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This zesty green chicken chili comes together on the stovetop in about 1 hour, but tastes like it’s been simmering all day (there’s a Crock Pot version, too)! Pile on your favorite toppings and serve each bowl of chili with a side of cornbread or tortilla chips for a simple and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Table of Contents
If you love chili recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this classic beef chili, a pot of easy Texas chili, a healthy ground turkey chili, and this pork chili, too!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Green Chicken Chili Recipe
- Quick. While you can certainly prepare this chili in a slow cooker for convenience, the recipe doesn’t need a long cooking time. If you’re in a hurry, simmer a pot on the stovetop for a meal that’s ready in about 1 hour.
- Healthy. Full of lean protein, fiber-rich beans, and fresh veggies, this nourishing pot of goodness will fill you up and keep you satisfied without weighing you down. It gets a thick, creamy texture from pureed beans, but is made completely without cream or cream cheese for a lighter dish.
- Flavorful. Every bite of this chili is packed with flavor — thanks to jalapeno pepper, diced green chilies, salsa verde, and savory spices like cumin, oregano, and thyme.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of green chili chicken soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- White beans: I use cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), but you can substitute with other white beans including navy beans (also called Yankee beans) and Great Northern beans. In a pinch, you could even use other beans like pinto beans or pink beans.
- Olive oil: to sauté the veggies.
- Jalapeño pepper: this is optional, but adds some nice spicy kick to the pot. Remove the seeds from the pepper so that it’s not too hot.
- Green bell pepper, yellow onion, and garlic: savory aromatics that add flavor to the base of the soup.
- Diced green chiles: tender and mild, these fire-roasted chiles add a nice tang and robust taste.
- Chicken broth: the liquid base of the chili. Add more broth for a soup texture. If you’d like to control the salt in the chili, start with low sodium chicken broth. The low-sodium broth allows you to add salt to the chili until it reaches your desired taste.
- Chicken: you can use either boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs — whichever you prefer.
- Salsa verde: just pour in the whole jar of salsa for a fresh, zesty kick.
- Ground cumin, dried oregano, and dried thyme: smoky, savory ingredients that add even more flavor to the pot.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
How to Make Green Chicken Chili with White Beans
This easy green chicken chili comes together in about an hour with a lot of pantry staples. It’s similar to my stovetop white chicken chili recipe, but has even more flavor from plenty of salsa verde! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Puree one can of the beans with a little bit of chicken broth.
- Sauté the vegetables.
- Stir in the broth, chicken, salsa verde, beans, and seasoning.
- Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 30 minutes.
How to Thicken
This chili gets its thick consistency two different ways:
- Pureed Beans. Like many bean soup recipes, this chili recipe uses a can of pureed white beans to create a thicker, creamier texture in the finished dish.
- Simmer Uncovered. Unlike slow cooker chili recipes that accumulate a lot of condensation from the lid of the Crock Pot, this chili simmers uncovered. This allows the steam to escape and evaporate, thickening the chili as it cooks. If you find that the chili is getting too thick, you can replace the lid towards the end of the cooking time. The stovetop method just gives you more control over the cooking process and helps achieve the perfect pot of chili!
What to Serve with Green Chicken Chili
Create a “chili bar” by setting out a variety of toppings and sides, and then let your family members or guests design their own chili bowls.
Favorite Chili Toppings
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Sliced green onion, minced red onion, quick pickled red onion, or minced white onion
- Sliced fresh jalapeño pepper
- Fresh cilantro, parsley, or chives
- Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- Diced avocado or avocado slices
- Fresh lime wedges or a squeeze of lime juice
Sides that Go Well with the Chili
- Jalapeno Cheddar Mexican Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Southern Corn Sticks, Southern Cornbread, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread (shown here), Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, or Honey Cornbread
- Cornbread Muffins or 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Drop Biscuits, or Cheese Biscuits
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, Jalapeño Cheddar Bread, Beer Bread, or Cheddar Chive Beer Bread
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Wedge Salads, House Salad, or Caesar Salad
- Fritos, tortilla chips, or other corn chips
- Saltine crackers
- Easy Homemade Guacamole with tortilla chips and salsa
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Storage: leftover chili will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: allow the chili to cool to room temperature. Package in airtight containers or Ziploc freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: thaw frozen chili in the refrigerator overnight. Place chili in a saucepan. Cover and warm over low heat, just until heated through. If it seems too thick, thin the chili with a splash of broth or water. You can also reheat individual portions covered in the microwave for 30-60 seconds on high.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of cannellini beans, use other white beans such as Great Northern beans or navy beans. You can also substitute with pinto beans or chickpeas.
