The soup-y months are officially here and I couldn’t be happier about it—although I’m less excited about turning the clocks back this morning. To combat the dark-at-4:30pm blues, I’ll be leaning into soups/chilis/stews for the foreseeable future.
I know some have strong opinions on what makes something a soup versus a chili versus a stew. It’s technically based on the liquid-to-solid ratio, but regardless whatever you want to call this recipe, it is a crowd pleaser!! High-protein white chicken chili has been one of my most-loved and most-repeated recipes. It’s cozy but light, spicy but balanced, and loaded with enough protein to keep you full for hours. (We’re talking three protein sources, 48 grams per serving, and a nice 9 grams of fiber—basically, your nutrition goals in a bowl.)
The secret (that’s not really a secret) is all in the aromatics. The onion hits the pot first, then the garlic and spices join in, and suddenly your whole kitchen smells like you’ve been slow-simmering something special all day. Jalapeño, green chiles, and red pepper flakes bring the heat—adjustable, of course, depending on your spice mood.
Make it for a crowd, stash a few portions in the freezer, or just ladle yourself a big bowl and call it dinner. However you do it, I feel strongly that this is the chili you’ll be coming back to all winter! Btw—save it for leftover turkey at the end of the month 👏
high-protein white chicken chili
serves 4 | prep time: 20 minutes | cook time: 30 minutes
gluten-free, dairy-free option, vegetarian option, nut-free
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, additional to taste
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
16 ounces 4% milkfat cottage cheese see notes for dairy-free option
1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can corn, drained (fresh or frozen also work)
4 ounce can diced green chiles
32 ounces (4 cups) reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or one pound boneless chicken breast, cooked and shredded) see notes for vegetarian option
1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, additional for garnish
juice and zest of 1 lime
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the oregano, salt, ground black pepper, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Blend the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and jalapeño. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the garlic and spice mix, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Mix in the cannellini beans, corn, and green chilis. Add the broth, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer to heat the beans, corn, chilis, and broth, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the blended cottage cheese, rotisserie chicken, cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Salt to taste and serve immediately. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. If you’re freezing, silicone molds are perfect for easy, pre-portioned storage.
Reheat it: From refrigerated, microwave until warm, about 2 minutes or heat in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 10 minutes. From frozen, thaw in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, then follow microwave or stovetop instructions.
Cottage cheese: If you’ve been around for a while, you know I stand by using it as an additional source of protein. It’s not without its quirks though. Mostly related to cooking temperatures. Letting the chili cool off for a quick 5 min before stirring in the blended cottage cheese is a huge help in minimizing the chance of curdling, and using the 4% milkfat version I recommend yields best results. If it does end up curdling at all, it’s still totally fine to eat, it just looks a little different. If preferred, swap for a 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk.
Slow cooker: Swap the rotisserie chicken for 1 pound of chicken breast or boneless, skinless thighs. Add the chicken, onion, jalapeño peppers, green chilies, garlic, and oil to the slow cooker. Add the broth and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks or an electric mixer. Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker along with the beans, corn, lime juice, zest, cilantro, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook on low for one additional hour. Let the chili cool off heat for about 20 minutes, then stir in the blended cottage cheese. This recipe also offers a dairy-free option for a slow cooker chili!
Corn: The corn adds a subtle sweetness to contrast the spiciness of the peppers and saltiness of the other ingredients, it also adds another texture that thickens the bite. Fresh, frozen, or canned will all work. If you use fresh, you’ll need about 3 ears of cooked corn, if you use frozen, a 10-ish ounce bag will work!
Turn down (or up) the heat: Chopped jalapeño peppers and a can of green chiles add a bit of spice to the chili. Depending on how spicy you’d like yours to be, you can choose to leave out the jalapeño or keep the seeds to make it extra spicy.
Vegetarian and dairy-free options: Swap the shredded chicken for an additional can of cannellini beans and use low-sodium vegetable broth. To make it vegan and dairy-free, also swap out the blended cottage cheese for a 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk, shaken well. Use dairy-free cheese as a topping.
Toppings: This is the choose-your-own-adventure portion of the recipe! Go simple with chopped cilantro or add crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, or yogurt.
🧡 Looking for more dinner recipes? Browse my site for more, or try out a dinner meal plan with grocery lists!
This chili has three sources of protein, and gets it’s hidden boost from the blended cottage cheese which is a method I use often for a variety of recipes, like lasagna roll ups or egg muffins. Here are few of my other favorite ways to add protein to a dish:
Blended beans: Blended beans are a simple way to add protein to a soup or sauce dish that doesn’t impact overall flavor or texture at all. It’s ideal for creamy soups or sauces and all it takes is 30 to 60 seconds in the blender or food processor to get there. White beans like cannellini, great northern, or navy work best. Mashed beans also add a great boost in baked tacos!
Bone broth: Another easy swap to make in any recipe that uses broth, like soups or one-pot meals. I also love to cook my rice or quinoa in bone broth instead of water to sneak in some extra grams of protein and create a richer flavor.
Protein pairings: Today’s chili recipe is a perfect example of protein pairing. It just means pairing a meat protein, like shredded chicken or ground meat, with a plant-based protein, like beans, chickpeas, or lentils. You can do this with any sheet pan meal or taco-inspired meals.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili — Instructions to either partially prep or make all at once included.
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Chicken Sausage — A super thick, stew-like soup that’s also high in protein.
Three Bean Chili — For more traditional chili vibes (with tomatoes) and it’s vegan-friendly!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup — Similar vibes to the chili, but more liquid. A true dump and cook masterpiece.
what I’m prepping
Gingerbread cookie overnight oats — The november meal prep plan is out! These gingerbread-inspired overnight oats are the perfect seasonal meal prep, I look forward to taking a jar out each morning.
Soba Noodle Bowls with Black Pepper Tofu — A brand new recipe from the november prep plan! I’m obsessed with the textures and savory flavors in these bowls. Also love a noodle moment.
what I’m loving
Brown cardigan — This 100% cotton cardigan has been my go-to fall sweater, it’s so soft and looks good with anything. It’s the same one I’m wearing in today’s meal prep!
Queen St Bakery english muffins — If you’re following the plan this week and need a gf english muffin, I highly rec these from Queen St. Bakery—added fiber too!
what I’m recommending
Everything’s Good — Toni Chapman’s new cookbook is a cozy meal lover’s absolute dreamm and just came out this week! I’m so excited to bookmark new recipes to try.
Nobody Wants This (from Kate Eats Goood) — I shamelessly binged S2 of Nobody Wants This over the weekend and have some thoughts, but overall just love a light-hearted, easy watch right now!
I hope you all have a lovely week, and be sure to stay tuned over on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see what I have for y’all this upcoming week!
Just made this white chicken chili and it was delicious!! I’m a newer subscriber and was wondering if there’s a place I can find nutritional information for the recipes?
I didn’t have jalapeno or canned green chiles but did have a can of chipotle in adobo. I added a couple teaspoons of the sauce and chopped up a big pepper and it was a great sub! I seem to always have a can of that or some leftover frozen- in case anyone else is like me and doesn’t have everything it calls for!