This zesty white chicken chili offers a bright, tangy twist on the classic comfort dish by incorporating fresh tomatillos and a blend of savory spices. It’s a hearty, one-pot meal that comes together effortlessly, making it the perfect choice for a busy weeknight or a cozy gathering. Topped with crunchy tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream, every bowl is a vibrant balance of heat and citrus.
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🥫 The Ingredients
This recipe combines fresh aromatics, hearty proteins, and bright citrus notes to create a complex flavor profile that tastes like it spent all day simmering on the stove. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
📝 Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: Using a rotisserie chicken is a fantastic time-saver, but you can also use any leftover roasted chicken or even poached chicken breasts or thighs, shredded into bite-sized pieces.
- White Beans: Great Northern or Cannellini beans are ideal for their creamy texture; if you’re in a pinch, Navy beans also work well—just be sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly.
- Tomatillos: These provide the signature tang; if fresh ones aren’t available, you can substitute them with a cup of high-quality jarred salsa verde.
- Green Chiles and Ro-tel: For a milder chili, ensure you choose the “mild” varieties of these canned goods, or swap the Ro-tel for plain diced tomatoes to reduce the heat further.
- Chicken Stock: I recommend using low-sodium stock so you can better control the salt level, especially since the rotisserie chicken and canned beans already contain sodium.
- Garnish: While cheddar is a classic choice, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack melts beautifully and adds a nice creamy finish to the spicy broth.
Refer to the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🔥 Tips and Tricks for Perfect White Chili
- Thicken the Broth: For a creamier consistency without adding dairy, take a half-cup of the white beans and mash them into a paste before stirring them into the pot.
- Bloom Your Spices: Sauté the dried oregano and ground cumin with the onions and garlic for about a minute before adding the liquid; this “blooms” the spices, releasing their essential oils for a deeper flavor.
- Control the Heat: The spice level mostly lives in the jalapeno seeds and ribs. For a mild chili, scrape them out entirely; for extra heat, mince the whole pepper and toss it in.
- The Bright Finish: Always wait to stir in the lime juice and fresh cilantro until the very end of cooking. This ensures the citrus stays vibrant and the herbs don’t lose their color or flavor.
- Make it Ahead: Like most chilis, this dish tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld in the refrigerator, making it an excellent option for meal prep.
👩🏼🍳 How to Make White Chili with Tomatillos and Chicken
- Step 1: Sauté the chopped onion in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. And then stir in the minced garlic. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 2: Stir in the tomatoes, tomatillos, and jalapeño. Sauté until tender, about 12 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the chicken, green chiles, oregano, cumin, cilantro, beans, lime juice, and chicken stock.
- Step 4: Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5: Meanwhile, cut the flour tortilla strips and fry them until crispy.
- Step 6: Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and the crispy tortilla strips.
Expert Tip
For the perfect crunchy topping, use a pizza cutter to easily slice flour tortillas into thin, uniform strips, then fry them in a skillet with hot vegetable oil until they are golden brown and irresistibly crispy.
🍽️ How to Serve
- Ladle into Deep Bowls: Serve the chili while it’s piping hot to ensure the shredded cheddar cheese melts instantly upon contact.
- Create a Topping Bar: Set out small bowls of sour cream, extra cilantro, and your homemade fried tortilla strips so guests can customize their own bowls with their favorite textures and flavors.
- Add a Fresh Squeeze: Always serve with extra lime wedges on the side; a final spritz of fresh juice right before eating brightens the roasted tomatillo broth.
- Pair with Sides: This chili pairs beautifully with a side of warm, buttery cornbread or classic guacamole to complement the zesty green chiles.
- Family Style: If serving a crowd, place the pot in the center of the table and let everyone help themselves, making it a cozy and interactive meal.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can combine all the ingredients except for the lime juice and cilantro in your crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Stir in the fresh herbs and citrus right before serving for the best flavor.
Place any remaining portions in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to four days. The flavors actually continue to develop and meld, making it taste even better the next day.
Absolutely, this dish freezes beautifully for up to three months. Just be sure to leave out the garnishes like sour cream and tortilla strips until you are ready to reheat and eat.
