• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
To Simply Inspire
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Recipe Index
  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast
  • Main Dishes
  • Desserts
  • On the Lighter Side Recipes
  • Salads
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups and Stews
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • By Course
  • Holidays
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • By Course
    • Holidays
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » American

    White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

    Published: Oct 15, 2018 · Modified: Jul 25, 2023 by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments

    4792 shares
    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe

    This White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe is spectacular! It’s packed with fresh ingredients as well as 2 secret ingredients that the flavors extra special.

    A close up of a white bowl with chicken chili topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream

    As the cold weather is rolling in, it’s a great time to whip up those big batches of chili and soups. We also love this Cincinnati Chili and this Easy White Chicken Chili.

    This White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe is seriously one of the best I have ever had!  I got the recipe from a childhood friend’s grandmother’s personal cookbook. I love thinking where some of my favorite recipes come from.

    It’s a colorful blend of veggies and 2 special, secret ingredients that just make the flavor extra special! It reminds me of a Mexican Mole sauce kind of.

    You can actually make this in the slow cooker as well!  place the vegetables on the bottom and then place chicken on top.  Place all other ingredients in next and cook for 4 hours on high.

    How to Make This Chicken Chili Recipe

    Bake Chicken Breasts in 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

    Heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a cooking pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute about 10 minutes.

    Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers and saute another 10 minutes.

    red peppers and onions sautéing in a pan

    Stir in Chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and pepper.

    closeup of sautéing red and yellow bell pepper with chili powder

    When chicken is done, shred or cut into 1-inch pieces.

    Add the chicken, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, and beer to the pot and stir to combine.

    Simmer over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes.

    Stir in grated chocolate.

    grated chocolate on a white plate

    Garnish with your favorite toppings.

    ENJOY!

    What are Chicken Chili toppings

    Seriously my go-to topping for any chili shredded cheddar cheese and a little plain greek yogurt (or sour cream of course)! But there are several other great options like avocado, scallions, olives, shredded lettuce, and even crushed up tortillas chips

    Chicken Chili Recipe

    A close up of a bowl of chicken chili topped with cheese

    Chicken Chili Recipe

    This Chicken Chili Recipe is a specular version packed with fresh ingredients along with 2 secret ingredients that make for extra special flavors!
    5 from 4 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Share Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 403kcal
    Author: Sherri Hagymas

    Ingredients

    • 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
    • 5 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 large onion chopped
    • 5 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 medium sweet red bell peppers or 1 Red and one Yellow, seeded, cored and diced.
    • 2 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
    • 3 tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon *secret ingredient #1
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes one large can or 2 smaller cans
    • 14 ounces diced tomatoes one can
    • 30 ounces northern white beans, low sodium preferably (2) 15 ounce cans
    • 1 cup beer
    • ¼ cup grated unsweetened chocolate *secret ingredient #2

    Optional garnishes

    • Light Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
    • Grated Cheddar Cheese
    • Sliced Scallions
    • Diced Avocado

    Instructions

    • Bake Chicken Breasts in 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
    • Heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil in cooking pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute about 10 minutes.
    • Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers and saute another 10 minutes.
    • Stir in Chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and pepper.
    • When chicken is done, shred or cut into 1 inch pieces.
    • Add the chicken, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans and beer to the pot and stir to combine.
    • Simmer over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes.
    • Stir in grated chocolate.
    • Garnish with your favorite toppings.

    Notes

    Additional optional garnishes:
    Light Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
    Grated Cheddar Cheese
    Sliced Scallions
    Diced Avocado
    Nutritional information does not include optional garnishes.  Adjust for those additions.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 1324mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2155IU | Vitamin C: 60.2mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 6mg

    Nutritional Disclosure

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

    Tried this recipe?We love seeing your pictures! Mention @ToSimplyInspire or tag #ToSimplyInspire!

    More American

    • A bowl filled with mushroom risotto garnished with chopped herbs, with golden spoons on the side.
      Mushroom Risotto
    • A clear glass bowl filled with cowboy pasta salad on a white surface.
      Cowboy Pasta Salad
    • A bowl of viral boat dip recipe topped with chopped green onions, surrounded by tortilla chips on a white plate.
      Boat Dip
    • A bowl of creamy crack dip with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and sliced green onions on top.
      Crack Dip

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Criquet

      November 20, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      does it matter what kind of beer. Ale, or something light.

      Reply
    2. Nicole

      April 21, 2014 at 10:56 am

      Mole is one of the dishes that I would love to try, so thanks for sharing this. 🙂 They say Mole is an acquired taste, so it’ll be interesting to try this one.

      Btw, thanks for linking to Let’s Get Real Party! 🙂

      Reply
    3. Diane Balch

      April 14, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      Really healthy combination of ingredients. Thanks for bringing your chili to foodie friday.

