Hearty, Healthy White Bean Chicken Chili
This Hearty, Healthy White Bean Chicken Chili is bursting with fabulous flavor. We love that it's also loaded with fresh veggies and lean protein! A triple win!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 195kcal
Ingredients
For the prep:
- 6 6-inch corn tortillas
For the chili:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 large sweet onion diced small
- 2 medium orangee or yellow bell pepper diced small (or one of each!)
- 2 medium celery stalks diced small
- 1 medium jalapeño seeded, if desired and finely chopped
- 6 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ½- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder more to taste
- 5-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 15-ounce cans cans navy or Great Northern Beans drained and rinsed, divided
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilis
- 2 medium bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
To finish:
- 3-4 cups diced or shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken
- 1-2 11-ounce cans crisp, small corn I like Steam-Fresh
Instructions
For the prep:
- Stack the tortilla strips on top of each other. Cut the stack in half then stack the halves onto of each other. Cut the tortillas in half lengthwise the slice them width wise into thin strips. (As thin as you can cut them.) Set aside.
For the chili:
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil and butter. When the mixture starts to sizzle a bit, add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno. Stir to combine and cook for 3-4 minute or until the onion is translucent.
- Push the veggies to the sides of the pot and reduce the heat slightly. If the center of the pot is dry, add a little extra oil. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano and one half teaspoon of the chili powder. Stir, keeping the mixture in the center of the pot for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. (This will “bloom” the spices, herbs and garlic, which helps bring out the flavor.)
- Add the chicken broth, drained and rinsed beans, honey, green chilies, bay leaves, kosher salt and prepared tortilla strips. Stir to combine, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 45-55 minutes or until the tortilla strips have “melted” into the broth mixture.
- Taste and add more chili powder and/or salt, if needed.
- Add the rotisserie chicken and corn. Stir to combine and rewarm a bit before serving.
To serve:
- We like to serve this chili with crispy tortilla strips, diced or sliced avocado, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onion, sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and/or pickled red onion.
- This chili keeps well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. If the chili gets too thick, add a splash of additional chicken broth
- You can also freeze this chili. Thaw completely before reheating.
Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.
Nutrition
Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 624IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg