OMG this chili pie! ❤️ with a cornbread crust. This recipe is another favorite coming out of Ambitious Kitchen. Easy to make, packed with protein thanks to chicken and white beans, and especially good during the cooler seasons when all you want is a little comfort food.
I basically made a thicker version of my beloved white chicken chili, except this time I used white beans, ground chicken and green chiles for a little kick of heat. Plus let’s not forget the sweet corn and of course, the honey pumpkin cornbread that’s baked on top. Top it with a little yogurt, guac and salsa and you’ve got yourself one of the best dinners you’ve had in a while. Basically, this white chicken chili pie is perfection. TRUST YO GIRL.
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Ingredients in white chicken chili pie
This delicious white chicken chili pie is packed with protein thanks to white beans and lean ground turkey, has tons of flavorful spices, and is topped with an incredible pumpkin cornbread crust. You’ll love the sweet & savory elements. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- For the chili mixture: white beans, chicken broth or water, olive oil, white onion, garlic, a can of mild green chiles, lean ground chicken or turkey & sweet corn.
- Spices: ground cumin, chili powder, coriander, dried oregano, salt & pepper.
- For the pumpkin cornbread: one egg, honey, olive oil or melted butter, unsweetened almond milk, pumpkin puree (you can make your own with this tutorial!), whole wheat pastry flour (you can also use all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour or gluten free oat flour), medium-grind yellow cornmeal, baking powder & salt.
- For garnish: jalapeño slices, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, greek yogurt/sour cream, salsa/hot sauce.
Customize this white chicken chili pie
- Make it vegetarian: feel free to swap the ground chicken with another can of white beans or chickpeas. Be sure to also use water or vegetarian broth in the chili mixture.
- Make it gluten free: simply use gluten free oat flour in the pumpkin cornbread crust. Easy!
- Make it in a pan: If you do not have a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof skillet, feel free to transfer the chili mixture to a 9×9 inch pan or something similar and pour the cornbread batter over it and bake as directed. It will still be perfect!
How to make white chicken chili pie
- Blend your beans. Add ½ cup of the drained white beans to a blender along with 1 cup broth or water. Blend on high until well combined and set it aside.
- Cook the chicken. Add onions, garlic and green chiles to a large deep 10-inch cast iron skillet with olive oil and sauté for 3-5 minutes until onions are tender. Add in the ground chicken/turkey, break up the meat and cook it through.
- Add the spices & filling. Stir in all of the spices, then reduce heat to low. Then mix in the corn, cilantro, pureed beans and remaining whole white beans. Simmer it all together for a few minutes, then remove it from the heat.
- Make the cornbread topping. In a large bowl, whisk the egg, honey, oil, almond milk and pumpkin puree together until well combined. Next stir in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Pour the topping over the chili mixture and spread evenly towards the edges of the skillet.
- Top, bake & serve. Top the batter with a few slices of jalapeños, then bake it up until the cornbread is slightly golden brown on the edges and filling is bubbling.
Can I use a regular pan?
Sure! If you do not have a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof skillet, feel free to transfer the chili mixture to a 9×9 inch pan or something similar and pour the cornbread batter over it and bake as directed. It will still be perfect!
Our fav way to serve this chili pie
I love to top my serving of this white chicken chili pie with homemade guacamole, cilantro, sour cream or greek yogurt and hot sauce! Any way you enjoy it is guaranteed to be delicious.
Make it ahead of time
Feel free to save time by making the filling for the white chicken chili pie the day before! Simply store it in the fridge in an airtight container. When you’re ready to complete the pie, add it back to your skillet, top it with the cornbread mixture, and bake as directed.
How to freeze white chicken chili pie
- Before baking: cook the chili mixture and add the cornbread topping. Wrap the entire pie in tinfoil and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, re-wrap the pie with new tinfoil and bake it covered in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove the foil and bake the pie for an additional 35-40 minutes uncovered.
- After baking: you can either bake the entire recipe, cool it to room temperature, scoop it into servings, place in freezer safe containers and then freeze. Or you can bake it, bring to room temp, and then freeze the entire pan. Just be sure to wrap with tinfoil. Once ready to reheat, thaw it out. Then bake, covered at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.
