This recipe for White Chicken Chili has plenty of white aged cheddar cheese swirled in to create a wonderful cheesy texture to this bowl of chili.

overhead shot of Bowl of White Chicken Chili in orange bowl set on orange cloth napkin

White Chicken Chili

Winter is the best time to share a really good chili recipe, so it’s appropriate that I’m sharing this one in the middle of January.  I’ve heard there have been some pretty hard-core snowstorms blazing through the country this winter. I live in Arizona, so I can’t relate.  But I used to live near Lake Tahoe, so I’m quite familiar with the cold and snow.

Not to worry! I’ve got an extremely delicious white chicken chili recipe here to help you keep warm this winter.  It’s made with sautéed onion, bell peppers and jalapeño. Creamed corn and white beans are added in to give it plenty of depth.  Chopped green chiles and ground cumin are mixed in for great flavor.  And it’s finished off with milk, shredded chicken and white cheddar cheese.

overhead shot of Bowl of White Chicken Chili in an orange bowl with pot of chili in background and cutting board with ingredients on top. set on top of woven placemat

White Chicken Chili vs. Classic Red Chili

Most people are quite familiar with classic red chili.  It’s tomato-based with plenty of chili powder. And it usually has some kind of meat in it.  White chili is very different since it doesn’t have any tomato or chili powder in it.  It’s more like a creamy chili.  The use of whole milk and white cheddar cheese gives it a rich texture, and of course helps to create a white-based chili.

Bowl of White Chicken Chili in an orange bowl set on a orange/red patterned cloth napkin

The Best Cheddar Cheese:

This recipe originally comes from the KerryGold website.  KerryGold is a producer of butter and cheese.  They have a nice, white aged cheddar cheese that is perfect for this chili.  Imagine swirling the cheese into the chili just before serving.  It melts into the milk and surrounds the beans and corn.  It’s an unbelievably awesome addition, and it’s the cheese that makes this chili as wonderful as it is.

Bowl of White Chicken Chili in an orange bowl on a woven placemat with pot of chili in the background and cutting board with cut veggies and cheese on it

The Best Soup and Chili Bowls:

These bowls with handles are my very favorite soup and chili bowls.  They’re 20-ounce white porcelain bowls, and I like them so much because of the handles.  Since the handles don’t get hot, it makes it so much easier to carry the bowls of hot soup or chili.  You can also find similar handles bowls at World Market.  And I’ve spotted them once in a while at HomeGoods too.

stack of four soup and chili bowls

Orange soup pot

Favorite Soup and Chili Pot:

And here’s the pot I have (in this orange color!) that I love to make my soups and chilis in.  It’s the Rachael Ray Stockpot (found on Amazon). I ordered it on whim when I needed a large pot, and I have really loved it ever since!  It’s easy to clean, and it holds a lot of soup and chili.  I like to double recipes, make a lot and freeze some.

overhead shot of Bowl of White Chicken Chili in a rust colored bowl with similar colored napkin

This White Chicken Chili makes a good comfort food meal, especially for a chilly day.  It’s also a nice chili to share with friends.  Double the recipe and serve it at your Super Bowl party too!

You might like to try more chili recipes.  Here are some of the best chili recipes that I can recommend:

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.

4.93 from 14 votes

White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar Cheese

A delicious white chicken chili recipe with melted cheddar cheese swirled in.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled & diced
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded & chopped
  • 1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded & chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (seeds removed)
  • One 15-ounce can creamed corn
  • One 15-ounce can navy beans, rinsed & drained
  • One 7-ounce can diced mild green chiles (liquid squeezed out)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • cups shredded aged white cheddar cheese

Instructions 

  • In a large pan, combine the oil, onion, bell peppers and jalapeños. Stir often over high heat until onion has softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, beans, chiles, milk and cumin. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally to blend flavors, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
  • When ready to serve, stir in the cheddar cheese and serve immediately.

Notes

  • WW Points were calculated using reduced fat cheddar cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 425kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 581mg, Potassium: 775mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1215IU, Vitamin C: 81.3mg, Calcium: 375mg, Iron: 3.7mg

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

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4.93 from 14 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. Mark Kolbo says:

    Saved n sent.

  2. Laurie says:

    5 stars
    Delicious. I added fresh cilantro on top.

  3. Lorene Bowles says:

    I cannot eat anything spicy, but am sure I will enjoy this without the jalapenos or chiles.
    It sounds delicious.