Bacon Chicken Chili is one of my favorite dinners to make when I need something comforting as can be! This boldly-flavored chili is filled with juicy chicken, veggies, white beans, a mouthwatering mix of seasonings, and of course plenty of bacon. My kids practically beg for this one-pot chicken chili!
This white chili is pure comfort food for winter time, but I honestly make this chicken chili with bacon year-round because of how much my family loves it. This is also a game day must-make in my house, because there’s just something about bacon and football that go together so perfectly!
What’s in this Chicken Bacon Chili recipe?
This is one of those hearty dinners that fills you up after just one serving, but it’s so good you’ll want to go back for more anyways. I always help myself to seconds! Here’s what makes it so good:
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast works best here.
- Bacon: Pork bacon is my personal favorite for this recipe. You can swap it with turkey bacon if you’d like, but it won’t render the same amount of fat.
- White Beans: I love white chicken chili recipes, so I use white beans (Great Northern beans or Cannellini beans) here.
- Jalapeños: For more heat, leave the seeds in the mix (most of the heat is in the seeds). Since I’m usually feeding this chili to my kids, I omit the seeds.
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How to Store and Reheat
You can store leftover chicken chili with bacon in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat individual servings, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir each time it stops. Or heat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Let chili fully cool to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it slowly defrost in the fridge overnight prior to reheating.
Notes and Tips
- No need to defrost those frozen veggies! Just toss them right into the pot.
- You can use shredded rotisserie chicken from the store if you want to speed up the process–just wait to add it in step 5.
Bacon Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, minced
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4.5 ounces green chilies 1 can
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 30 ounces white beans 2 cans
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup sour cream
For Garnish
- Freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Using a large pot set over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until done, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and set it to the side. Remove some bacon grease, but leave the majority.4 strips thick-cut bacon
- In the same pot; add chopped onion to the bacon grease. Cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno, and cook until fragrant.1 yellow onion, 1 jalapeno pepper, 3 cloves garlic
- Add chicken breasts, green chilies, tomatoes, broth, and spices. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 8-10 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked (165°F internally), reduce heat to low. Remove and shred the chicken using two forks.2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4.5 ounces green chilies, 2 Roma tomatoes, 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Puree or crush ½ cup of the white beans into a paste.30 ounces white beans
- Add the shredded chicken, cooked bacon, remaining white beans, corn, and peas into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream.1 cup frozen corn, ½ cup frozen peas, ¼ cup sour cream
- Spoon chili into bowls, garnish with crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- There’s no need to thaw the frozen corn and peas; add them frozen.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
How to Make Bacon Chicken Chili Step by Step
Cook the bacon: Cook 4 strips of chopped bacon in a pot over medium heat until crispy, then remove it and set it to the side. Leave the bacon grease in the pot–we’re going to cook our veggies in it!
Sauté the veggies: In the same pot, add 1 chopped yellow onion and cook until translucent. Then add 3 chopped garlic cloves and 1 chopped jalapeno, cooking until fragrant.
Cook the chicken: Add 2 chicken breasts, a 4.5 ounce can of green chilies, 2 chopped tomatoes, 4 cups of broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, lower the heat, remove the cooked chicken and shred it with two forks.
Prepare the beans: Puree or crush ½ cup of the white beans to create a paste.
Finish the bacon chicken chili: Add the shredded chicken, cooked bacon, remaining white beans, 1 cup of corn and 1/2 cup of peas into the pot. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then remove it from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.
More Chicken Chili Recipes We Love
Note: This recipe is one of those few exceptions on our site that has more than 10 ingredients. We try to keep things VERY easy around here, and limiting ingredients and time spent is one of our favorite ways. That being said, this recipe is too delicious to leave out of our recipe box! It’s an exception that is so flavorful and worth the extra ingredients if you have the time and resources to make it.
Best Chicken recipe ever
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Connor!!