Are you in the mood for a cozy dinner? Check out my White Bean Chili! This dish cooks to perfection on the Traeger Ironwood XL, giving it that perfect kiss of smoke. Unlike traditional chili, this stew is white and made with chicken.
It’s a perfect meal for those days when you need a change of pace. Serve it with sour cream, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese for a complete, hygge-inspired dinner. It’s bound to warm up from the inside out!
Did you know you can make White Bean Chicken Chili on the pit? It’s true! From cooking the chicken to simmering the stew, everything in this recipe is done on the Traeger Ironwood XL.
The Ingredients
This White Bean Chicken Chili uses simple ingredients to create one fantastic dish. Here’s what you need to add to your shopping list.
- Whole chicken. The secret ingredient to excellent White Bean Chicken Chili is a whole chicken, freshly smoked! My chicken was 5-6 pounds.
- Heath Riles BBQ Simple Citrus Rub. If you love the amazing taste citrus gives chicken, you’ll want to grab a bottle of this rub. It features the delicate flavor of lemon mixed with pepper and salt. Use it on poultry, fish, etc!
- Heath Riles BBQ Chicken Rub. I created this chicken rub to complement the natural flavors of chicken without overpowering it. It contains a proprietary blend of herbs that makes any dish pop!
- Onion and garlic. You can’t have chili without garlic and onion. Softening the onion in olive oil gives it a rich texture that adds the perfect earthy note to the chili.
- Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeño Rub. This mild rub is our best-selling ingredient. One taste, and it’s easy to see why! It adds pizazz to chicken, pork, steak, and popcorn.
- Malcom’s Bonafide Chili Seasoning. This seasoning comes from my good buddy. It contains a mix of peppers, cumin, garlic, and onion. It’s sure to take any chili to a new level.
- Great Northern beans. To keep this chili white, I used Great Northern beans. You’ll want to drain and rinse the beans so you’ll have pure bean flavor, none of the foamy juice.
The Smoker Setup
Here’s the main equipment I used for this recipe. More of my grilling favorites are in the Equipment and Tools section.
- Pellet grill/smoker. I cooked this White Bean Chicken Chili on the Traeger Ironwood XL. This pit is incredible because you can use it to grill or smoke. The Traeger Ironwood XL has many excellent features, like a pellet sensor, a super smoke button, and easy transportation.
You can’t go wrong with the Traeger Ironwood XL if you cook large quantities of food. It’s roomy without taking up your entire patio. Plus, it’s ultra-durable, lasting for years!
- Charcoal. I stoked the pit with Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets. I love this brand because you get clean smoke with no fillers. It gives the steak a rich, deep flavor that tastes authentic. This charcoal burns hot and fast!
The Process for Making White Bean Chicken Chili
You’ll find a detailed demonstration of this recipe in the video and recipe card. For now, here’s a quick rundown of how I made this tasty White Bean Chicken Chili.
- Fire up the grill. I stoked the Traeger Ironwood XL with Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets and fired it up to the 325℉ range.
- Spatchcock the chicken. To spatchcock the chicken, I removed the neck and giblets. Then, I trimmed any excess flaps of skin and fat with my butchering shears. I placed the bird breast side down and used my knife to mark off each side of the spine. Then, I cut out the backbone, keeping my lines even so the bird would lay flat. Next, I cut into and split the breastbone. You’ll know you’ve done it right when you hear a crack! I used my butchering shears to snip the fat holding the thighs of the bird together. At this point, with a little positioning, the bird should lay entirely flat.
- Add seasoning. I lightly sprayed the bird with cooking spray, then seasoned it on both sides with Heath Riles BBQ Simple Citrus Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Chicken Rub.
- Cook the chicken. I laid the chicken directly on the Traeger Ironwood XL’s grate and placed a ChefAlarm in the center, setting it to 165℉. Once the chicken reached temp, I took it off the grill, tented it with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes. At this point, I placed a Lodge Cast Iron pot on the pit to preheat.
- Shred the meat. I deboned the chicken and shredded it to my liking.
- Saute the veggies. I turned the grill up to 350℉, then added two tablespoons of olive oil to the preheated pot, along with my diced onions. I let the veggies cook until translucent.
- Season the veggies. I added the butter to the pot, along with the minced garlic and green chiles. I let the ingredients mesh for a few minutes, then added a dash of Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Malcom’s Bonafide Chili Seasoning.
- Add chicken. Once the veggies cooked down, I added my shredded chicken and stirred until it was coated with seasoning. Then, I added the chicken broth, 2 cans of beans, and cream. I shut the lid to the grill and let the White Bean Chicken Chili cook for 1 hour.
- Mash the beans. I placed the last can of drained and rinsed Great Northern beans in an aluminum pan and mashed them until smooth. I added the mashed beans and let the White Bean Chicken Chili cook for about an hour.
- Add cream cheese. Then, I added the cream cheese and lemon juice and let it for another hour to get that perfect kiss of smoke. My White Bean Chicken Chili had a total cook time of 3 hours. The only thing left was to dig in!
The Results
My White Bean Chicken Chili was rich, creamy, and flavorful. The lemon juice cut the heat down and brought out the rich herbs!
Storing Leftovers
You can store leftover White Bean Chicken Chili in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 4 months.
Equipment and Tools
Cast iron pan, Traeger Ironwood XL, Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood pellets, disposable cutting board, cooling rack, Heath Riles Heat Resistant BBQ Gloves, ThermoWorks Hi-Temp Spatula.