- Swap out the raw chicken and use 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (such as a store-bought rotisserie chicken). You can stir the cooked chicken into the chili during the final 10-15 minutes.
- If you prefer the texture of ground meat in your chili, substitute with 1 ½ lbs. of ground chicken. You’ll need to cook the ground meat in the pot along with the bell pepper and onion.
- Add canned corn or frozen corn.
- Instead of a jalapeno pepper, you can make the soup spicy by adding a dash of cayenne pepper.
- If you don’t have a food processor or if you just don’t want to hassle with pureeing a can of beans, that’s fine! The chili will have a slightly thinner consistency, but the recipe will still work. Mash some of the beans at the end with a potato masher or with the back of a wooden spoon.
Tips for the Best Green Chicken Chili Recipe
- We like chicken thighs in this recipe since the dark meat stays juicy and tender as it simmers. If you prefer, you can use white meat chicken breasts instead — just be careful not to overcook them or they can have a tougher texture.
- For a creamy green chicken chili with a richer flavor and thicker texture, stir 4 ounces of softened cream cheese into the pot of chili during the final 5-10 minutes, stirring just until the cream cheese melts smoothly into the broth.
- You might also like the tangy flavor that you can achieve by stirring 4 ounces of room-temperature sour cream into the pot at the very end.
- Simmering the pot uncovered on the stovetop yields a thick, rich chili. It’s my preference over the slow cooker method in this case.
- Garnish with plenty of bright fresh herbs and lime juice for a nice contrast to the warming chili. Good options include fresh cilantro or parsley and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
More Chicken Chili Recipes to Try
Easy White Bean Chicken Chili (Stovetop)
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
6 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Chili Casserole
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Green Chicken Chili
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Zesty, healthy, and packed with flavor, this easy green chicken chili simmers on the stovetop in about 1 hour!
Ingredients
- 3 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
- ½ medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced (about ½ cup total)
- ½ small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup total)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1 teaspoon total)
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
- 3 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch cubes)
- 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa verde
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh lime juice, to taste
- Optional garnish: fresh limes, sour cream, avocado, grated cheese, fresh cilantro, sliced green onion, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Place 1 can of the drained and rinsed beans in a food processor or blender. Add ¼ cup of the broth and puree until smooth; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeño, bell pepper, and onion; sauté until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and green chilies; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the remaining chicken broth, chicken, salsa verde, pureed beans, remaining 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans, cumin, oregano, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the chili boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the chili thickens, about 30 minutes. If the chili gets too thick, cover with a lid while it continues to simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Add a squeeze of lime juice just before serving and garnish individual bowls with desired toppings.
ALTERNATE SLOW COOKER METHOD
- Place 1 can of the drained and rinsed beans in a food processor or blender. Add ¼ cup of the broth and puree until smooth; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeño, bell pepper, and onion; sauté until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and green chilies; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Stir in just 1 cup of chicken broth, chicken, salsa verde, pureed beans, remaining 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans, cumin, oregano, and thyme. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. If the chili seems too thick, stir in extra chicken broth until it reaches the desired consistency. Add a squeeze of lime juice just before serving and garnish individual bowls with desired toppings.
Notes
- We like chicken thighs in this recipe since the dark meat stays juicy and tender as it simmers. If you prefer, you can use white meat chicken breasts instead — just be careful not to overcook them or they can have a tougher texture.
- For a creamy green chicken chili with a richer flavor and thicker texture, stir 4 ounces of softened cream cheese into the pot of chili during the final 5-10 minutes, stirring just until the cream cheese melts smoothly into the broth.
- You might also like the tangy flavor that you can achieve by stirring 4 ounces of room-temperature sour cream into the pot at the very end.
- Simmering the pot uncovered on the stovetop yields a thick, rich chili. It’s my preference over the slow cooker method in this case.
- Garnish with plenty of bright fresh herbs and lime juice for a nice contrast to the warming chili. Good options include fresh cilantro or parsley and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 334kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 30gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 898mgPotassium: 1212mgFiber: 8gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 433IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 6mg
