Veggie Packed White Bean Chicken Chili
This Veggie Packed White Bean Chicken Chili recipe starts with a flavorful white bean chili base and then we add extra veggies to boost the nutrition of this yummy soup!
What Kind of Beans Do you Use for White Chicken Chili?
For this recipe we used Great Northern Beans. For cooking and storing great northern beans, check out our chart on this page.
With 12 grams of fiber PER CUP, Great Northern Beans keep kids full, longer. Great northerns also have 15 grams of protein per serving, and they are a great source of iron.You can use Great northern beans in recipes that call for Cannelini or White Navy beans.
These are some reasons we love including beans in our diet:
- Beans are packed with nutrients. Protein, fiber, and b-vitamins. In fact, some experts recommend 1 cup of beans PER DAY!
- Beans are inexpensive. Dry beans can help you get control over your food budget because you can buy so many for a very small price.
- Beans last a very long time. They are perfect for food storage.
Do You Drain the Beans for White Chicken Chili?
The liquid in canned beans is a mixture of water, salt, and the starch released from the beans during the cooking process. The salt acts as a preservative to keep the beans tasting fresh, which means the liquid is generally very salty.
So the liquid is definitely safe to use, it just kind of depends on the other seasonings in your soup and if you want the additional liquid. Canned bean liquid is usually pretty starchy and so it is a great addition to this soup to help thicken the broth.
Plus it is one less step in the cooking process. Just open and dump. So in my opinion, yes go ahead and use the liquid in your beans for this white chicken chili!
What Veggies Are Good in White Bean Chicken Chili?
We like to put celery, green bell pepper, corn, diced green chilis and sometimes even kale in our white bean chicken chili! This soup is really versatile and you can even add a grain like brown rice. This chili can be adapted to a vegetarian version (remove the chicken, and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth!) We hope you enjoy this delicious and filling soup with your family!
Veggie Packed White Bean Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound chicken breast
- 1 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium bell pepper, green
- 1/2 bunch kale optional
- 1 cup corn frozen
- 2 15 oz cans great northern beans
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
- 1 tablespoon diced green chilies, canned
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Chop chicken, onion, and press garlic. Heat a a stock pot to medium, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken and cook until almost done. Add onion and garlic and saute until almost translucent, only about 3-4 minutes. Chop celery, green bell pepper, kale (stemmed) and add to pot.
- Add corn, beans (not drained) broth, chili's, and all the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add milk and sour cream. You can add the sour cream as dollups to individual bowls if you prefer. Enjoy!
Is it possible to make this vegetarian or would it not have enough flavour if I leave out the chicken related items? Are there any ingredients I could replace them with? Cheers!
Yes Amber! there is plenty of flavor. We leave out the chicken all the time and add vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
How about leaving the dairy out? Or maybe using coconut or almond milk instead? Baby can’t have dairy 🙁
I haven’t tried it with coconut or almond milk Jill. You could actually leave it out, and it will still be soup- just not as creamy, more brothy.
This looks lovely, but what I’m smitten with are those square China pieces you’re using as soup bowls! Any leads I can follow to find them? Thank you! 🙂
J Edington- we picked those up at Crate and Barrel!
I am in love with this chili! We are big bean fans over here and this looks perfect.
Looks delicious. Any way to adjust this to be made is a snow cooker? That would help my schedule a ton. Also, any other veggies that would taste good?
If you used pre-cooked chicken Abigail, I would throw all the ingredients in and just turn it on! It would be great with a rotisserie chicken!
Was there any prep for
the beans? Soaking?
Heather- since we used canned beans, they are already cooked. If you use dry beans, you will have to pre-cook them!
Could you make this, up to the point of adding the milk and sour cream and store or freeze it to serve later?
You should be able to Sheila!
Can you substitute Chile powder for the canned Chile’s? If so how much would you suggest.
Hi Jane! You could add chile powder to this recipe, though the flavor profile is quite different (canned chiles have a juicy tartness to them and chile powder has more of a spicy earthiness) Also the color of chile powder would make this chili more like a red chili than a white one. Basically you can do it, but I wouldn’t expect the final recipe to be much like the original.
Can I use cannelloni beans in lieu of great northern?
Gail, absolutely you can use a different bean!
Is the stock just the chicken broth that is in the recipe?
Yep!