Red chili is the loud extrovert of the chili world. White chili is the quiet one at the party who ends up being the most interesting — creamy, tangy, lightly spicy, and somehow lighter while also feeling like a meal. One pot, pantry ingredients, and forty minutes. Good cold the next day too.
What You Need
- 1 lb chicken breast or thighs
- 2 cans white beans, cannellini or great northern, drained
- 2 cans diced green chiles
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cumin
How to Make It
- 1
Warm a glug of oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and brown it 3 minutes per side — you're not cooking it through, just building flavor. Pull it out.
- 2
Drop heat to medium. Add green chiles (liquid and all) and cumin. Cook 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot — those bits are the whole reason this soup tastes like it took hours.
- 3
Add broth, beans, and the chicken back in. Simmer 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Fish it out, shred with two forks, and return to the pot.
- 4
Use the back of a spoon to crush about half the beans against the pot's side to thicken the broth. Taste and add more salt than you think. Serve with a squeeze of lime, sour cream, or shredded cheese if you have them.