Storing tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Simply reheat portions in the microwave when you’re ready to enjoy it.
More pumpkin recipes to try
- Spinach Bacon Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce
- Saucy Baked Pumpkin Pasta
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Quinoa Pumpkin Chicken Chili
- Vegetarian Spinach Pumpkin Lasagna
Get all of my pumpkin recipes here!
I hope you love this white chicken chili pie! Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below if you make it. Thanks for being here — I appreciate you! xo.
White Chicken Chili Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread Crust
Delicious white chicken chili pie with a wonderful pumpkin cornbread crust. This hearty and warming white chicken chili pie is easily gluten free and the perfect mix of sweet and savory. An amazing dinner for the whole family!
Ingredients
- For the chili mixture:
- 1 (15 ounce) white beans, divided
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (5 ounce) can mild green chiles
- 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey (at least 93% lean)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh or frozen sweet corn
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- For the pumpkin cornbread:
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or gluten free oat flour
- 1/2 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For garnish:
- jalapeño slices
- avocado or guacamole
- cilantro
- greek yogurt/sour cream
- salsa/hot sauce
Instructions
-
First, add ½ cup of the drained white beans to a blender along with 1 cup broth or water. Blend on high until well combined. Set aside.
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Heat olive oil in a large deep 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add onions, garlic and green chiles and sauté for 3-5 minutes until onions are tender. Next, add in the ground chicken/turkey, break up the meat and cook until no longer pink.
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Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste then reduce heat to low. Next, stir in the corn, cilantro, pureed beans and remaining whole white beans and gently simmer together for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the cornbread topping.
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To make the cornbread topping: In a large bowl, whisk the egg, honey, oil, almond milk and pumpkin puree together until well combined. Next stir in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Pour cornbread topping over the chili mixture and spread evenly towards the edges of the skillet.
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Top the batter with a few slices of jalapeños. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cornbread is slightly golden brown on the edges and filling is bubbling. Serve with guacamole, cilantro, sour cream/greek yogurt and hot sauce. Serves 6.
Recipe Notes
If you do not have a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof skillet, feel free to transfer the chili mixture to a 9x9 inch pan or something similar and pour the cornbread batter over it and bake as directed. It will still be perfect!
If you want to make this vegetarian, you can use another can (or two) of white beans in place of the ground chicken, and I suggest adding a little more corn!
See the full post for storing tips, ways to customize, and more!
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
106 comments
How can I make the cornbread vegan? Flax egg?
This was tasty! i made mine with a flax egg bc I didn’t have eggs and used oat milk bc that’s what I had. also I could not find the medium ground cornmeal so I got two boxed corn bread muffin mixes and used 1-1/2 of those. I had to cook it a bit longer , but I wanted the breads consistency like shown here. Definitely will make again!
This is the best! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Hi! If you share a home with a person who hates beans – what are your suggestions for alternatives?
This was delicious and so easy to make! I am lazy and don’t like chopping/dicing (lol) so this recipe was perfect for me. I didn’t have a cast iron skillet or a 9×9 pan, so I used a 13×9 pan and cooked for 25 minutes, and it came out amazing!
So happy to hear that! Easy and delicious 🙂
I used turkey ( breast) and it was too dry, didn’t look juicy like the picture. For me the cornbread layer dominated the much smaller layer of corn, turkey and spiced. Suggestions to get or right? Like Monique’s?
Hi! I’d suggest using a ground turkey or chicken to get the right texture for the filling (turkey breast likely dried out the rest of the mixture when cooked). Let me know if you give it a try!
Really a fan of this delicious and hearty dish! I went heavy handed on the spices and subbed diced jalapeños for mild peppers (using about half the amount), and the flavor was wonderful. Baked it in a deeper dutch oven, rather than a shallow skillet, which ended up taking more like 35 minutes. One question: I thought I distributed the topping fairly evenly but, after baking, it was more like cornbread in the center surrounded by chili. Still fantastic but wondered if something is likely to cause that—other than old fashioned user error in pouring😆?
