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Chicken Chili Verde With Beans Recipe

Name: Chicken Chili Verde With Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large onion, diced; 6 cloves garlic, rough chopped; 2 poblano peppers, finely diced (or sub 1-2 x 4-ounce cans green chilies); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid amino acids; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless; 3 cups white beans, cooked (2 x 14-ounce cans, drained); 1 bunch cilantro, chopped; 2 limes; pinch cayenne or chipotle powder to taste

A flavorful recipe for White Chicken Chili using white beans, fresh poblano peppers, cilantro, coriander and lime. Serve with cornbread!

4.8 from 134 votes

65 mins

Total Time

servings

Jump to Recipe

How to Make the Best Chicken Chili Verde With Beans

This chicken chili verde with beans is the perfect comfort food for chilly evenings. Packed with tender shredded chicken, creamy white beans, and a flavorful broth infused with poblano peppers, cumin, and coriander, it’s a lighter twist on traditional chili that doesn’t sacrifice any of the heartiness.

What makes this white chicken chili stand out is the layered depth of flavor. The poblano peppers provide a mild, earthy heat, while the fresh cilantro and lime added at the end brighten everything up. It’s the kind of one-pot meal that tastes like it took hours to prepare but comes together in just over an hour.

Serve this chili verde with warm cornbread, a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, and extra lime wedges for squeezing. It also freezes beautifully, making it an excellent option for meal prep or feeding a crowd.

Keywordwhite bean recipes, fall soup, chili recipes, white bean chicken chili recipe, white chicken chili, chicken chili verde, white chili, white bean chili

Ingredients

Chili Base

Protein & Beans

1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless
3 cups white beans, cooked (2 x 14-ounce cans, drained)

Finishing

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 limes
pinch cayenne or chipotle powder to taste

Instructions

Cook the Base

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and poblano pepper and sauté until tender about 8 minutes. Add cumin, coriander and chili powder and lightly toast, for about 1 minute.
Add broth, scraping up the brown bits. Turn the heat to high. Add soy sauce, vinegar, oregano and salt. Stir, add whole chicken breasts or thighs, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and keep at a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and breaks apart easily.

Shred & Simmer

Once the chicken is tender, shred it with two forks into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. If it is not shredding easily, it may need longer to cook.
Add the cooked white beans and juice of 1 lime (for a thicker consistency, you could mash 1 cup of beans). Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until it reduces and thickens slightly.

Season & Serve

Stir in half the cilantro, and taste it, adjusting salt, lime and spice level and adding a pinch of chipotle powder or cayenne if you like.
Divide among bowls, serve with more cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, avocado, and lime wedges.

Notes

You can substitute 1-2 cans (4 ounces each) of green chilies for the fresh poblano peppers.
For a thicker chili, mash about 1 cup of the white beans before adding them to the pot.
This recipe works equally well with chicken thighs for extra flavor and moisture.

Chicken Chili Verde With Beans Recipe

How to Make the Best Chicken Chili Verde With Beans