Gather all your ingredients and prep work: dice the sweet onion into 1/2-inch pieces, dice the jalapeño with seeds removed, mince the garlic, drain and rinse the cannellini beans, drain the canned green chiles, and measure out all your spices. Heat your Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the diced onion, jalapeño, and drained green chiles. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent—this builds the flavor foundation of your chili.

Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant—this prevents the garlic from burning while releasing its aromatics into the oil. Now add all your dried spices: ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Stir everything together for about 30 seconds to bloom the spices in the hot oil, which intensifies their flavors and distributes them evenly throughout the chili base.

While the aromatics and spices are blooming in the pot, take 1 cup of the drained cannellini beans and blend them with 2 tablespoons of the chicken broth until completely smooth. This creates a naturally creamy texture for your chili without any dairy—the bean puree will thicken the broth and add body. I like blending some beans rather than using all whole beans because it gives the chili a silkier mouthfeel while keeping plenty of texture from the remaining whole beans.

Pour the remaining 30 oz chicken broth into the pot with the aromatics and spices, stirring well to combine. Add the shredded or chunked cooked chicken, the blended bean mixture from Step 3, and the remaining whole cannellini beans (about 29 oz). Stir everything together thoroughly, then bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer gently for 7-10 minutes—this allows all the flavors to meld together while the beans warm through completely.

Stir in the fresh lime juice and add the chopped fresh cilantro, stirring to distribute evenly. Let it return to a gentle boil for just 1 minute so the cilantro infuses into the broth. Taste the chili carefully and adjust the seasonings as needed—you may want more salt, lime juice, or heat depending on your preferences. The lime juice brightens the heavy, creamy flavors of the beans and adds a fresh counterpoint to the spices.

Ladle the hot chili into bowls and set out all your desired toppings for guests to customize their bowls. The beauty of this chili is its versatility—each person can build their own bowl with the toppings they love, from creamy avocado and sour cream to fresh green onions, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and crispy tortilla chips. I recommend having everything prepped and ready to go at serving time so everyone can load up their bowl exactly how they like it.