There are so many varieties of chili out there, but this creamy white chicken chili will soon be your favorite! In fact, many readers have written in to say this chili won 1st place in their chili contests! Just dump everything in your slow cooker and let it do the hard work for you!
Recipes like my Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Crockpot Meatloaf are great for when you want a family pleasing meal with minimal effort. We love cooking in the crockpot, and this is one of my Slow Cooker Recipes you’ll definitely want in your recipe box!
WHITE CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE
We have officially entered chili season!! Until now, our hands-down favorite has always been my Turkey Chili.
While it still holds a special place at our dinner table, this creamy white chicken chili has taken the top spot. It’s so deliciously savory with just the right amount of spice! Plus, it’s almost effortless since it cooks in your slow cooker!
HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
- Add chicken to slow cooker
- Top with seasonings
- Add onion, garlic, beans, chiles, corn, cilantro and chicken broth
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours
- Remove chicken to a plate and shred, then return to slow cooker
- Add cream cheese and half and half
- Cover and cook on high 15 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!
COOKING TIPS FOR CHICKEN CHILI
This white chicken chili is really so easy that I don’t have many tips!
- Be mindful of heat levels – there are several heat levels for diced green chiles, so be sure you’re getting the one you really want. The hot versions can be pretty spicy!
- Go toppings crazy – like most chilis, you can top this recipe with so many delicious things! Tortilla strips, jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, green onions, avocados, etc.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- Protein swap – try making this chili with leftover shredded turkey!
- Extra protein – try adding a can of black beans, just make sure you drain and rinse them, or they can turn your chili an odd color.
- Add heat – for a spicier chili, try using the hot variety of green chiles, and/or add some diced jalapeno to the slow cooker.
- Non-Dairy – you can enjoy this chili without adding the cream cheese and half and half.
A lot of creamy white chicken chili recipes don’t have corn in them, but I added some here because the subtle sweetness goes really well with the heat level from the green chiles.
MAKING CREAMY CHICKEN CHILI AHEAD OF TIME
This recipe is great to make ahead of time, and reheats very well!
FREEZING
This chili freezes beautifully, with some minor adjustments.
Complete the recipe through step 4, then cool completely and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
When reheating, add cream cheese and half and half and serve as desired.
STORAGE
Chicken chili can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
While this chili is perfect for those chilly Fall nights, where you can curl up on the couch with a big bowl and switch on the tv, it’s also really great for game day!
You can feed quite a few people with this chili (especially if you have a big slow cooker like this one, and you can double the recipe), and even pick up a carrying case so you could take this chili tailgating!
Try a big slice of this skillet cornbread alongside this chili… you’ll love it!!
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- PROGRAMMABLE SLOW COOKER – This is the one I have, and I really love it! It won’t break the budget, but works really well.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of excess fat
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 24 oz. chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 15oz cans great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- 2 4oz cans diced green chiles (I do one hot, one mild)
- 1 15oz can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- small handful fresh cilantro chopped
- 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup half and half
TOPPINGS:
- sliced jalapenos
- sliced avocados
- dollop of sour cream
- minced fresh cilantro
- tortilla strips
- shredded Monterey jack or Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts to bottom of slow cooker, top with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Top with diced onion, minced garlic, great Northern beans, green chiles, corn, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken to large mixing bowl, shred, then return to slow cooker.
- Add cream cheese and half and half, stir, then cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, or until chili is creamy and slightly thickened.
- If you want to ensure a smooth blend of the cream cheese, try adding the softened cream cheese to a small mixing bowl, then adding a few ladles of the chili from the slow cooker. Whisk until smooth, then stir that mixture into the slow cooker and proceed with adding the half and half and cooking on high for 15 minutes.
- Stir well and serve with desired toppings.
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Chef Tips
STOVETOP DIRECTIONS
- Cut chicken breasts into 3 pieces each, then set aside.
- Add a Tbsp of butter and Tbsp of olive oil to a large dutch oven or soup pot. Heat over MED heat and add onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir.
