Description
This White Chicken Chili recipe is a hearty, bean-free chili that’s naturally dairy free and perfect for busy weeknights or freezer meal prep. Featuring tender chicken simmered with aromatic spices, coconut milk, and fresh cilantro, it offers a creamy and flavorful twist on traditional chili. You can easily customize it by adding white beans or your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Protein
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color), diced
- 1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
Spices
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Liquids and Others
- 1 ½–2 cups chicken broth (purchased broth or homemade bone broth)
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk*
- Juice of ½ lime*
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil (for stovetop and Instant Pot versions only)
Optional
- 1 (14-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Dice the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno (removing seeds and membranes), and mince the garlic cloves. Set aside the chopped fresh cilantro and juice of half a lime for later use.
- Cook Chicken: In a slow cooker, place boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Add diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, minced garlic, and spices including cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Add Liquids: Pour in the chicken broth and full-fat coconut milk over the ingredients in the slow cooker. Stir gently but thoroughly to combine the spices with the liquids and vegetables.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 7 hours. The chicken should become tender and flavorful, melding well with the spices and creamy broth.
- Shred Chicken and Finish: After cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker. Stir in the lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro. If desired, add the optional drained and rinsed white beans now to warm through.
- Serve: Spoon the chili into bowls and garnish with additional fresh cilantro and lime wedges if preferred. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is naturally dairy free and bean-free but can be customized by adding a can of white beans.
- The dish requires only about 10 minutes of prep and is excellent for freezer meal cooking sessions.
- For stovetop or Instant Pot versions, use avocado or olive oil, but oil is not necessary for slow cooker preparation.
- To deepen flavor, homemade bone broth is recommended but store-bought chicken broth works well too.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 676 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 58 mg
