White Chicken chili has become a staple of many people’s cookbooks.
Whether it’s the creamy texture that seems to melt in your mouth or the tender chicken that sits at the heart of these dishes, they’re arguably the perfect comfort chili to make for a rainy or chilly day.
We reckon that part of the success of this particular chili recipe is down to the version of the recipe that has become synonymous with one of the biggest names in home cookbooks, Paula Deen.
Not only is she a cook whose work is loved across the country, but she’s also written a thing or two about making great chilies, white chicken chilies being one of them.
Needless to say, with such a popular take on a classic recipe, copycat versions are bound to follow, sometimes following the instructions down to the letter, while others use it as inspiration for their chili dishes.
Of these many recipes, we have selected the ones that we think are the best. The recipes either do what Paula Deen’s chicken chili does or try (see also:Paula Deen Quiche Recipes To Try Today)something fresh and new with an old meal dish.
With so many white chicken chili recipes out there, it can be a little tough to decide where to start.
After all, so many people are likely to pick the first one here that they see, that it needs to be a pretty good benchmark to compare all of the other versions of this recipe that we try out.
Well, where better to start than with the creator of this amazing version of this chili herself, Paula Deen?
That’s right, we’ve gone straight to the source for this first entry. And it’s every bit as tasty as you might imagine.
One of the neat tricks that Paula Deen’s version of this chili does is to use dried navy beans in the main broth of the chili, rather than canned beans.
This might feel counterintuitive, especially when making a chili like this. But it allows for a much stronger flavor front the beans to mix with the broth, with still plenty there thanks to the chicken stock that you’ll use.
Plus, the chicken is tender, unlike pretty much any other white chicken chili that we’ve tried, thanks to marinating and cooking in said broth for plenty of time.
(This recipe takes around an hour and a half to make, but longer can make the flavors even more intense, albeit with less broth and stock left over.)
Overall, this is a very reliably filling and tasty dish that is the perfect gold standard to compare all of our other recipes to!
Okay, so we’ve got a good baseline to compare the rest of these recipes too. How exactly does our first copycat dish compare to the original?
Well, it emulates that more intense flavor that the dried navy beans provide, so it certainly matches it in flavor. It’s packing pretty much the same ingredient list, so that’s doubly the case.
The chicken is prepared to perfection again here and has some interesting ways of improving your overall chicken stock.
Instead of just using any old chicken stock, this recipe recommends boiling any chicken bones or leftovers that you have to make the stock even more intense. Now that’s some good cooking tips!
This recipe even comes with a ton of extra serving suggestions, like adding grated cheese or a dollop of sour cream on top.
So, in many ways, this recipe meets every standard the original sets, and is even better in a few very important ways!
As you’ll probably have noticed by now with some of these recipes, many white chicken chili recipes are on the longer side of the cooking spectrum, taking at least an hour to make, if not more in some cases.
Well, this recipe pushes that time to a pretty wild length but promises a chili that will melt in your mouth.
We have pretty much all the ingredients that we should expect from a dish like this, some fresh chicken, some whole jalapeño green chilies, and even some cilantro for an extra herbal aftertaste to this chili.
However, most people will also likely spot the 6-hour cooking time that is listed here.
This extra time gives this amazing dish all the time it needs to blend these amazing ingredients into a mouth-melting texture that you’ll want seconds and thirds of.
Maybe avoid this recipe if you’re on the clock when it comes to cooking dinner. But aside from that, you won’t find a chili that just blends flavors in your mouth in quite the same way as this amazing dish!
Now, if you’re looking for a chili that has a beautifully smooth texture, this is going to be the dish for you.
The trick that this recipe employs is to cook the separate parts of this dish individually, before combining them for a while and letting them blend.
So, the navy beans are steeped for a few hours, the vegetables are pan-fried in margarine (or butter, if you’re looking for an extra salty flavor), and the chicken is added to the bean pot once everything is ready.
Boil-cooking the chicken, rather than frying it beforehand, not only means that you get a juicy succulent chicken in your chili, but it also retains that mild flavor that chicken can often lose when it is cooked
(So, if you’ve always wondered why so many of your chicken dishes taste flavorless without proper preparation, that’s why!)
This is the first Paula Deen white chicken chili dish that doesn’t need to use navy beans in this recipe, with the author of this one recommending using white northern beans instead of navy beans if you like.
With an overall low-calorie count and plenty of good ingredients packed into it, this is a chili recipe that will always deliver on flavor, without feeling like you needed to sacrifice anything in the flavor department.
Does it do a lot to rock the flavor boat outside of this new bean ingredient that it includes? We’ll let you be the judge of that.
However, sometimes, you might want something packed with flavors that you’ve never experienced before. But other times, you want a familiar dish, tastes good, and leaves you content.
One of the things that we love about these chili recipes is that, despite their long cooking time, they’re very easy to cook, with a pretty small amount of effort needed to get great flavors once everything is cooking in the pot.
So, even though it might take a couple of hours to prepare and cook everything, you’re still looking for an easy dish to make, making it perfect for those sleepy Sundays and Saturdays when you don’t have much planned, and still want to enjoy good food!
If you want to bring out the flavors and spices for this chili, make sure that you cook the garlic, onions, and spices together before adding them, as this recipe instructs. You’ll be surprised just how much extra flavor can be brought out with just a little extra heat!
Rounding out this list with another easy chili recipe, this one is the perfect answer for people looking to start a diet in the future, but want a reliable list of tasty dishes that keep the calories to a minimum.
This particular dish does just that, containing less than 200 calories per serving. Less than 200! There are small dessert dishes that pack more than that!
This is a recipe that is so light, that going back for seconds and even thirds feels almost like an obligation.
I mean, with flavors like this white chicken chili, who are we to say no?
Final Notes
So, there you have it. From hour-long chili dishes to slow-cooked mouth-watering delights, it’s kind of amazing just how much cooking has been inspired by Paula Deen (see also: 13 Amazing Paula Deen Biscuit Recipes To Try Today)sometimes. Just one dish, for that matter!
Then again, with recipes like this, how could we not?
I'm Barbara Hunt, the founder of WomenChefs.org. Being a mom of two, I understand the challenges of meal planning and the monotony it can bring.
That's why I created WomenChefs.org, a platform dedicated to showcasing the skills and delicious dishes crafted by amazing women. My goal is to provide a space where women can find delectable recipes that tantalize their taste buds and ignite their senses.
I hope you'll join me in exploring WomenChefs.org and discovering your next favorite recipe. Let's embrace culinary diversity and try something new together!
