What to Serve with White Chicken Chili (75 Ideas)

Scratching your head trying to figure out what to serve with white chicken chili for dinner tonight? Don't run out to the grocery store just yet!

This collection of great recipes includes easy sides (made from pantry staples) that will make your taste buds tingle with excitement.

After all, rich flavors and simple prep is what Southern cooking is really about!

Table of Contents

• ❤️ Why we love it
• 🥦 Vegetables and Sides
• Breads
• Desserts
• 🍷 Wine and cocktails
• 🍇 Garnish
• 💭 Things to know
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why we love it

• My crock pot white chicken chili recipe takes just minutes to prep
• The creamy texture is delicious any time of year (not just when it's cold)
• A big bowl of chili hits the spot on game day and works as a quick, hearty meal during the week, too

The main ingredients of classic white chicken chili (white beans, chicken broth, chili powder, and cream cheese) are versatile and budget-friendly, so it's a great option for feeding a crowd.

Plus, there are so many perfect side dishes to serve with it, you'll never feel like you're eating the same meal twice!

🥦 Vegetables and Sides

Besides green chiles and maybe a bell pepper or onion, white chicken chili doesn't have a ton of veggies in it.

Here's the good news: that leaves you plenty of vegetable and side options to serve with your mouth-watering main dish.

1. Jalapeno poppers
2. Baked potatoes
3. Spicy roasted sweet potatoes
4. Baked sweet potato fries
5. Garlic fries
6. Homemade tater tots
7. Italian green bean salad
8. Scalloped tomatoes
9. Spicy roasted cauliflower
10. Grilled zucchini
11. Fried green tomatoes
12. Guacamole and tortilla chips
13. Southern cucumber salad
14. "Dirty" rice
15. White rice with cilantro and lime juice
16. Avocado and tomato salad
17. Frito corn salad
18. Garden fresh salad
19. Mexican chopped salad
20. Mexican street corn salad
21. Southern cornbread salad

Breads

Bread is a great way to make a meal stretch and fill up ravenous eaters! Plus, if you don't serve bread, you'll have to slurp that last drop of creamy white chicken chili straight out of your bowl.

22. Corn muffins
23. Buttermilk cornbread (no sugar!)
24. Skillet cornbread
25. Cornbread casserole
26. Cornmeal popovers
27. Garlic bread
28. Cheddar and black pepper rolls
29. Garlic knots
30. Garlic breadsticks
31. Crusty cornmeal torpedo bread
32. Homemade potato rolls
33. Jalapeno cheesy bread slices
34. 30-Minute dinner rolls

Desserts

After a spicy white bean chicken chili, serve something sweet to cool off your taste buds. Plus, a little treat every now and then puts everyone in a good mood!

35. Pineapple upside-down cake
36. Churros
37. Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes
38. Grilled pineapple with sugar and cinnamon
39. Mexican fruit salad
40. Key lime pie
41. Sweet corn pound cake
42. Lime white chocolate tres leches cake
43. Caramel pudding
44. White chocolate key lime bundt cake
45. Angel food cake
46. Fried ice cream
47. Key lime hatch chile gelato

🍷 Wine and cocktails

Serve a fun beverage with your white chicken chili to make a simple dinner feel like a special night.

These wine and cocktail pairings are perfect for everything from your annual chili cook-off to a relaxing evening at home.

48. Frozen Hypnotiq margarita
49. Riesling
50. Lime daiquiri
51. Watermelon margaritas by the pitcher
52. Tropical pineapple sangria
53. Jalapeno margaritas
54. Pinot Gris
55. Paloma cocktail
56. Key lime pie margarita
57. Frozen margaritas
58. Grapefruit tequila sour cocktail
59. Spicy peach margarita on the rocks
60. Albariño wine
61. Sauvignon Blanc
62. Vodka strawberry lemonade

🍇 Garnish

Garnish isn't just making your dinner table look pretty—after all, the best part about chili is all the delicious toppings!

White chicken chili is made with simple ingredients, but you can feel free to go all-out when it comes to the garnish you serve with it.

63. Fresh cracked black pepper
64. Lime wedges (for squeezing fresh lime juice over your chili)
65. Diced or finely sliced red onion
66. Panera-copycat pickled onions
67. Sliced jalapeno peppers
68. Candied jalapenos (cowboy candy)
69. Fresh herbs, like cilantro or chives
70. Sliced green onions
71. Lots (and lots!) of cheddar cheese
72. Shredded pepper jack cheese
73. Cotija cheese—it highlights the Tex-Mex flavors so well
74. A big dollop of sour cream
75. Hot sauce

💭 Things to know

Now that you've nailed down the best side dishes to serve with your meal, these tips will help you to have the tastiest white chicken chili—ever!

• Be sure to start with a good, easy recipe. My crack chicken chili recipe is a family favorite. It's a little different than the original but omigosh, so yummy!
• Unless instructions say otherwise, rinse beans before adding them to chili.
• You can typically swap canned beans for other similar varieties. This goes for both dark (like kidney beans and black beans) as well as light (like cannellini and great northern beans.) In this case, stick with light colored beans for the sake of how it looks.
• Use a rotisserie chicken (or leftover shredded chicken) to speed up cook time. This way, you'll only have to heat everything until warm.
• Green chilies are a great way to add flavor to chili. However, you can amp up the spice with jalapenos or your other favorite peppers.
• Use fresh spices. I recommend making your own chili powder for a flavor that cannot be beat!
• For a creamy broth, you can add extra heavy cream or swap it for a non-dairy version.
• The longer chili simmers, the more the flavors will deepen and mingle together.
• Chili keeps great in the fridge for three or four days. Store it in an airtight container to keep the flavor fresh! I love to make a big batch and eat it all week long when we're craving easy comfort food.

What are your favorite side dishes to serve with chili?