What to Serve with White Chicken Chili: 14 Creative and Delicious Sides

A bowl of chili with beans is just the thing on a cold day.

Chili’s roots originate in northern Mexico and southern Texas with working-class Tejana and Mexican women.

It has endured as a favorite, stick-to-your-ribs dish that you can make with or without meat.

Chili cook-offs are popular social events where competitors prepare their unique, time-tested chili recipes and compete for prizes.

They’re so popular!

Cook-offs raise money for charity and are a year-round activity attracting tens of thousands of participants, culminating in the International Chili Society’s World Championship.

You don’t have to be a chili champion or compete for prizes to make great chili.

Today:

We’re going to show you how to prepare it and what to serve with white bean chicken chili.

Here’s a great recipe everyone is sure to love, which features boneless-skinless chicken breasts (diced or even shredded chicken works), white beans, jalapeno, corn kernels, and heavy cream.

It’s so delicious on its own, but what about white chicken chili sides?

There’s no need to rack your brain because we’ll give you lots of ideas to choose from for what goes with white chicken chili.

We’re giving you lots of variety, so no matter what you’re hungry for, you’re sure to find something you love on this list.

Give any of these a try:

Your family and friends will give you the blue ribbon!

What Goes With White Chicken Chili: Here’s Our Spectacular Side Dishes

In choosing the best white bean chicken chili sides, think about what kinds of things will provide complimentary flavors and contrasting textures.

This chili is meaty, hearty, and creamy, so serve dishes that are different enough to create interest, but still go together.

Here are a variety of choices that will make it easy for you!

1. Jalapeno Cornbread

Cornbread and chili are a classic combination.

I prefer my cornbread savory, but some people like it sweet. However you enjoy it, this recipe delivers the goods, and you can modify it to your tastes.

You can use either fresh or pickled jalapenos in this simple recipe, and frozen corn is a great addition that’s almost as good as fresh, but so much easier.

You can make it with either jack or cheddar cheese, so you’ve got lots of delicious options.

2. Chili-lime Texas Caviar

There are so many fresh tastes in this colorful southwestern salad that would be one of the best side dishes here.

And no, this isn’t your traditional, glam caviar dish!

I’d omit the black-eyed peas because I don’t like them, and there are plenty of beans between the chili and this salad already.

You’ll still have plenty of punch with red and green peppers, red onion, and the gorgeous chili-lime dressing. Fresh and flavorful, just what you want!

Cafe Delights is one of my go-to websites when I need some inspiration, so be sure to check them out!

3. Garlic Bread

Handy video on how to make perfect garlic bread

We’ve probably all made garlic bread, and I thought I knew how, but when I saw the video above, I realized what an amateur I was.

This is a better method because it makes sure every bite has garlic, herbs, and butter, and each piece is toasted to perfection.

They use a micro-plane for the garlic, which is a genius tool for this purpose. Take a look at how he chops the parsley too.

I’m impressed.

Rotating the cookie sheet under the broiler so you get everything browned and nothing burned is such a practical method.

I’m wondering why I didn’t think of it before.

This garlic bread is one of the best white bean chicken chili sides because it has complementary flavors, crunchy textures, beautiful green color, and garlicky aroma.

And it’s delicious.

4. Dirty Rice

Think rice isn’t exciting?

This dirty rice is full of spices and southwest inspired vegetables, beans, corn, and onions.

It’s full of flavor and is a great choice when you’re looking for what to serve with white bean chicken chili.

5. Avocado and Tomato Salsa Salad

This colorful salad is almost like super chunky guacamole, with beautiful reds, greens, and yellows.

You can serve these with tortilla chips, which you can also crumble on top of the chili when serving for extra crunch.

Even though this salad has a summery vibe, it’s one of the best white bean chicken chili sides, because it brings so much freshness along with its complementary flavors.

I love the recipes on Delish, and if you head to their blog, you will find hundreds more like this one.

6. Garlic Fries

The baked version is even better than regular fries since it uses less oil. You toss the potatoes in garlic and parsley at the very end.

The oil is infused with garlic flavor, and you can also add some freshly chopped garlic for extra punch.

Use your pink Himalayan salt grinder to dress these, and you’ll notice a massive difference in flavor over table salt.

7. Savory Sweet Potato Fries

This super-simple recipe uses herbs like rosemary, along with olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a beautiful dish that couldn’t be easier.

Sweet potatoes are healthier than regular potatoes too, so this is one to try when you’re looking for what to serve with white bean chicken chili.

 

8. Southwest Romaine Salad

Gorgeous colors and flavors abound in this fresh salad with a mesquite-lime vinaigrette. You’ll get crunchy romaine lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, corn, and a fresh herb dressing.

Since we’re serving this as one of the white bean chicken chili sides, I’d omit the chicken and the black beans, and just keep the veg.

