tomatoes but don’t see where there is a second can added?

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        March 03, 2021 at 5:56 pm

        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!

        Reply
    7. Jacy says

      November 30, 2022 at 2:53 pm

      I’m excited to try this! It looks and sounds amazing. Quick question…. My store only has dry navy beans, but the navy beans in your blender pic look canned. Wondering how I’m supposed to use the navy beans? Thanks so much!!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        December 01, 2022 at 12:31 pm

        Hi Jacy! It really is delicious and I hope you enjoy it! As for the navy beans, we did use canned, so if they only have dry you’d have to prepare them yourself- but if you don’t want to do that, you could instead use cannellini beans, flageolet beans, or additional northern beans.

        Reply
    8. Tamara says

      December 06, 2022 at 5:59 am

      4 stars
      This tastes great! I give it 5 stars for taate, but it is so very thick and there are no instructions on how to make it thinner—only how to thicken. Thank you for a great alternative to traditional chili.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        December 06, 2022 at 10:01 am

        Hi Tamara! We are so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the suggestion to add instructions on how to make it thinner – we’ll update ASAP for future reference.

        Reply
      • Melissa says

        August 06, 2023 at 4:28 am

        Use a cup of chicken broth! To make it not so thick.

        Reply
        • Isabel Laessig says

          August 14, 2023 at 11:57 am

          That’s a great tip, Melissa. Thank you!

          Reply
    9. Emily Bauman says

      March 02, 2023 at 10:19 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this tonight. So yummy! I tweaked a little because I did not have white beans on hand. So I did kidney and black. I also did thin it with chicken stock and added oregano, garlic, & parsley. Thank you for this!!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        March 06, 2023 at 2:27 pm

        That’s perfect! Thanks so much for your comment, Emily. We’re glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    10. Lyn says

      September 15, 2023 at 10:44 am

      5 stars
      This is our new go to Chili recipe! I didn’t have chicken, so used smoked pork I had in the freezer. Husband said it was the best chili I’ve made! Can’t wait to try other meats in it, or even meatless, very versatile recipe. Thanks!!!

      Reply
      • Isabel Laessig says

        September 18, 2023 at 11:20 am

        Thanks so much, Lyn! This is wonderful to hear. I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it!

        Reply

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