To reduce the heat, remove the seeds and ribs from the fresh jalapeno and use mild Ro-tel or go with canned diced tomatoes. You can also increase the amount of sour cream used as a topping to help mellow out the zestiness of the broth.
🌶️ More Amazing Chili Recipes
Ready to make the best white chili in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
White Chili with Tomatillos and Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- Flour tortilla strips lightly fried in oil
- vegetable oil for frying tortilla strips
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans Ro-tel or canned tomatoes with chiles
- 6 tomatillos skin removed and roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 7 oz. can green chiles chopped
- 2 cups cooked chicken rotisserie works well
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 19 oz. cans white beans, drained or Great Northern or cannellini,
- ¼ cup lime juice fresh
- 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Sour cream for garnish
- Cheddar cheese and Monterrey Jack cheese shredded, for garnish
Instructions
- Fry the tortilla strips in vegetable oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.Flour tortilla strips, vegetable oil
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, and jalapeño. Cook until the tomatillos are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes.2 cans Ro-tel, 6 tomatillos, 1 jalapeno
- Add the chicken stock, green chiles, chicken, oregano, cumin, cilantro, beans, and lime juice.2 cups chicken stock, 1 7 oz. can green chiles, 2 cups cooked chicken, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, 2 19 oz. cans white beans, drained, ¼ cup lime juice
- Simmer for about 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.1½ teaspoon Kosher salt , 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and fried tortilla strips.Sour cream, Cheddar cheese and Monterrey Jack cheese
Notes
- Ro-tel Substitute: If you can’t find Ro-tel, you can substitute it with one 10-ounce can of plain diced tomatoes mixed with an additional 4-ounce can of diced green chiles.
- Chicken Prep: A standard-sized rotisserie chicken typically yields about 3 to 4 cups of shredded meat, which is the perfect amount for this hearty chili.
- Sodium Control: Since chicken stock and rotisserie chicken salt levels can vary, wait until the very end of the simmering process to taste and add your final salt and pepper.
- Bean Texture: If you prefer a thicker chili, try lightly mashing one of the cans of beans before adding them to the pot to naturally thicken the broth.
Jeanine Ash says
You guys are amazing. I’m making your white chili tomorrow. Would you be so kind to send me your Texas Red Chili? Thank you. I’m forever a fan!
Jeanine Ash
Kris Longwell says
Yay! We LOVE the white chili so much! Let us know how it turns out! Here’s the recipe for Texas Chili: https://gethealth.info/texas-chili/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Stephanie Lanzalotto says
Made this for last night’s dinner exactly as written, and WOW!!! It was beyond delicious! Got a big load of tomatillos from a friend’s garden and this is what I did with them. The flavors and textures of this dish is so wonderful and it is indeed very easy to make. Served it topped with sour cream, shredded cheeses, cilantro and black olives. This morning I am freezing the rest of the tomatillos so I can have them handy to make this again as the weather begins to chill. Thanks again for another fantastic culinary delight!!!!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Stephanie! We LOVE that you made the white chili with tomatillos and had such great success with it! That has been one of our all-time favorite recipes for many years and we are so happy you made it and enjoyed it, too! Thank you for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Leslie Talago says
Intrigued by this title, however where does the roasting of the tomatillos, occur?
Doug Stehr says
Under instructions;
#5 states “add the chicken stock”.
nowhere under ingredients is a line that mentions “chicken stock”. I would like to make the White Chili, it sounds like it would be great but how much chicken stock do I use?
D
krislongwell says
Hi Doug!
Thank you so very much for bringing that to our attention. It takes 2 cups of chicken stock. We’ve updated the recipe to reflect this. Thanks again and let us know how it turns out when you make it!! Thanks! Kris & Wesley
Lynn Gilbert says
I am going to make this tonight! Wish me luck! It looks so delish! Probably won’t taste the same without the Loon in the kitchen 🙁
krislongwell says
Thanks Deb!! The Loon and I love this dish, too. Especially when it starts getting cold out!
Debbie says
Ok. So I made it. Twice in a week. That’s a lotta chili! It was soooo good we had it for breakfast lunch and dinner! Seriously… So delish!!! Thanks Kris and the Loon!
Deb says
OMG I am so making this! Sounds delish! (Would be better with a couple of Loons to share it with.