If you spread the topping evenly all over the chili, it should look like the photo and video and be delicious 🙂 I suggest trying again!
Made this for dinner tonight! Fantastic! Will make again.
So happy you liked it!
Saw this and knew I had to make it. The recipe was fairly easy, and the taste did not disappoint! I will certainly make this again and have already recommended it to many friends! This would even fit in the camp of “creative Thanksgiving dishes” since I’m unlikely to make a turkey this year.
Absolutely! So glad you found this one!
Delicious! This one is a keeper! I used ground turkey in place of ground chicken, since that’s what we usually have and it was fabulous. I also used a 9 x 13 pan as well. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Loved this chili!! I used oat flour for the cornbread topping and it was perfect!
The best dinner! Glad you enjoyed!
Nothing beats cornbread right on top of chili! This was delicious! I thought about next time adding a layer of cheese right before I put the cornbread batter on, but adding the cheese, guac and sour cream on top at the end made it perfect and impossible to not grab seconds! The men that ate it also gave their compliments so thanks for creating this recipe!!
Love that idea! So glad everyone enjoyed 🙂
Yummy! Looking for a change up for dinner and this is what I needed. I forgot to buy corn meal so for subsitution used 1 cup of bobs red mill corn bread mix instead and it worked well.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed.
I loved this so much! I left out the cilantro because I didn’t have any and it still tasted so delicious. I had a cast iron and it was definitely full When it went in the oven because I don’t think I drained my beans Or green chiles well enough so definitely drain them well! Such a good comforting recipe.
Glad it still worked out well! Perfect dinner 🙂
Delicious. Last night was the first time I’ve made one of your dinner recipes! This meal was amazing. My family loved it. It was easy to make and my only disappointment was that I didn’t double the recipe.
Love it! So happy to hear that 🙂
Made this tonight! It was delicious and my family of 4 devoured the entire meal. I did not substitute any ingredients other than using gluten-free all purpose flour for the cornmeal and dried cilantro (only b/c I didn’t have fresh on hand). Definitely a comfort food perfect for a cool Fall night!
This recipe was quite tasty!!! My husband and I were pleasantly surprised by the flavor profile. The chili with the cornbread topping makes for a very comforting one skillet meal for a nice brisk fall day! I doubled the recipe because my iron skillet was quite large but tripled the seasoning in the chili and added about a teaspoon of berbere seasoning, chipotle seasoning, and a tablespoon of garlic powder seasoning to it. For the cornbread topping, def use butter, butter is better, flavor wise and add just a little more honey to taste! Delish!!
Perfect! So glad you both enjoyed!
I’m convinced Monique can do no wrong. I’ve been so intimidated by recipes like this, but it was so easy and even more delicious. The only modification I made was using a flax egg in place of a regular one and it worked great. Will definitely make this again!
So happy to hear that, Colleen! I hope you keep finding recipes here that you love 🙂
So yummy! Worked perfectly with a flax egg & gluten free flour.
Perfect! Such a great dinner!
This was SO good!! Quick and easy to make and incredibly delicious. My husbands new favorite meal!
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing! I used chickpeas instead of white beans, and a green pepper instead of onion (my stomach can’t handle onion or beans other than chickpeas) and it turned out great! My husband literally ate half the pan in one sitting he loved it so much. This one definitely won a spot in the dinner rotation!
Perfect! So happy you both enjoyed!
This was pretty good! I used ground turkey instead of chicken and will probably try to up the spices a little bit next time…or add in more peppers. I also think I could have adjusted the salt in the filling before putting the cornbread on top. Since you only use 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree – do you have any suggestions for recipes that also don’t need to use a full can? I hate tossing when you only need small amounts, Thanks – I love your website!
Yes feel free to up those if you’d like! And check out all of my pumpkin recipes here for tons more ideas and ways to use up the rest of the can 🙂
Hi, do you think it would be alright if I used chickpeas instead of white beans? Thanks!
