Chilly days call for cozy soups. Pull on your flannel pj’s and whip up a batch of this not-too-spicy White Bean Chicken Chili for dinner! It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and uses only one pot, so washing up is a breeze.

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Want my #1 tip for success in the kitchen?

Wash up as you go!

You know that I love simple food that has few ingredients, is quick to prepare and totally flavorful.

But what’s the good of keeping the ingredients simple if the wash-up takes FOREVER. I don’t know about you, but I can’t really enjoy my meal while staring at a sink full of dishes.

That’s why one-pot meals like this White Bean Chicken Chili are such a lovely thing. The set up is simple:

prepare your ingredients
dump in the pot
heat
garnish and serve

Let’s check out the ingredients for One Pot White Bean Chicken Chili

White Beans. I like Great Northern beans, but feel free to use cannellini beans or navy beans. In days gone by I cooked dried beans from scratch. Alas, those days are indeed gone by, and I now use canned beans and love their convenience.
Chicken. To me, keeping frozen chicken breasts is one of the secrets of simple food. I prefer to buy individually packaged organic chicken breasts and cook by baking or sautéing, depending on the recipe. This white bean chicken chili is a perfect place to use leftover chicken if you have it.
Chicken Stock. If you’re in the habit of boiling a whole chicken (and it’s not a bad habit), just bag up the water/stock in freezer bags. Or you can use a handy box of stock off the grocery shelf. Either is fine.
Salsa Verde. This is a flavor rocket in a bottle. Tomatillos have such a tart, appealing flavor that works especially well with the sour cream and makes a nice contrast to the nutty taste of the beans.
Cumin. My absolute favorite spice. (If I could make cumin scented soap I would!) It’s warm and sensual and adds depth and… Well, just use it and you’ll see.
Sour Cream. I use this as a topping and not as an actual ingredient in the chili as it tends to get grainy and separate if heated too much. It’s tart creaminess is the perfect balance to all the other ingredients.
Cilantro. I’ve heard that some people don’t like cilantro, but I refuse to believe it. Pile on heaps — it adds needed color to an otherwise kinda dull looking (but so flavorful!) dish.
Cheddar Cheese. You can use white cheddar, but I like to use yellow as another contrast to the tan colored chili.

And now I’ll tell you how crazy easy it is to make White Bean Chicken Chili

Into a stainless steel 4 quart soup pot add 1 can of beans and the stock.
Purée with a stick blender til smooth. (The puréed beans act as a soup thickener — no need to add flour or cornstarch.)
Add the other can of beans, shredded chicken, cumin, chicken stock and salsa verde.
Simmer on medium low heat for about 20 minutes.
Serve topped with a scoop of sour cream plus grated cheddar, cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.

Variations

The recipe as written makes a fairly thick chili. For a thinner soup that you can pour over tortilla chips just add 1-2 cups more chicken stock.
For a chunkier chili, cube the chicken instead of shredding it and add an extra can of drained white beans.
Substitute regular salsa for the salsa verde. Chunky salsa will add texture and the red tomato will make a nice contrast.

How to store White Bean Chicken chili

This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing, as beans can get a bit grainy when defrosted. Since this is such a quick dish to make, it would probably take longer to defrost than to whip up a new batch anyway!

One Pot White Bean Chicken Chili

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Equipment

Stick blender
4 quart soup pot
Soup ladle
Whisk

Ingredients

2 15.5 oz cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup salsa verde I use MILD
2 tsp cumin

Toppings

sour cream
cilantro
grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, slightly crushed

Instructions

Add 1 can of beans to the soup pot along with the stock. With the stick blender, puree til smooth.
Add the remaining can of beans, chicken, cumin and salsa verde. Cook over medium low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If the soup gets too thick, just add a bit of water or stock.
Taste for seasoning.
Serve topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips and cilantro.