Quick and Easy Green Chicken Chili

Updated 3rd Aug 2023

This delicious and simple to make Green Chicken Chili or Green Chile Chicken Soup uses mild peppers, a mild salsa, sweet corn, mild green chilies, white beans and rotisserie chicken for a quick, pantry chili soup. We love serving it with crispy tortilla chips and loaded with all the fresh fixings, a dollop of sour cream and of course a little green chili sauce.

I’m always game for a quick chili. I do love the ones cooked low and slow but for a quick midweek meal I opt for all my quick chili recipes and this is one of my favorites. It’s made with pantry items that I usually keep stocked along with some frozen ones too. Canned green chilies, salsa verde, canned white beans and canned green chiles are always stocked in my pantry. Canned green chilies make it into a lot of my southwestern dishes and I always buy an extra can every time I make a recipe that requires them. Canned beans come in handy for so many meals and chips and dip are our choice of snacks so we always have some sort of tortilla chip in the house along with salsa verde. We prefer it over regular salsa. We just love that tang.

That takes me to the Tabasco Green Sauce - my all time favorite sauce that I use on eggs, on tacos, my burrito bowls and so much more - we just love it and always have some on hand. It adds a fresh, tangy flavour to any meal without adding heat. It’s mild and can be used to season meals while they cook and after just like you would use salt and pepper. I was so stoked to create a recipe using it for Tabasco and so stoked for you to try this recipe. I used it to season my chili by adding it to the pot while my spices sizzled and it added extra flavour to the meat and the chili on the whole.

One of the best things about chili’s is that they are super versatile to make and can be made with ingredients you already have at home in your pantry, fridge and freezer. The possibilities are endless with meatless or vegan options to heartier ones with extra beans and meat. They make great leftovers because the flavours get even better the next day. This green chicken chili can be repurposed in many delicious ways. For example you can easily use it as a filling for either my creamy enchiladas or my easy stuffed poblanos. Two fabulous recipe with delicious southwestern flavours.

Green Chicken Chili Soup Recipe Ingredients

• Onion And Garlic: These are the main aromatics that create the base for the soup. if you would like o add carrots and celery to the mix you definitely can for more of a mirepoix happening.
• Poblano Pepper I use poblano peppers or cubanelle peppers that are really flavourful but you could also just use any sweet bell peppers. They freeze well, so if you find them on sale dice them and flash freeze them for recipes like this.
• Jalapeno: This adds a mild pop of heat to the soup. If you don’t have any fresh chiles on hand, substitute a ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes instead.
• Ground Cumin: This is another KEY ingredient for white chicken chili, so definitely don’t skip it! Ground cumin seed powder adds an earthy flavor that makes the dish.
• Spices: Dried Oregano, Ground Cumin and ground Coriander is what I add for that earthy fragrant flavor in chili
• Salt & Pepper: I season throughout the process (starting with the veggies), add more salt & pepper before the broth goes in, then taste at the end to add more if it needs it.
• Canned Diced Green Chiles: This is one of the key ingredients for white chicken chili. You can find inexpensive (4 oz) cans of green chiles in almost every grocery store.
• Salsa verde: this wouldn’t be a green chicken chili without the salsa verde. Use any brand you like or use your now homemade salsa verde
• Canned White Beans: I prefer canellini beans but other white beans life Great Northern beans, navy, cannellini, or even pinto work, too.
• Chicken Broth: Feel free to use store bought canned or cartons of chicken broth or homemade for this recipe
• Cooked Chicken (Shredded or Chopped): I typically use rotisserie chicken to save time and like to use a mix of white & dark meat. But if you have leftover chicken or feel like poaching your own or pan frying chicken in the stock pot before making the soup that is fine too. You will need about two large breast or 4-5 chicken thighs.
• Sweet Corn (Fresh or Frozen): I prefer to use fresh sweet corn especially in the summer when it tastes the best but frozen sweet corn is great too and convenient to keep on hand. If canned corn is all you got then definitely use that - this is after all a great pantry item soup!
  
  

How To make Green Chili Chicken Soup

This green chili is green for a reason - it’s loaded with green peppers and salsa and there are even herbs blended and swirled through the soup making it the perfect lighter springtime chili. I love to thicken it up by puréeing half of the white beans and adding them back to the broth. You can reduce it even further if you like your chili thick but we like ours with a little liquid. Cook it to your preference. It never disappoints and I always regret not making a double batch. Do yourself a favor and make extra because it will be gone before you know it. Here is the Breakdown of the simple steps for making this chili:

1. PREPARE white beans, drain one can and puree the other can of white beans wth cilantro - set aside
2. SAUTE onion, garlic, poblano peppers, jaepeno and corn in olive oil
3. ADD spices
4. STIR in shredded chicken, salsa verde, green chilies, salt and pepper, the drained beans and white bean puree
5. SIMMER 15-20 minutes
6. FINISH of with some lime juice and test for seasoning - adding more slat and pepper if needed
7. SERVE garnished with avocado, cilantro, , shredded cheese, hot sauce (optional), and crispy corn chips or whatever else you want to load up on
   
   

I have partnered up with Tabasco to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango. For more Tabasco recipes check out out their website.