One Pot Homemade White Chicken Chili with Poblano
Creamy broth with smoky, poblano peppers; the right amount of spices and garlic; and just a bit of lime zest. If you’re looking for the perfect fall soup, or any time soup really, look no further. Just enough heat, balanced with the creaminess of the broth and a dollop of sour cream. Someone get me a spoon!
Chili is one of those comfort foods that you can’t do without. There are so many different varieties of chili, and you can put almost anything you want in chili. This white chicken chili is one of my favorite chili recipes. I love the creaminess of the broth and the flavor base of the poblano, onion, and garlic.
If you’ve seen some of my other soup recipes, you’ll notice that I use a lot of poblano pepper. This is my favorite pepper! It has so much flavor! It has a bit of heat, but not too much. It’s the perfect addition to so many soups, casseroles, and savory dishes. Try it in place of bell peppers for an added bit of flavor. If you love poblanos as much as I do, try my Stuffed Poblanos. We make this at least once a month.
Why I Love This Soup
Taste? With the delicious flavor base of peppers, onion, and garlic plus the spices, this soup has tremendous flavor.
Smell? I absolutely love the smell of the peppers and onions cooking. Add in the garlic and it’s out of this world! One of my favorite all time smells!
Is it easy to make? This soup is very easy to make. Use rotisserie chicken and it’s even easier.
Would I make it again? Definitely! This is a cold weather staple at my house.
Ingredients
Chicken– I used chicken tenders because they were on sale. You could use any kind of chicken that you have on hand.
Broth– for more chicken flavor, use chicken broth. You can also use vegetable broth.
Cannellini beans– just a fancy name for white kidney beans. You could use a mix of different beans such as chick peas or great northern beans if that’s all you have on hand.
Poblano pepper– for extra depth and flavor to any dish, add a poblano pepper. I can’t say enough good things about this mighty pepper.
Green chilis– mild or hot, depending on your taste.
Onion and garlic– the flavor base of these two together is unmatched. They go perfectly in this soup.
Corn– I used canned corn but frozen would work as well.
Heavy Cream– just one cup to turn this soup into the perfect amount of creaminess.
Cumin, sumac, chili powder, salt and pepper– the perfect blend of spices to add yummy flavor to this soup.
Lime– last but not least, the mighty lime. Just a bit of lime zest to bring the flavors together.
Toppings– The toppings make the soup, in my opinion. Some of my favorites are: sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips, cilantro, jalapeno, and more.
Notes and Substitutions
How to Make White Chicken Chili
It really couldn’t be any simpler. You first boil the chicken, then remove it from the pan and set it on a paper towel lined plate to drain. You’ll shred the chicken before you add it back into the soup.
Once the chicken is boiled, you’ll saute the poblano, onion, and garlic in the same pot. Then add the broth and slowly stir in the heavy cream. Add the chicken, beans, green chilis, corn, lime zest, and spices. Stir to incorporate. Let boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Looking for a yummy bread to go with this soup? Try my Pan Cubano or my Easy Focaccia Bread.
Other Recipes to Try
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
I recommend freezing this soup without the cream. Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, thaw it out in the fridge overnight. Heat on the stove, adding the cream before it gets hot. Adding cream to hot soup can make the cream split, making for a grainy appearance. It is still good, just not as appealing.
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken (I used chicken breast tenders)
- 5 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz can green chilis
- 2 15 oz cans white cannellini beans
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 15 oz can sweet corn
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper each
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add the 5 cups of broth and chicken to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook chicken thoroughly. The chicken tenders I used for this recipe only took about ten minutes to cook. If you get a different cut, it may take longer. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from pot and set on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Keep the broth. Skim the white foam off the top.
- As the chicken is cooking, dice the poblano and onion. Mince the garlic. Saute poblano and shallots in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the poblano and shallots have been sauteing for about a minute, add the minced garlic. Stir the veggie mixture regularly to prevent them from sticking to the pan. After a few minutes, they should be done.
- Add the 5 cups of broth to the pot. Add the 1 cup of heavy cream to the broth and stir to incorporate.
- Add the shredded chicken, beans, corn, green chilis, and stir to incorporate. Add the 1 tsp lime zest, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sumac, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Can be frozen without the cream. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw out in the fridge overnight. Heat on the stove, add the cream before the soup gets hot.
- To reduce sodium, either cut the broth with water to your taste, or you can use 1 bouillon cube to 5 cups of water. The spices give the soup its flavor.
Nutrition
About Author
I love White Chicken Chili, we will try this one out!