Hi! I think that should work 🙂
This recipe was so comforting and I love how it used ingredients that I regularly have this time of year. I used ground turkey and accidently pureed all of the beans, but it turned out amazing! I used a slightly larger cast iron skillet, so should have doubled the pumpkin cornbread, but otherwise it was amazing!!! I’ll definitely be making this a few more times this winter.
I’m glad it still worked out well! Perfect dinner 🙂
This was so flavorful and delicious! Made it with my bf and as we were eating he says “oh Ambitious lady, bless you!” Definitely will make it again. Thanks, Monique <3
Haha amazing! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
Absolutely incredible! Super flavourful and comes together easy and it also looks impressive!
Will be making this again and again!
So glad you enjoyed!
Loved this Mexican version of Shepard’s pie. It was easy to prepare and super yummy! Second day leftovers tasted even better. Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed!
my family LOVES this recipe! (we actually love MANY of your recipes). we like more heat so i add 2 chipotle peppers in adobo. for a larger crowd i’ve doubled the recipe, put it in a casserole, topped with cornbread and baked — it’s always delicious!
my quick question is this — have you made the GF pumpkin cornbread separately? it’s so delicious – i would love to have it around for snacking 🙂
thx!!
Amazing! So happy to hear that. And you absolutely can if you want, just double the recipe and bake in a 9×9 inch pan. I also have pumpkin cornbread muffins here: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/honey-pumpkin-cornbread-muffins/
Incredible. My kids fought over it (in a good way!). Thank you!!!
So glad it was a hit!
My husband and I love this recipe. He gets excited every time I make it and I’ve probably made this at least 5 times since you’ve posted it! Sometimes I cannot find a can of mild green chiles at the grocery store and I had to omit this ingredient a few times. I don’t think it makes a huge difference in taste! I’ve also made this with water as well as veggie and or chicken broth. Once again if you don’t have broth, it will still taste amazing! We also love to shred some cheese once the chili is out of the oven. Yummy!
This is so good and just kept getting better and better as we re-heated.
Absolutely! Great dinner.
This is a STAPLE in our house and for parties! Easy to make, full of flavor and straight up comfort food! I have a gigantic cast iron skillet so I love doubling this recipe for family dinners and to have leftovers (because my fiancé and I can eat the entire thing in one sitting). It’s that good!
This dish is always a winner in my house. I omit the meat and use 2 cans of beans and extra corn as recommended by the recipe notes. Easy, healthy comfort food that can be enjoyed by the whole family!
Perfect superbowl dinner! We really liked the mix of the sweet cornbread topping with the savory chili. Definitely recommend!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
subbed turkey and it was stilllll great!!!
did take longer than most AK recipes though – could definitely be on me, pretty sure I was binging on something on netflix while the bebe was taking a nap,
THANK YOU THANK YOU for this mama!!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Such a great healthier “comfort” food recipe! All of the flavors blend and compliment eachother nicely! You won’t regret trying this recipe!
Absolutely! Love this one for dinners in the winter.
Super delicious and satisfying meal. I made a few substitutions based on what I had in the house: black beans instead of white beans, peas instead of corn, and oat flour instead of regular flour. The flavour was amazing, but the chili was a bit watery and the cornbread was a little grainy. Likely this is because of the subs I used though. Both my boyfriend and I really enjoyed this meal! I don’t think it’ll become a regular in our dinner repertoire, but still extremely yummy!
The swaps are likely what changed the texture here 🙂 but I’m glad you both enjoyed!
I love hot! This chili is delicious. it was perfect for a rainy day. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it, Melissa!
The best! I make this frequently. I’ve even used leftover chili with the cornbread topping, delicious!
Help! Want to make this tonight as it looks delicious. However, I’m just not a pumpkin fan (I know……everybody loves it but me!). Could I just top it with regular cornbread? I’m sure the pumpkin does add a nice fall flavor, but I truly don’t like it.
Hi, Karol! Totally fine to do regular cornbread on here 🙂
Help! Want to make this tonight as it looks delicious. However, I’m just not a pumpkin fan (I know……everybody loves it but me!). Could I just top it with regular cornbread? I’m sure the pumpkin does add a nice fall flavor, but I truly don’t like it.
