Description
This hearty White Chicken Chili recipe is a flavorful, dairy-free dish featuring tender chicken, aromatic spices, and creamy coconut milk. Perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep, it can be easily customized with beans and fresh garnishes for a satisfying and nutritious meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil (for stovetop and Instant Pot versions only)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color), diced
- 1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½–2 cups chicken broth (purchased broth or homemade bone broth)
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- Juice of ½ lime
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Optional: 1 (14-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Dice the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno after removing seeds and membranes. Mince the garlic cloves. Chop the fresh cilantro and juice half a lime.
- Sauté Vegetables and Spices (if cooking stovetop or Instant Pot): Heat avocado or olive oil in a large pot or Instant Pot set to sauté mode. Add diced onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, chili powder, salt, and black pepper and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add Chicken and Broth: Add the chicken breasts or thighs to the pot. Pour in 1 ½ to 2 cups of chicken broth. For an Instant Pot, close the lid and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. For stovetop, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add Coconut Milk and Simmer: Pour in the full-fat coconut milk and stir well. Add lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro. For stovetop, simmer for an additional 5 minutes to combine flavors. For Instant Pot, use the sauté function to allow it to gently heat and thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Add Optional Beans (if desired): Stir in the drained and rinsed white beans, heating through for a couple minutes until warmed.
- Serve: Ladle the chili into bowls and garnish with additional fresh cilantro and lime wedges if desired. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- This chili is naturally dairy-free and can be made bean-free or include beans for more texture.
- Using bone broth enhances the flavor and nutrition, but store-bought chicken broth works well.
- The chili can be made in a slow cooker by sautéeing the vegetables first then combining all ingredients and cooking on low for 6-7 hours.
- Adjust the level of jalapeno or chili powder for more or less heat according to taste.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 327 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 676 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 58 mg
