this vegan white “chicken” chili is made with soy chunks, bell pepper. beans, garlic, and onion! it comes together so quickly, and it is light and flavorful while still being comfort food.
the inspiration
This time of year has been unseasonably cold where I live. We should be about 10 degrees warmer. So, while the sunshine midday feels good, it is still chilly. As a result I am still craving a lot of soups and warming foods.
I recently discovered soy chunks and I have had so much fun using them in new recipes. They work really in soups, stews, and chili! After poking around in my pantry I saw some beans, I had a bell pepper that needed to be used, so I figured chili was a good idea.
But I knew because these soy chunks really reminded me a bit of chicken, that a white chili was the way to go.
what are the plant protein chunks aka soy chunks?
Similar to products like textured vegetable protein or soy curls they are pieces of defatted soybean flour. You need to rehydrate them before you use them. They have no flavor so they are are perfect for using in any recipe.
The macros on them are very good! A serving is ¼ cup (28g) dry. It has 81 calories, 14g protein, 1g of fat, and 9g of carbs. It also has 5g fiber! So, overall I really like that aspect.
You get a 1 pound bag and it says it makes approximately 3.5 pounds worth. While they are a bit on the pricey side at $17.99 per bag. If you divide it by serving (with 16 servings dry) that is about $1.12 per serving. The bag also lasts a long time, so it is something you can keep in the pantry. There are also larger bulk bags to buy if you like.
the ingredients
- Soy Chunks: of course we need the soy chunks for this recipe. They work really well here as a vegan chicken substitute. They are also perfect because they are in bite-sized pieces! You can substitute this with tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, seitan, or any other store bought vegan chicken product.
- Small White Beans: you can use any beans you like but I do really love the small white navy beans.
- Bell Pepper: I went with yellow bell peppers because I think it is best for a white chili. However, you can of course use any bell peppers you like.
- Corn: I used frozen corn but you can use fresh corn as well.
- Garlic: the garlic will of course add in flavor.
- Onion: the onion will add in flavor.
- Non-Dairy Milk: you can use any unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk that you like. I used almond milk.
- Vegan Cheese: the vegan cheese is melted into the chili. It helps to thicken it and of course add in flavor. I like Daiya Mexican-style oat cream shreds.
- Olive Oil: we will use this to cook the vegetables in.
- Better than Bouillon: I like to add this in to add in some flavor for the vegan white “chicken” chili. You can also replace the water in the recipe with vegetable broth.
- Seasonings: you can add in any seasonings you like. I went with garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Then, you can add in salt to taste.
how to make vegan white “chicken” chili
- Rehydrate the soy chunks with boiling water for 10 minutes. Then, drain out the excess water.
- In the meantime prepare the peppers, garlic, and onion. Then, add the olive oil and chopped vegetables into a large pot. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, until fragrant and softened.
- Then, add in the drained beans and corn.
- Finally, add in the non-dairy milk, 4 cups of water, better than bouillon, seasonings, and vegan cheese.
- Cook over high heat and bring to a boil, then continue to let it cook for 30 minutes. Mix occasionally. Once chili has thickened, taste, and remove from heat.
- Serve with favorite toppings such as vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt, cilantro, pickled red onions, or anything else you like.
why you’ll love this vegan white “chicken” chili and variation ideas
I really love the flavor of this recipe. A white chili tends to be much more mild, in my opinion, to regular red chili. I find the flavor to also be sweet from the corn and peppers.
You can really make this recipe your own. There is so much versatility in it. Just add in different spices like cumin or some dried oregano if you like. If you like a bit more heat add in some jalapeños.
I also love that you can add in any beans you have on hand like cannellini beans, even butter beans would be fun in here. There really is so much to love about this recipe. It also comes together pretty fast. So, it is great for weeknight dinners.
If you don’t want to use vegan cheddar shreds you can use vegan cream cheese or a vegan cashew cream in place. You just want something to help give the chili a creamy texture.
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vegan white “chicken” chili faq
Is this recipe allergy friendly?
It does use soy chunks which contain soy. If you want to make it soy free you can swap in chickpeas, seitan, or any other bean you like. It does not contain nuts (as long as you use use a nut-free non-dairy milk). It does not contain gluten.
How do I store leftovers?
In an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
How do I heat this dish up?
You can heat it up on the stove or in the microwave.
Do I need to press the soy chunks?
For this recipe I didn’t. Because we were adding it into the chili I felt that the little bit of excess liquid would be okay.
What should I serve this with?
You can serve it white rice, tortilla chips, homemade cornbread, vegan quesadillas, vegetables. Anything you like! I also like to have vegan Greek-style yogurt as a topping. If you like some zest you can do lime wedges or squeeze lime juice over top.
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Vegan White “Chicken” Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups soy chunks dry
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons light olive oil
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) white beans drained and rinsed
- â…” cup frozen corn
- 2 cups non-dairy milk unsweetened and unflavored
- ½ cup vegan Mexican-style shreds or you can use any other flavor you like
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder or to heat preference
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rehydrate the soy chunks. Cover with 2 cups (480ml) of boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare the peppers, garlic, and onion. Then, add the olive oil and chopped vegetables into a large pot. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, until fragrant and softened.
- Then, add in the drained beans and corn.
- Now, the soy chunks should be rehydrated. Drain and pour into pot. No need to squeeze out excess water.
- Finally, add in the non-dairy milk, 4 cups of water, better than bouillon, seasonings, and vegan cheese.
- Cook over high heat and bring to a boil, then continue to let it cook for 30 minutes. Mix occasionally.
- Once chili has thickened, taste, and remove from heat.
- Serve with favorite toppings such as vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt, cilantro, pickled red onions, or anything else you like.
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Nutrition
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hey there!
Hey, I’m Francesca!
Thank you for checking out my recipe! I am happy to have you here and hope you explore more delicious vegan recipes.
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