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Quinoa White Chicken Chili

[heart_this] · Jan 13, 2014 · 52 Comments

Quinoa White Chicken Chili

A healthy and hearty 30 minute white chicken chili with beans and quinoa!

It is definitely the season for soups and stews and you really can’t go wrong with a tasty, warming bowl of chili! In it’s more typical form chili con carne is made with beef and plenty of red chili peppers but it is always fun to make a white chili where the meat is chicken and no red chili peppers are used. This is my go to quick, easy and tasty white chicken chili recipe and it has a base of chicken and white beans with jalapeno chili peppers for the heat along with a few seasoning like garlic, cumin and oregano. I like to kick the flavour up a bit by replacing some of the broth with a salsa verde and the addition of quinoa makes this soup a bit heartier. As a finishing touch I like to hit the soup with fresh lime juice along with some cilantro. One of the best things about this tasty white chicken chili is that it only takes about 30 minutes to make and if you know that you aren’t even going to have that much time for dinner then you can throw everything into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a fully cooked meal!

Quinoa White Chicken Chili
So light fresh and tasty!

Quinoa White Chicken Chili
Cool and creamy avocado make an excellent addition to this white chicken chili!

Quinoa White Chicken Chili
Serve with tortilla chips for scooping or for crumbling over top!

Quinoa White Chicken Chili

Quinoa White Chicken Chili

Quinoa White Chicken Chili

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Servings: 4

A healthy and hearty 30 minute white chicken chili with beans and quinoa!

ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
  • 3 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans, from 1/2 cup dry)
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (~1/2 lime)
  • 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and jalapeno peppers and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
  3. Add the broth, salsa verde, chicken, beans, quinoa and oregano, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked and the quinoa is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  4. Remove the chicken, shred or dice, return to soup along with the lime juice and cilantro, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Slow Cooker: Optionally implement steps 1 & 2, place everything except the lime juice and cilantro in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 3-4 hours before continuing on with step 4.
Option: Add 1 cup zucchini along with the chicken.
Option: Add 1 cup corn 5 minutes before taking off the heat.
Option: Replace the jalapeno peppers with poblano peppers or 1 4.5 ounce can of diced green chilies.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 397, Fat 8g (Saturated 1g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 66mg, Sodium 693mg, Carbs 44g (Fiber 8g, Sugars 3g), Protein 42g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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30 Minute Meals, Avocado, Chicken, Crockpot, Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Mexican, One-Pan, One-Pot, Quinoa, Recipe, Slow Cooker, Soup, Stew, Texmex, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ali | Gimme Some Oven says

    January 13, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    This sounds wonderful! Love that quinoa in there 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jenny Flake says

    January 13, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Ok, this is amazing!! Need to make asap!

    Reply
  3. Melanie @ Carmel Moments says

    January 13, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    Whoa! That looks yummy. Love the pop of color the avocado adds.

    Reply
  4. Maria says

    January 13, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    Love the avocado! Looks great!

    Reply
  5. Nicol says

    January 13, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    Looking so delicious! Love the avocado!

    Reply
  6. Melanie says

    January 13, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    Wow! Looks very appetizing. Stunning pictures. I will have to try it.
    (Sorry for the duplicate post. But your appetizers looks great too anyway!)

    Reply
  7. naomi says

    January 13, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    This looks so hearty and tasteful! Love the avocados on it.

    Reply
  8. marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says

    January 13, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    Totally my kind of lunch or dinner!

    Reply
  9. Ahmed ahmad says

    January 13, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    very nice topic
    http://www.aqtranslation.com

    Reply
  10. Gaby says

    January 13, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    This is just all kinds of crazy delicious and comforting!

    Reply
  11. Sommer @ASpicyPerspective says

    January 13, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    This sounds wonderful and delicious!

    Reply
  12. Angie says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Hi, this looks great! Will definitely try it out!

    Reply
  13. Ally says

    January 13, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    Ok, Mr. Kevin! Homerun!! Love love what you'd done! xo You Pal ally!

    Reply
  14. Cheri Savory Spoon says

    January 13, 2014 at 11:14 pm

    Hi Kevin, this really looks great. I really like the addition of quinoa, great idea!

    Reply
  15. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says

    January 14, 2014 at 12:08 am

    That tortilla topping is pure genius! Definitely need to make this soon – I've been meaning to add more quinoa to my diet.

    Reply
  16. Marian (Sweetopia) says

    January 14, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Looks and sounds absolutely amazing!

    Reply
  17. Gene Cox says

    January 15, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    I am not much of a meat person. Red meat chili does not interest me. But chicken chili sounds like the perfect thing for these ice age days that we have been having. Thanks for the great idea.

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    January 15, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    A great tasteful healthy dish. Will make this very soon.

    Reply
  19. Aeryn Kelly-Reitmeyer says

    January 16, 2014 at 1:01 am

    Made this tonight. Might have used extra liquid. I added hominy, lima beans, corn, and cooked avacado and it's come out really great. I couldn't find salsa so I just used fresh tomatillios and green chilie. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  20. Evan Engle says

    January 20, 2014 at 2:32 am

    Just made it tonight and it was delicious! It was definitely on the spicy side but after the initial "shock" was really a good kind of spicy. Thanks for an amazing dish, Kevin!

    Reply
  21. Sonny says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    this was lunch and it was delicious!! salsa verde made it. 🙂 definitely will make again.

