Shortcut White Bean and Chicken Chili
Shortcut White Bean Chicken Chili has all the flavor of slow cooked beans and chicken but uses canned beans so you can get dinner on the table quicker!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 1cup
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds) or 3 to 4 cups cooked shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper optional
- 1 small onion, chopped 1 cup
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 32 oz carton chicken broth or stock 4 cups
- 3 15.5 oz cans Great Northern or Navy beans drained
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Toppings
- Sour Cream (optional)
- Lime wedges and cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Skip this step of baking chicken breasts if you are using rotisserie chicken.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place the chicken on the foiled coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt (and pepper), if desired. Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil in an 8 quart pot over medium heat, stirring often until onion is almost tender.
- Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan then add the beans, green chiles, cumin, oregano, and salt.
- When the chicken is done, place the breasts on a cutting board and shred by pulling it apart with two forks. You may have to cut some of the pieces into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the soup mixture. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer 15 minutes.If you prefer a more creamy texture, partially mash the beans with a potato masher right in the pot.
- Serve in bowls and top with cheese, and if you like, a squeeze of fresh lime, cilantro and sour cream.
Notes
Additional shortcut: I often use Rotisserie chicken and chop or shred it.
Slow Cooker Version: Combine raw or frozen chicken breasts with all other ingredients. Cook on HIGH for at least 6 hours, depending on size of chicken breasts, for raw chicken and up to 8 hours for frozen chicken breasts. Shred the chicken right in the pot with two forks. You can also carefully remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and let them cool to the touch and chop or shred them, then add them back to the soup.
