One of the easiest meals you will ever make, this Pantry White Chicken Chili uses mainly all pantry items to create a hearty and delicious dish.
Pantry White Chicken Chili with Hominy
I am not at all exaggerating when I say this is the easiest meal I know how to make. That’s because this recipe basically just requires opening up a bunch of cans and emptying them into a pot. There is a little bit of dicing and some measuring but it is so minimal it hardly even counts.
This recipe was inspired by a friend's recipe that I learned over a decade ago. Through the years I have made this dish quite a bit, with a few modifications along the way.
However, the essence of the original recipe remains the same, which is using mainly canned products straight from your pantry to make a quick and delicious meal. Plus, if you dress it up with the suggested garnishes I provide at the end of this post, it makes this simple meal seem a lot fancier.
So let's learn how to make this Pantry White Chicken Chili with Hominy.
How to Make Pantry White Chicken Chili
First, gather your canned ingredients. You will need:
- Two large cans of chicken breast (I like to buy mine in bulk at Sam's Club)
- Two 15 ounce cans of white beans (Cannellini or Great Northern beans)
- Two 15 ounce cans of white hominy or one 24 ounce can
- One to two 7 ounce cans of green chiles (choose your heat preference)
- Two 14.5 ounce cans of low sodium chicken broth or one 32 ounce carton (you want to have about 4 cups of broth)
Next, small dice half of a white onion and two small garlic cloves.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant.
Now it is time to start opening the cans.
Open and drain the chicken breast and add to the pot. Use the back of a spoon to break up any big chunks.
Then open, drain, and rinse the beans and the hominy. Add to the pot.
Finally, add the green chiles (do not drain) and the chicken broth. For an even better flavor, use roasted green chiles such as Pueblo, Hatch, or Anaheim instead of the canned chiles.
Add ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together.
Let the soup come to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until heated through and to allow all of the flavors to come together.
How to Serve
The chili is now ready to serve, but I think the garnishes make this soup even better! So here's my recommendation of how to top each serving of Pantry White Chicken Chili:
- A dollop of sour cream
- A sprinkle of diced cilantro
- Some white shredded cheese
- A splash of lime juice
- Crumbled up tortilla chips sprinkled right on top (for an added bonus buy the lime flavored ones, you won't be disappointed)
- For some spice, add sliced, pickled jalapeños and some of the juice
Other Variations
As I mentioned earlier, the great part about this recipe is that it is so ridiculously easy because it uses pretty much all canned products. However, here are a few ways you can modify the recipe depending on what you have on hand.
- Replace the canned chicken with your own leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups). Here is a recipe for an easy Instant Pot shredded chicken.
- Replace canned green chiles with roasted Anaheim, Pueblo or Hatch chiles (about 3-5 diced, depending on your heat preference). Here's two ways to roast your own green chiles at home.
- And of course, you can always use homemade chicken broth or bone broth instead of canned. Here's a recipe for homemade chicken broth.
There you have it, super easy and delicious Pantry White Chicken Chili.
I hope you enjoy!
Please leave me a comment below if you make this or tag me on Instagram @everydaylatina.
If you are looking for some other tasty recipes using chicken, then check these out:
- Rich and Creamy Ensalada de Pollo (Chicken Salad)
- Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
- Simple and Crunchy Chicken Flautas with Jalapeño Sour Cream
- Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Tacos
Recipe
Pantry White Chicken Chili with Hominy
Ingredients
- 2 12.5 oz cans chicken breast, drained
- 2 15 oz cans white beans (Cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
- 2 15 oz cans of white hominy or one 24 oz can, drained and rinsed
- 1-2 7 oz cans of green chiles (based on heat preference, you can also use 1-2 roasted Hatch, Pueblo, or Anaheim green chiles)
- 2 14.5 oz cans low sodium chicken broth or one 32 oz carton (equivalent to about 4 cups)
- ½ diced white onion
- 2 diced garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Sour cream
- Diced cilantro
- White shredded cheese
- Lime juice
- Crumbled tortilla chips (for an added bonus buy the lime flavored ones)
- Sliced pickled jalapeños and the juice for spice
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all of the canned products.
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant.
- Add the drained canned chicken and use the back of the spoon to break up any big pieces.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans and hominy.
- Add the green chiles and chicken broth.
- Add the cumin and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow all of the flavors to come together. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
- See blog post for suggestions on how to serve using the toppings listed and ideas for variations on certain ingredients.
Bonnie
I made this for our Christmas potluck at work and everyone loved it. So quick, easy and delicious.
Gemma
Hi Bonnie, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for trying it and for the comment.
everydaylatina
That's great! So glad you enjoy it.
Laura
This was an easy, quick, and delicious meal. I had everything in my pantry except for the chicken. I used rotisserie chicken and my family loved it. Thank you so much!
everydaylatina
Laura, thank you for the comment. I am so glad you tried the recipe out and that you and your family liked it!