Creamy White Chicken Chilli

Jump to Recipe

This irresistibly delicious Creamy White Chicken Chilli is my new supper crush. A wonderful melange of flavour and texture, we have melt in the mouth, tender chicken served in a luscious, creamy, chilli sauce loaded with cannellini beans, peppers, sweetcorn, a tomatillo enchilada sauce, warm spices and a kick of chilli. Serve with rice and/or corn bread, and finish with soured cream, grated cheese, avocado, coriander and a generous squeeze of lime, for an outrageously good meal.

As the evenings darken, the temperatures begin to drop, and we start craving comfort food, this chilli, lighter than the more famous Chilli Con Carne, should be top of your list!

From where can I buy tomatillos?

White Chicken Chilli is typically made with tomatillos or green tomatoes; unfortunately these are quite difficult to find in the UK. Instead, this recipe uses a shop bought Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce. I use Gran Luchito which is available from Ocado; it makes a wonderful replacement, both in terms of taste and preparation time.

What is the best sort of chicken to use?

This chilli is a fabulous way of using up left over roast chicken, but equally, a shop bought rotisserie chicken works wonderfully well.

How to make Creamy White Chicken Chilli

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the chilli –

• onion – peeled and roughly chopped 
• yellow pepper/capsicum – stem and seeds removed, roughly chopped
• green pepper/capsicum – stem and seeds removed, roughly chopped
• cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• green jalapeños or dried chilli flakes
• olive oil
• cooked chicken, shredded
• cumin powder
• coriander powder
• chipotle powder – or use smoked paprika
• dried oregano, ideally Mexican
• fine salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• tomatillo enchilada sauce, I use Gran Luchito (plus water to swill out the bottle/carton)
• chicken stock
• frozen sweetcorn
• soured cream
• chopped fresh coriander
• honey or brown sugar – if necessary

To serve –

• fresh coriander, chopped
• extra soured cream
• wedges of lime
• chunks of avocado
• grated mature cheddar cheese

How to make this wonderful supper!

1. Prepare and chop the vegetables:
   • onions – peel and roughly chop.
   • peppers – remove stalk and seeds and roughly chop.
   • garlic – peel and roughly chop.
   • jalapeños – remove stalk and roughly chop – remove the seeds if you want to reduce the spice level (if using)
2. Tip the vegetables into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped or chopped to your liking. Alternatively, chop by hand.
3. Heat the oil in a cast iron casserole or large frying pan, over a moderate heat. When hot, cook the vegetables for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until lightly caramelised. Remember to scrape up any sticky bits as you cook the vegetables.
4. Shred the chicken, add to the pan and stir well to mix.
5. Add the cumin, coriander, chipotle powder/smoked paprika, oregano, chilli flakes (if using) salt and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
6. Add the drained and rinsed cannellini beans, enchilada sauce, water, stock and sweetcorn.
7. Stir to mix thoroughly and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, with the lid on.
8. Add the fresh coriander and soured cream and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and some honey/sugar, if necessary.
9. Serve with extra soured cream, fresh coriander, cubed avocado, wedges of lime and a bowl of grated mature cheddar cheese.
10. Delicious with boiled rice and/or corn bread served on the side. Don’t forget a good squeeze of lime!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.