This Cheesecake Factory White Chicken Chili recipe is the homemade version of our favorite dish on the restaurant’s menu. We love it!
Are you a Big Bang Theory fan? If you are, you’ll get this post more than others.
Recently, James’s best friend from high school, the fellow that introduced us to each other all those years ago, came for a visit.
Mark brought with him his new bride, the lovely Heather, or as she’s affectionately known, Penny.
They celebrated their honeymoon throughout Canada and the NYC area, somewhat just to come hang out with us! On their honeymoon!
That’s love, people. And family. Welcome to our family, Penny. We’re so glad to have you.
We did all the requisite NYC sight seeing and endless eating you can imagine, but one request gave James and me a pause and a chuckle.
They insisted we go to a Cheesecake Factory at some point during their trip. They didn’t care when, or which location, we just had to go.
The reason behind their fascination with this ginormous chain is completely to do with the television show The Big Bang Theory, where the group of friends on the show tends to eat at least once a week, and where the main female lead works.
Not going to lie, James and I enjoy eating at this chain restaurant on occasion. Their molasses oatmeal bread is divine, and James could eat their White Chicken Chili every day of the week and be happy. That this chili appears on their “Skinnylicious” menu only makes him love it more.
We’ve been back several times to eat the chili so I could analyze it for recreation at home. At least, that’s the excuse James and I kept telling ourselves!
It’s a chili that is definitely full of flavor, and comes together quickly. But like most chilis, the longer you let it sit, the better it will taste.
So make it a day ahead of time, or make a double batch so you have leftovers all week. It’s also great for going straight in the freezer.
What makes this chili so delicious? I like to think it’s a combination of all those fabulous spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion, with the background notes of navy beans and juicy chicken.
We added red kidney beans to ours simply because I felt it needed a second can of beans, and we didn’t have more navy beans on hand.
Feel free to switch out the red kidney beans for more navy beans if it strikes your fancy. I also added white shoepeg corn because I love corn in chili. Feel free to omit it if that’s not your thing.
As Sheldon says, Bazinga! There’s your dinner.
Cheesecake Factory White Chicken Chili
Cheesecake Factory White Chicken Chili is perfect for simmering on the stove when it's cold outside. With red peppers, two kinds of beans, and plenty of flavor, it's wonderful!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 7 oz can Salsa Verde
- 1 15.5 oz can of Navy beans
- 1 15.5 oz can of Red Kidney beans
- 11 oz can of White Shoepeg corn
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 16 fl. oz organic chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
For Topping
- Chopped green onions
- Cheddar cheese
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into 1″ cubes. Chop the onion and red bell pepper into small pieces. Mix the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder together in a small bowl.
- In a large French oven or soup pot, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken to the pot and stir immediately so it won’t stick. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to brown.
- When there are nice caramelization marks on the chicken pieces, add the spice mix to the chicken and stir to distribute. When the chicken is cooked through, remove to a bowl and set aside.
- There should still be some oil and chicken juices in the pan, but if not, add another tablespoon of oil if needed. Add onion and bell pepper to the pan and allow to sweat down to a medium brown on the onions, when they’re translucent and beginning to caramelize as well. The red pepper should also have a little browning on it.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, then add the flour and stir to evenly coat all the ingredients. Add the Salsa Verde, beans, and corn to the pot. Stir.
- Add the half and half and organic chicken broth to the pan and stir. Add sour cream. Lower the heat to a low medium and stir the chili. As the chili heats through, it should begin to thicken. If the chili doesn’t thicken as much as you would like, make a cornstarch slurry to thicken further.
- Serve with chopped green onions, more sour cream and cheddar cheese for topping. Fabulous served over white or brown rice, the way the Cheesecake Factory serves it. It would also go really well with maple corn bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 504Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 671mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 16gSugar: 8gProtein: 37g
Nutrition information is provided as a general guide, but isn't always accurate. Please consult with a nutritionist.
Donna
Monday 31st of December 2012
I made a low fat version of this recipe. I used a can of low fat evaporated milk instead of half and half and low fat sour cream instead of regular. The chili was delicious! I will be making this again.
Patricia
Saturday 12th of May 2012
So, dumb question I'm sure, but the cans of beans and corn--drained and rinsed, or not?
Jamie | My Baking Addiction
Monday 23rd of April 2012
Well, you know me and my love of cheesecake, so naturally I adore both The Cheesecake Factory and Grand Luxe Cafe. This chili looks pretty - how do you say it? Amazeballs.
Rick Strong
Saturday 21st of April 2012
This looked so good I had to make it; every bit as good as I had imagined, and more. Big big hit with the family, even better the second day, of course. Thank you!
Tracy
Wednesday 18th of April 2012
Such a fun reason to visit the Cheesecake Factory! Though I can't eat their cheesecake, I LOVE going there for dinner, and I will absolutely be making this chili at home. I love that wheat bread too; we always devour two servings of it. I think perhaps you should recreate that too...more trips to the Cheesecake Factory! ;-)