Happy Sunday, friends! Coming at you with a new recipe to make on a busy night this week: Weeknight White Chicken Chili! This hearty soup comes together in under 30 minutes, making it a perfect family meal for any weeknight. I actually just made it again last night after traveling most of the day – I had no interest in cooking, but I had leftover Thanksgiving turkey to use in place of the rotisserie chicken and knew this one would come together in no time. The ingredients list is short and there’s minimal chopping required, which I absolutely love about this recipe. I hope you will too!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Weeknight White Chicken Chili:
Rotisserie chicken – I love buying a whole rotisserie chicken to make meal prep easier while getting delicious, juicy chicken. I used that idea here to help bring this recipe together quickly. Be sure to remove all the skin and bones, then chop up the meat into bite sized pieces. This also works really well with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Great northern beans – This is a one bean chili, but the beans are used in two different ways. Of course there are the whole beans like you can see in the picture, but I also blended up about half of the beans to help give the broth some body! You also get a bit of creaminess with no dairy needed. It’s really quick and easy to do – just add the beans and some chicken stock to a high walled container (like a tall measuring cup) and stick an immersion blender in there for 10-15 seconds. If you can’t find great northern beans, navy beans or cannellini beans would work as well.
Chicken stock – I love using Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock because the flavor is amazing and it’s an America’s Test Kitchen winner! If you’re watching your sodium intake, you can use the unsalted version, but be sure to taste test and add salt along the way for flavor. Chicken broth, vegetable stock/broth, or turkey stock/broth will work well here too.
Diced green chiles – I usually find these in a 7 oz can in the hispanic section of the grocery store where I live, and they add more flavor than spice. They may also be hanging out near the canned tomatoes. If you prefer to add fresh chili peppers, something along the lines of a hatch green chili, poblano pepper, or Cubanelles would work.
Onion and garlic – other than the chicken, these are the only things you’ll need to chop for this recipe! I don’t recommend skipping either for maximum flavor, but if you are sensitive to them you can always skip.
Spices – I used my own blend of cumin, Mexican oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, but you can always use a pre-made spice mix if you prefer. I haven’t tried it in this soup yet, but I bet that Goya Sazón (without annatto) would be amazing here! I only had the kind with annatto on hand, and that one turns things bright red, which would not have been ideal for white chicken chili.
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Recipe
Weeknight White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken, cleaned and chopped, (560 grams)
- 3 15 oz cans great northern beans, drained
- 1 onion, chopped, (250 grams)
- 1 1/2 7 oz cans chopped green chilis, drained
- 4 1/2 cups Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp each: salt and pepper
- Optional Toppings: sour cream, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 1/2 cans of drained beans to a tall jar. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium to large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add bean and chicken stock mixture and all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, then lower heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped avocado, and tortilla chips if desired.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