      Reply
    4. Nicky

      April 14, 2014 at 4:02 pm

      Cinnamon and chocolate add a great flavor to chili. You don’t need to add much to get the flavors either. Thanks for sharing this with us at the Let’s Get Real Friday Link Party. I hope you’ll join us again this week.

      Reply
    5. Michelle

      April 14, 2014 at 9:53 am

      Sounds delicious. Love the addition of chocolate. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!

      Reply
    6. Miz Helen

      April 12, 2014 at 3:13 pm

      Your Chicken Chili looks awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday today, it is great to have you at the party. Hope you have a very special week and come back soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply
    7. Joanne T Ferguson

      April 12, 2014 at 1:15 am

      Great recipe to share at the Foodie Friends Friday Copycat Recipes Party
      Cheers! Joanne

      Reply
    8. Camille

      April 11, 2014 at 11:42 pm

      That looks so good. I’m going to have to try the 2 secret ingredients! Its going to be cold again here Sunday so that just might be the perfect time to try this! Thanks! Pinned it too!

      Reply
      • Sherri

        April 12, 2014 at 8:31 am

        It is so yummy! 🙂 Perfect for a cooler day. We are getting cold and rainy Tuesday. I am planning on making it myself! Thanks so much for the pin!

        Reply
    9. Felecia

      April 11, 2014 at 11:21 am

      Hi Sherri! Thanks for sharing your version of chicken chili! It looks delicious! I can hardly wait to make some! Blessings from Bama!

      Reply
    10. Beverly

      April 11, 2014 at 10:26 am

      I love chili. I have made it with ground chicken but not with actual pieces of chicken. I am going to try this.
      Have a great weekend,
      Bev

      Reply
    11. Donella @ Productive WAHM

      April 10, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      It looks delicious. I like a pinch of cinnamon in my chili, too. I’ll pin this one!

      Reply
    12. Robyn @ simply fresh dinners

      April 10, 2014 at 10:04 am

      Wow, with that list of ingredients, it’s got to be one perfect bowl of chili! Looks delicious and healthy and ready to eat! Thanks for sharing, Sherri.

      Reply
    13. jan

      April 09, 2014 at 12:41 pm

      That looks real yummy and easy too! 🙂 Love the secret ingredients 😉 … hopping over from In & Out of the Kitchen!

      Reply
      • Sherri

        April 10, 2014 at 7:35 am

        It is so yummy!! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    14. Cindy @ Hun... What's for Dinner?

      April 08, 2014 at 12:55 pm

      I’d love to sit down to a big bowl of this chili. Great secret ingredients! Thank you for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.

      Reply
    15. Heidi

      March 24, 2014 at 10:58 am

      Can you leave out the beer??

      Reply
      • Sherri

        March 24, 2014 at 11:27 am

        I am you could 🙂 I would use chicken broth maybe for richer flavor but water would probably be fine as well.

        Reply
    16. Angela Parker

      March 04, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      Great looking recipe! I pinned it to try soon : )

      Reply
      • Sherri

        March 05, 2014 at 9:01 am

        Thanks! It is one of my favorite’s 🙂

        Reply
    Newer Comments »
    5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Sherri Hagymas leaning on a counter with a white coffee mug

    Hi! I'm Sherri. I'm here to help you find and make easy recipes for any occasion. Here you will step-by-step instructions with photos on recipes that anyone can make!

    I love hearing what inspires you to try and hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

    More about me →

    Easy Dinners

    • White bowl full of Egg Fried Rice with fork inserted.
      Egg Fried Rice
    • White skillet with tuscan chicken recipe with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach in a creamy sauce.
      Tuscan Chicken
    • four breaded chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet with lemon slices
      Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken
    • Butter Steak Bites and Potatoes
      Butter Steak Bites with Garlic Herb Potatoes
    • skillet full of creamy chicken with mushroom sauce topped with parsley.
      Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
    • bowl full of fresh cucumber slices, imitaion crab meat, and avocado with spicy mayo drizzles and topped with sesame seeds
      California Roll in a Bowl

    Popular Recipes

    • slice of coffee cake on a white plate
      Best Easy Coffee Cake
    • Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta recipe in a silver serving bowl
      Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
    • closeup of several crispy chicken wings on white parchment paper.
      Oven Baked Chicken Wings
    • White bowl full of fresh mango salsa topped with cilantro and red onion.
      Mango Salsa
    • black bowl with cottage cheese dip with a carrot and celery
      Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip
    • closeup of shrimp corn chowder in a white bowl with spoon in it.
      Shrimp Corn Chowder

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    List of publications that have featured Tosimplyinspire.com. woman's day, southern living, delish, parade, Forbes, prevention, and parade.

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Disclosure Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Shop
    • Shop My Favorites
    Copyright © 2025 To Simply Inspire
    Discloure Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
    To Simply Inspire is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program
    designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.