Update – worked well leaving the pumpkin out and following the recipe as posted. Delicious. Great recipe!
Yay!! Happy that worked well and that you enjoyed it, Karol 🙂
Delicious! I love that this has everything I need in one pan.
Totally, me too! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
This is so good! Super easy but feels special. Even my toddler loved it. It is a little spicy but I mixed a bunch of sour cream into her serving. She ate as much as I did!
My husband loves cornbread, and this dish did NOT disappoint.
Oh I’m so glad!! Thanks, Gina!
I love the fact that you also include the alternative to make it vegetarian! Thanks for this hearty recipe of white chicken chili pie! The pumpkin cornbread crust is a delightful addition,
Just got home from the store and my daughter said “look at this amazing recipe!”. I only bought ground beef. What would you change to make this work?
You can do everything the same, simply subbing the ground beef in for the ground chicken. Enjoy!
Update…I used the ground beef and substituted in a seasoned black bean I had on hand. It was delicious! The dogs also want to thank you as they get to enjoy the rest of the can of pumpkin
Nice!! That sounds fabulous. And haha glad they enjoyed it!
I have to start by saying the pumpkin got lost in this dish. I tasted it before adding any garnish and the pumpkin flavor just did not come through. That being said, it was delicious! We loved it and will make it again for sure. It was easier to throw together than I thought it would be and just have a nice flavor profile. Plus I love any dish that includes cornbread and isn’t a million calories. Win win.
Thanks so much for the feedback! So glad you still loved it 🙂
Day 3 of eating this cozy fall dish and not tired of it! Especially love the pumpkin cornbread topping!
I followed the recipe exactly other than subbing dried cilantro for fresh, and OH MAN it’s amazing. It’s deceptively easy to make. Definitely bookmarking this one. Thanks so much!
Perfect! YES this one looks like a huge project but ends up being much easier than you think. Glad you loved it!
This was absolutely delicious! My family all loved and devoured it. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Yay!! So happy you all enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
As usual your recipes do not disappoint! Loved this chili cornbread pie, as did the rest of the family. For me it was a bit time consuming to prep but well worth the effort! I doubled the recipe and cooked it in my 12” skillet. With doubling it I added 3x the spices rather than 2x for added flavor. The meat mixture looked a little watery to me so I added a little corn starch slurry to thicken it up a bit before adding the cornbread topping. Delicious, especially with sliced avocado on top!
Yess! So happy you are loving this recipe
I’m so excited to make this! What if you don’t have or can’t find medium grind cornmeal?
I haven’t tested this with a different grind of cornmeal, sorry! You can order it online, HERE.
I am from Az so spice for me is a part of my blood. This was good, the bones of the recipe were great, but it needed much more heat. kids and those who do not like spice would love it.
Thanks so much, Karey!
So good!
YAY! Happy you’re a fan of this recipe ❤️
I’m curious about the calorie count. When I post the recipe to MyFitnessPal it calculates the recipe at a much higher calorie count. Do you know why?
The turkey and bean base is absolutely fantastic! But that’s the only part of the recipe I’ll be taking away. I followed the cornbread recipe to a T and it came out overly dry. Something was off about the mixture, too, even though I used all new ingredients. I felt a little sick after so I only saved the base and took off all the cornbread.
Oh, so sorry to hear that. Happy you enjoyed the base though!
This was a great meal! We really enjoyed it! I was wondering if you think it would be ok to add about 4 oz of softened cream cheese at the same time as adding the corn/cilantro/beans etc? Would I need to make other adjustments because of that?
Thanks!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with cream cheese so I am not sure what other adjustments would need to be made. If you give it a try, let me know how it works out for you.
I made it the second time around with 4 oz of Kite Hill cream cheese. It definitely created a thicker chili, but that was what I was hoping to achieve. I also doubled the cumin and chili powder spices and used 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of applesauce to make the cornbread. Topped it with Trader Joe’s Organic Spicy Honey sauce. Delicious again!!
Yumm this sounds amazing! SO glad you are loving this recipe ❤️🙂
Just amazing, full of flavor. Love the pumpkin corn bread topping, definitely a keeper!