Here’s a handy video that shows you how it’s made.

9. Fried Green Tomatoes

Anyone who has ever grown fresh tomatoes knows that you can get a bountiful harvest of more tomatoes than you can eat.

These southern favorites are great at the end of the season, or anytime you have a bumper crop.

This recipe uses both flour and cornmeal to make sure you get a good coating. Southern flavors like buttermilk make these a special treat that are definitely worth a try.

10. Southwest Quinoa Salad

This winning grain is pronounced keen-wah and is higher in fiber and protein than most other grains.

One cup of quinoa contains five grams of fiber, is high-protein, contains all nine essential amino acids, and is gluten-free!

You’re getting all kinds of freshness, flavor, and color in this beautiful salad.

You can leave out the black beans or keep them in since they’re a different variety than what’s in the chili.

The dressing makes this salad pop:

With lime juice, cilantro, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and salt and pepper. This salad is a beauty and a perfect chili complement.

11. Southwest Kale Power Salad

Quinoa makes a repeat appearance in this salad, along with sweet potatoes and kale. What’s interesting about this salad is the treatment of the kale.

You sprinkle the kale with salt and “massage” it with your hands, effectively bruising it, which brings out a darker color and more intense fragrance.

Then you dress it with olive oil, lime juice, and a little more salt.

I like this treatment since it softens the kale and makes it less springy and easier to eat. The quinoa and sweet potatoes are great flavors with the chili, and this salad couldn’t be healthier.

Check out this modern classic and more at Cookie and Kate.

12. Fried Zucchini

We can’t be virtuous all the time; sometimes you just need a little something breaded and fried!

At least zucchini starts out healthy!

You have lots of options for spice, with red pepper flakes, black pepper, cayenne, and hot sauce!

Take these zukes to the brink of the inferno, or keep them on the milder side if you prefer.

13. Southwest Broccoli Salad

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables, but I like it best slightly blanched instead of raw. You can cook it just a little, so that it still maintains its crunch, but loses the raw taste.

This recipe uses it raw, so you can experiment and see what you like best.

When blanching it, I like to add either chicken or vegetable stock to the water to punch up the flavors.

The trick to blanching broccoli is to leave it in just until it changes color, then scoop it out and douse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Blanch the stalks separately from the florets, since they have different cooking times.

Get yourself over to Make the Best of Everything for more recipes like this one.

14. Fried Okra

Here’s another southern favorite that you may not have tried before, but you should!

These are little nuggets of deliciousness, coated in flour and spices and fried to perfection.

When you’re picking them out, select the smaller ones for the best flavor and most tender pods.

What to Serve With White Bean Chicken Chili: Take it to the Next Level

What about toppings for your chili?

We’ve gone a little crazy on the topping suggestions, but why not? Give your guests a little tasting bar of these options presented in separate small dishes.

For freshness, you can chop parsley and cilantro and offer them separately.

Cilantro is a very polarizing ingredient; people seem to love it or hate it, so provide options to your guests.

A diced ripe avocado is always a hit, as is guacamole.

Chopped tomatoes, pico de gallo, or salsa would all be good choices.

Chopped scallions or chives would give you great color and flavor.

You can offer thinly sliced jalapeno rings or golden pickled pepperoncini, depending on how much heat you can handle.

For creamy additions, sour cream, prepared queso, shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar, or Mexican queso fresco would all be great on top of the chili.

Flavored oils would also be welcome additions drizzled on top. Chili oil, cilantro oil, or even sesame oil, used sparingly, would be delicious.

For adding the crunch, how about crushed golden or blue tortilla chips? You can even serve crushed Fritos.

Guilty pleasure, anyone?

I also love Corn nuts, and they come in original or distinctive spicy flavors that would be a great addition.

I’d slice them in half before serving to make them easier to eat since they’re known for being a little hard on the teeth.

You can make fried garlic chips very quickly.

Another oniony alternative is French’s original crispy fried onions.

They’re delicious on just about everything and require no preparation.

Finally, adding some crunch with nuts would be yummy and good for you. Roasted pepitas or toasted sunflower seeds would be my top choices.

Don’t forget the salt when toasting them.

Final Words…

Today we’ve given you 15 new ideas for what to serve with white bean chicken chili.

From fresh salads to fried vegetables, cornbread, rice, and quinoa-based dishes, and all kinds of southwest flavors, you now have new ideas for what goes with white chicken chili.

These exciting side dishes give contrast to the heartiness of the chili, and the variety of toppings makes for endless possibilities.

There’s plenty of room to try new things and experiment with new flavors, which is what makes cooking fun.

Trust me when I say:

Your family and friends will give you the chili cook-off blue ribbon when they try these white chicken chili sides!