    Reply
  22. Alex says

    January 21, 2014 at 1:47 am

    Quick Question: should I add the beans when I add the chicken?

    Reply
  23. kevin says

    January 24, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    Sonny: I am glad that you enjoyed it! The salsa verde is what makes this chili and it is so easy!

    Reply
  24. kevin says

    January 24, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    Alex: Yes, add the beans with the chicken. Thanks for catching that! I updated the recipe!

    Reply
  25. Lisa Nemer says

    January 25, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    What is the serving size?

    Reply
  26. kevin says

    January 26, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    Lisa Nemer: The serving size is about 2 cups.

    Reply
  27. Subsisting says

    January 27, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    I made this yesterday and it is delicious! I cooked it in the crockpot, with extra onions and jalepeno, and threw in an extra cup of broth. The quinoa soaked up the broth and made this nice and thick. Yum!

    Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    February 5, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    Saw this on pinterest a couple of days ago. Just made it as I had all ingredients and it is very cold outside. Perfect for the weather. I too put diced avacado on top and cilantro. OMG SO GOOD.

    Reply
  29. strmywthr3 says

    February 23, 2014 at 2:08 am

    made this yesterday and served with diced fresh tomato and avocado. so good!!

    Reply
  30. kevin says

    February 23, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    strmywthr3: Glad you liked it! I always enjoy topping soups like this with fresh ingredients!

    Reply
  31. Caroline Beard says

    March 23, 2014 at 9:38 pm

    This was a great and easy recipe for the average college student like me! I added a lot of frozen veggies to the chili to fill it out and also well…because I am poor 🙂

    Reply
  32. Sunny Blue says

    March 27, 2014 at 8:35 am

    I have no idea what quinoa is or where to find it. This recipe sounds so delicious; can someone enlighten me?

    Reply
  33. kevin says

    March 27, 2014 at 10:46 am

    Sunny Blue: Quinoa is a seed/grain with a lot of nutritional value. You can find it in most grocery stores these days and it is often in the health food or gluten free section. This white chicken chili would still be amazing if you omitted the quinoa! Here is the wikipedia article with more info on quinoa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    April 7, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    Amazing! Quick, Easy & Delish – putting in my regular rotation
    thank you!

    Reply
  35. Caroline @ Pickled Plum says

    July 30, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    Never thought of using quinoa in soup, this is a great idea and a different way to serve it! Thanks for the recipe, looks delicious!

    Reply
  36. alishaaa. says

    February 25, 2015 at 1:25 am

    How long should this be left in the slow cooker?

    Reply
  37. kevin says

    February 25, 2015 at 2:20 am

    alishaaa.: For 6-10 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    March 17, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    Would this freeze well?

    Reply
  39. Anonymous says

    June 17, 2015 at 4:35 am

    Just want you to know how much I loved this recipe. Sharing it on my blog! jessicaraydaily.com

    Reply
  40. Anonymous says

    August 3, 2015 at 1:25 am

    This was awesome! We are trying to eat healthy and we love good food. Husband ate it with a tortilla. Excellent dish

    Reply
  41. Sara says

    January 5, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    Healthy and full of flavor! Great recipe.

    Reply
  42. Khart says

    January 9, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    Love AddiNg quinoa and salsa verde! Can't wait to eat a whole bowl! The taste test was amazing!

    Reply
  43. Anonymous says

    February 28, 2016 at 4:32 am

    This was delicious! I added the zucchini and corn for extra vegetables and put the avocado on as a garnish as well. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  44. DORIS CASTILLO says

    October 25, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    muchas gracias por la receta quinua blanca de pollo solo quiero saber en que consiste o que contiene la salsa verde,doris

    Reply
  45. kevin says

    October 25, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    DORIS CASTILLO: The green in the sauce/broth comes from the salsa verde.

    Reply
  46. Stephanie says

    December 22, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    Do you drain and rinse the can of white beans? The recipe doesn’t say and I can’t find anything In the comments.

    Reply
    • kevin says

      December 29, 2020 at 9:36 am

      The canned beans are drained and rinsed. Enjoy!

      Reply
  47. Carolyn Ohlemacher says

    March 22, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    Is salsa verde very spicy? I only tolerate a mild salsa. I love red meat chilis with regular chili powder. Could I make this with regular chili powder? If so, how much so it would be mildly spiced? It looks delicious!

    Reply
    • kevin says

      March 29, 2021 at 8:21 am

      Salsa verde is generally milder but not always. You can use the salsa verde and just add a little at a time until you get the level of heat that you desire. You could also use chili powder, I would also start with
      a little and add a bit more until you get to the desired level of heat.

      Reply
  48. Lynmarie says

    March 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Felt like I was eating at a nice restaurant, but it was my kitchen table. Best thing I have made this year!

    Reply
  49. VC says

    November 13, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    I’ve been making this since what feels like 2014 and I always google to find whenever it starts to get cold to recreate it, no matter how much my kitchen has grown since then, it’s still one of my all time faves. I’ve probably already made it twice this season and about to do it again a third time. Such a delicious warm cozy meal! The quinoa is a surprise star. I’m to lazy to make my own salsa so I use frontera’s toasted tomatillo sauce and it’s perfect. And I like it really soupy so I just add a ton more chicken broth. It’s perfect!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Delicious Meals in 30 Minutes or Less - A Little Craft In Your Day says:
    November 4, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    […] QUINOA WHITE CHICKEN CHILI From Closet Cooking […]

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