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My Cajun white chicken chili electrifies the palate with exciting flavor and texture fusions, y'all. A south Louisiana Tex-Mex food marriage, this feisty deliciousness starts with seasoned chicken thigh pieces browned down in a pot with garlic and trinity veggies. Then, Creole-style navy beans, tomatoes with green chiles, and chicken broth are stirred into the mixture. And, it all simmers down until all of the individual flavors fuse and the meat is fall-apart tender. Yep and yay...
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By All Means Make Some Rice, Y'all...
Cajun white chicken chili incorporates seasoned boneless, skinless thighs into a rich, stew-like dish that also features Creole-style navy beans and diced tomatoes with green chiles. An original recipe of mine developed in 2021, my creation uses a mix of Tex-Mex and Cajun seasonings that layers on your tongue, graduating into an explosion of fanciful flavors by the end of each bite.
Because this is a true Cajun white chicken chili, it stands on its own without any additional accompaniments, such as cheese, chips, or sour cream. However, if you want to eat this like a true local, then make some rice!
Cause that's how we do it down here, y'all. Like gumbo, stew, courtbouillon, and Creoles, we native south Louisianians eat our chili with rice. So, if you've never had it this way, then by all means cook some rice! I promise you that you will NOT be disappointed. Nope.
The starchy rice serves as a backdrop that the spices literally flavor-pop off of, making each bite even more enjoyable and intense than the last. Indeed.
Ingredient Essentials & Substitutions
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs melt into your mouth marvelously in this recipe, y'all. They soak up the seasoning and don't need any pre-TLC to make tender. That said, if you only have chicken breasts on hand then you can pull this off this Cajun white chicken chili recipe. You just have to beat the daylights out of them with a meat mallet. Or soak them in salty water for a bit to loosen up that flesh and make each piece ready for seasoning.
- Browned Cajun trinity veggies inject this Cajun chili recipe with a distinctive south Louisiana flavor. If you don't have them all, just use the one or two that you do have.
- Don't skip the garlic, y'all! It's soooo important to the layered flavors and textures in this dish. But, if you just can't eat garlic, then make sure that you have all three Cajun trinity veggies to get that Louisiana food loving feeling going in the chili.
- You can buy Creole navy beans from Amazon, y'all. It's worth the wait. However, you can also use canned navy beans. Just add more chicken broth to the mixture while it's cooking and you'll be just fine.
- Chili powder, paprika, cumin, and parsley flakes are the major spices in this dish. They play off of one another perfectly like musicians in a symphony. So, for best results include them all in your preparation of this Cajun white chicken chili.
- Rice is the usual accompaniment for chili in south Louisiana. That's all I recommend on the side, y'all. This is not traditional chili, so put away the usual toppings and just really enjoy this amazing dish straight out of the pot. Or with rice, y'all. That is all.
Top Recipe Tips
You can prep the chili up to two days in advance. First, chop the chicken and veggies, keeping the meat, garlic, and trinity veggies all separate. Then, use plastic storage bags or containers to keep them stored in your refrigerator until ready to use.
How to Make Cajun White Chicken Chili
To start, cut the boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You can also remove the excess fat like I do, if desired. Then, season the pieces liberally and set aside.
Start to brown the Cajun trinity veggies in a Dutch oven or deep skillet.
When the veggies are about halfway browned, add the seasoned chicken pieces to the pot.
Continue to cook until the meat and veggies are mostly browned.
Then, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so.
Now, stir the remaining ingredients, except for the cooked rice if you're using it, into the pot.
Bring the Cajun white chicken chili mixture to a small rolling boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until done.
And that's it, y'all!!
The first thing you notice about this deliciously incredible dish is its super creamy consistency. Then, as you repeat forkfuls, you delight in the graduating spices that get just a little bitty bit more prominent with each bite.
As you progress through your meal, you appreciate the melt-in-your-mouth consistency of each piece of perfectly seasoned chicken thigh. And, at the grand finale, you realize that you didn't need ANY toppings AT ALL to make this Cajun white chicken chili one of the best of your life.
Share with those who are always there to warm you up when you've been left out in the cold. Much food love, and see y'all on the yum side...
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NOTE: This recipe was originally published on January 13, 2021, and updated and republished on March 6, 2024.
Cajun White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
For the Seasoned Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat removed
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
For the Cajun White Chicken Chili
- 3 to 4 tablespoons oil or butter
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, trimmed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic 6 to 8 cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth Have extra on hand just in case the chili thickens too much, Swanson is gluten free
- 2 16-ounce cans Blue Runner Creole Cream-Style Navy Beans undrained, or canned navy beans, see notes
- 1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
- additional salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, if needed
- cooked rice for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then place them into a large bowl.
- Season the thighs with chili powder, cumin, parsley flakes, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Brown the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery in a 5-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven, deep skillet, or other large pot set over medium heat. Start out with three tablespoons of oil or butter, reserving the other one for as-needed use.
- When the trinity is about halfway browned, stir the seasoned chicken pieces into the mixture. Add a bit more oil or butter, if necessary, and continue to cook until the chicken and veggies are browned.
- Stir the garlic into the mixture, and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve as is or with freshly cooked rice.
Video
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.
See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Tripled the recipe
In a word this was awesome. Shared with neighbors same "awesome" response.
Made some personal preference changes.
Substituted homemade "Better than Bouillon (BTB) " for the gluten free chicken broth. Prepared homemade navy beans using BTB.
Why thank ya!! 😊😊😊 I'm thrilled that it was 'awesome' for all of you.
And thanks for sharing your substitutions to help others. Better Than Bouillon is not gluten free, but some of my readers are not gluten-intolerant or celiac so this helps them a lot.
Great to hear from you!!