Who Needs Beef? Our Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe Is Super Satisfying

While the classic bowl of red, beefy chili is all well and good, white chili makes for a refreshing change. It's actually a surprisingly recent invention, dating back to somewhere around the late '80s, and it typically allows poultry to be the star of the show, pairing alongside that light, creamy chili base. This white chicken chili, like most other white chilis, is also made with white beans. Here we're going with cannellinis (AKA white kidney beans), but Great Northern and navy beans are also among the best beans for white chili, so feel free to use either variety if you prefer.

According to developer Julianne De Witt, "This bright and flavorful creamy chicken chili recipe is very easy to prepare and can be on the table in under 30 minutes." As she also points out, "It's the perfect recipe for repurposing leftover chicken," so keep it in mind the next time you make a Costco run. (Or a Sam's one, for that matter, since this store's rotisserie chicken is actually the people's choice.) You needn't worry about separating the dark from the light meat, either. Although this recipe calls for chicken breast, De Witt says shredded thigh and drumstick meat will work just as well.

The main ingredients of this chili are white cannellini beans, chicken breast, onion, celery, frozen corn, diced green chiles, cream cheese, and chicken stock. You'll also need olive oil for cooking and garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and lime juice for flavoring. If you want to garnish the finished dish, avocado, tortilla strips, and cilantro are suggested.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic until soft.

Add the kidney beans, chicken, green chilies, and corn.

Pour in the chicken stock.

Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the cream cheese and simmer gently until warmed through.

Stir in the lime juice.

Ladle the chili into bowls. Top with avocado, tortilla strips, and cilantro before serving.

• Smoky Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Recipe
• Mediterranean Buckwheat Grain Salad Recipe
• Creamy And Cheesy Cowboy Casserole Recipe
• Shepherd's Pie With Aged Cheddar Mash Recipe

This chili recipe is very forgiving, so you can make any number of changes. As we've already mentioned, a different type of white bean can be used. So, too, can a different type of poultry — if it's the day after Thanksgiving, this chili would be a perfect way to use up leftover turkey. Canned or fresh corn can be used in place of frozen, and you can also omit the celery if you don't care for its flavor.

It's also possible to enhance the chili with a few well-chosen additions. Although white chili doesn't typically contain tomatoes, you could buck tradition by adding a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Chopped, cooked tomatillos, on the other hand, would be in keeping with the green sauce typical of white chili. Green onions, too, make a flavorful addition, although you'll want to stir those in at the end or retain them for a topping. To make the chili hotter, stir in some hot sauce or add chopped chipotles or jalapeños.

Try different toppings, too. Sour cream or plain yogurt would add some creamy tang, and could help cool the chili down if you went overboard adding hot peppers. Shredded cheese would also be good — pepper jack, in particular, would add a little heat and be in keeping with the pale color scheme. If you're looking for a fiber boost, you could sprinkle on some roasted pumpkin seeds, too.

It's also quite easy to make a vegetarian version of the chili. For starters, you'll want to omit the chicken. A plant-based chicken substitute can be used instead, or you could go with plain cubed tofu or textured vegetable protein. Another option is to just make it a veggie chili by adding another can of beans or some chickpeas. You'll also need to replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock or broth, either homemade or store-bought.

If you want to go all the way and veganize this recipe, simply leave out the dairy-based cream cheese and use a plant-based version instead. Plant-based yogurt could also work, as long as it is plain and the alternative milk used to make it doesn't have a strong flavor of its own. You should also opt for corn tortillas instead of flour ones to make the tortilla strips, since the former are less likely to contain animal fat.

• 3-Ingredient Paillard-Style Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Recipe
• Boneless Fried Chicken With Hot Honey Mustard Recipe
• All-On-The-Grill Chicken Fajita Recipe
• Easy Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe