Keto White Chicken Chili

Name: Keto White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 4 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 tbsp avocado oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp cayenne; 5 cups chicken broth; 1 (15 oz) can black soybeans, rinsed and drained; 4 oz cream cheese, cubed and room temperature; 1 lime, juiced, plus chopped cilantro to serve

⏲ ~22 min total · prep 18 · cook 4 · 4 servings

Dinner⏱ 50 min total🔥 5.0g net carbs

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
5 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black soybeans, rinsed and drained
4 oz cream cheese, cubed and room temperature
1 lime, juiced, plus chopped cilantro to serve

Instructions

Heat the avocado oil in a 5-6 qt Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the chicken pieces, salted, for 4-5 minutes until golden but not cooked through; transfer to a plate.
Lower to medium, cook the onion in the same pot 4 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic, green chiles, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and stir 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the broth, add the soybeans and the chicken with its juices, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 20 minutes, until the chicken registers 165°F.
Shred the chicken right in the pot with two forks and mash a few spoonfuls of soybeans against the side to thicken the base.
Drop the heat to low and whisk in the cream cheese a few cubes at a time until fully melted and velvety — keep it below a simmer or it will break.
Finish with the lime juice, taste for salt, and serve in bowls topped with cilantro and extra lime.

Why this recipe works

Thick without flour Black soybeans do the thickening, some mashed against the pot wall, so the chili turns creamy with no roux in sight.
Cream cheese finish Four ounces whisked in on low makes the broth velvety and rounds off the green chile edge. Keep it below a simmer and it will not break.
Weeknight scale One pot feeds a table in 50 minutes, with each bowl at 5.0 net carbs and enough left for lunches.

Tips for making this recipe well

Brown in one layer

Golden chicken from a hot pot adds more to the broth than gray chicken from a crowded one. Pull the pieces when they color, before they cook through; the simmer finishes them.

165°F is done

Simmer until an instant-read thermometer in a large piece reads 165°F, about 20 minutes at a steady bubble. The chicken gets shredded afterward, so it stays tender.

Low heat for the cream cheese

Add the cubes a few at a time on low, whisking until each batch melts. Boiling from this point on can split the dairy and leave the pot grainy.

Mash some soybeans

Press a few spoonfuls against the side of the pot after shredding the chicken. What they release thickens the base the way flour would, without the carbs.

Lime off the heat

Stir in the juice at the end and taste before adding salt. The acid brightens the whole pot.

Serving suggestions

Ladle into deep bowls and finish with chopped cilantro and an extra squeeze of lime, as written. Diced avocado or a little shredded pepper jack sits well on top if the carb budget allows. At 5.0 net carbs a bowl there is room for a simple cabbage slaw on the side. Serve it steaming, since the cream cheese base thickens as it sits and the ladle slows down. A second pot on game day disappears faster than you would think.

Storage and meal prep

Cool the chili, then refrigerate it in covered containers for 3-4 days; it thickens in the cold, so stir in a splash of broth when reheating. It freezes well for 2-3 months in quart bags laid flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on low, whisking to bring the cream cheese base back together. If it looks slightly separated after thawing, a firm whisk usually smooths it out. The flavor deepens on day two, which is a quiet argument for making the pot a day early.

Variations worth trying

Rotisserie shortcut Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken during the last 10 minutes of simmering and skip the browning step.
Extra heat Use the full 1/4 tsp of cayenne and add a minced jalapeño with the onion.
Brothier bowl Add an extra cup of broth and mash fewer soybeans for a soup-style chili.
Oregano swap Out of dried oregano, use half the amount of dried thyme.

Frequently asked questions

What are black soybeans and where do I find them?

They are a soybean variety with far fewer effective carbs than black beans, sold canned in many large grocery stores and online. Rinsed and drained, they take the place of beans at a fraction of the carb cost.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Thighs hold up better to the 20-minute simmer and stay tender. Breast works, but pull it the moment it hits 165°F and shred it right away.

My chili broke and looks grainy. What happened?

The cream cheese went in over too much heat or the pot boiled afterward. Keep it on low, whisk the cubes in a few at a time, and hold below a simmer from then on.

How spicy is it?

Mild to medium as written, from two cans of green chiles and 1/4 tsp of cayenne. The cayenne is the lever to adjust for a sensitive table.

Can this go in a slow cooker?

Brown the chicken and soften the aromatics on the stove first, then combine everything except the cream cheese and lime on low until the chicken is done. Stir in the cream cheese at the end on the warm setting.

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