I love a good chili but I especially love a good Chicken Chili and this Copycat recipe from the Cheesecake Factory sure doesn’t disappoint!

The first thing I noticed when making this chili recipe was how similar it reminded me of a Chili Verde. Yes I realize Chili Verde I made with pork but if you look at all the ingredients for this recipe you will see the resemblance.

You can use whatever kind of white beans you have on hand. Personally I prefer Great Northern Beans for my chili but Navy Beans or Cannellini also work great with this chili recipe.

How Hot Are the Peppers

The Scoville Scale is the measurement that tells you the spiciness of a given type of pepper.

Pepper Type	Scoville Rating (Heat)
Bell Pepper	0-0
Banana Pepper	0-500
Poblano Pepper	1000-1500
Jalapeño Pepper	2500-8000
Serrano Peppers	10,000-25,000
Manzano Pepper	12,000-30,000
Tabasco & Cayenne	30,000-50,000
Habanero Pepper	100,000-300,000
Ghost Pepper	855,000-1,000,000
Carolina Reaper	1,500,000-2,300,000

How to Roast Poblano Peppers

Roasting Poblano Peppers might be a challenge for some especially if you’ve never done it before. But don’t stress, I wrote an article on 3 different ways on How to Roast Poblano Peppers.

Recipe Tip

After removing the chicken from the post from step #1, you may find you already have enough liquid to proceed to step #2. If this is the case there is no need to add more oil to the post before cooking the onions.

Copycat Rating

Since the goal of a Copycat Recipe is for it to taste exactly like the original, it’s only natural to rate this recipe against the original. I’ve never had the Chili from the Cheesecake Factory but some close friends rates this chili a solid 7 out of 10.

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Gather your Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make this Copycat Chicken Chili recipe from the Cheesecake Factory. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Canola Oil – you can also use vegetable oil
Chicken Breasts – Use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Always trim any visible fat
Ground Cumin – Brings a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor to this recipe
Chili Powder – adds a warm, smoky, and mildly spicy flavor
Kosher Salt – regular salt is fine too
Ground Black Pepper – Freshly Ground as much as possible
Unsalted Butter – you can use regular salted butter if you prefer
Yellow Onion – sweet onion or white onions are good substitutes
Garlic Cloves – Use more to taste if desired
Poblanos
All Purpose Flour – I mostly use King Arthur but use what you got (no affiliation)
Chicken Broth – I like to use low sodium chicken broth
Salsa Verde
Chili Garlic Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
Dried Oregano – brings a bold, earthy, and slightly peppery flavor
Brown Sugar – you can use light or dark brown sugar
White Beans
Sour Cream – I like to use a light sour cream as it has up to 50% less fat

You can optionally serve this chicken chili with: Flour Tortillas, Pico de Gallo and/or diced Green Onions.

How to Make Cheesecake Factory Chicken Chili

Make the Chicken

In a large pot, heat the canola oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cubed chicken and the spices.
Add the chicken to the pot and cook until lightly brown.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.

Make the Chili

If needed, add the oil to the existing pot. Add the onions and cook until tender.
Add the minced garlic and the poblano chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth a little at a time whisking constantly until smooth and no clumps of flour remain.
Add the salsa verde, chili garlic sauce, tabasco sauce, oregano, brown sugar and ground cumin. Let the mixture come back to a simmer.
Add the chicken and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in the sour cream and the white beans.
Serve with warmed flour tortillas and optionally garnish with pico de gallo and green onions.

More Recipe Ideas

Printable Recipe Card