- Add in chicken, great Northern beans, green chiles, corn, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir.
- Increase heat to MED HIGH and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the chili is thickened to your liking.
- Remove chicken to a bowl to shred, then add it back to the pot. Add in half and half and cream cheese, stir well and let simmer a few minutes. Stir, then serve as per the recipe.
INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) DIRECTIONS
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Add chicken breasts to pressure cooker (I personally use a 6 quart Instant Pot).
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Add in onion, garlic, chicken broth, beans, green chiles, cilantro, corn, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne powder. Stir.
- Cube cream cheese and place on top of the chili.
- Cover and seal with lid, switch the valve to the "sealing" position and cook for 20 min on manual high pressure. Once it is done cooking, let it naturally depressurize for 10 min then switch the valve to the "venting" position to completely release steam before opening lid.**
- Remove the chicken breasts to a plate or bowl and shred with 2 forks.
- Add half and half. Stir everything together in the pot to melt the cream cheese into the chili and warm the half and half, then return the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Serve garnished as desired.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Lauri says
Every one loved this every time I make it!!!! My husband requests it too!
jerilyn says
Do you drain the canned chilies?
The Chunky Chef says
The cans I buy don’t really have much liquid in them, so I don’t drain them. But if you notice yours has more liquid, you can certainly drain them 🙂
Nicole Smith says
It was really good, it wasn’t as thick or creamy s I thought that it would, but about to try the suggestion of adding the cornstarch, as well as add more seasonings than what’s given for the recipe, but overall I am really enjoying it!
Tehrani14 says
Please put a warning that this recipe CANNOT BE DOUBLED. Especially in a 6 qt crockpot. I had to trash the entire thing and wasted tons of time and money. For a crockpot recipe, 6 servings seems small so I’m sure many will double or increase as your website allows. But it will NOT fit or cook properly. Really wish this was made clear in the lengthy recipe post.
The Chunky Chef says
That’s certainly unfortunate! Nowhere in this post did I mention you could double it in a standard 6 quart slow cooker… at some point you have to use your own common sense when cooking. Most slow cooker recipes that are made in a 6 quart slow cooker, can’t be doubled in a 6 quart slow cooker; it stands to reason you’d need a larger cooking vessel.
Matthew says
I’ve doubled this recipe without issue in my 7qt…either way this is such a delicious recipe! Love making it and it is so simple!
Trisha says
Exactly Amanda!!!!
Julie Frail says
This is my favorite way to have chilli now! It is a Winner!
Mrs Lee says
I’ve made this chili many times! I’ve kind of become known for “my” (your 😉 white chili! It’s fantastic! I prefer making it on the stove because I feel like I have more control over the outcome (mainly I like that I can sauté the onions and garlic first). Tonight I’m making it with rotisserie chicken. Super fast to put together then leave on the stove to simmer while I go work on other things. Always delicious. Highly, highly recommend this recipe. It’s one of our main, MAIN staples. Can’t believe I’m only just now leaving a review!
Caitlin says
Would this feed 10 people or should I maybe double it?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve estimated this recipe serves about 6, so I would think you’d need a bit more to feed 10 people. If doubling it though, I recommend using 2 slow cookers, unless you have a really large one.
Tracy says
Made this for the first time last night and it was very tasty and easy to make. I know many have said it’s too salty – however to me and my husband, using the low sodium broth, it was not salty enough. Going forward I will make this using the regular chicken broth and I think it will be perfect. I will also use a little less of the broth as it was still a little too thin even after thickening it twice. I think that the cornstarch method doesn’t work as quickly/well in the crockpot as when you can bring a full boil to a stove top. A little less broth will fix that perfectly. Thank you for a great recipe!
Manns says
What is a serving size?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t measure my serving sizes precisely, but I would estimate between 1 – 1.5 cups.
Laurie says
This is in our regular winter rotation — love it!
Christie says
Delicious! I love this chili and all of your recipes! Thanks for sharing.
MARY F TINDALL says
We love this recipe. I’ve made it several times and it has become part of the winter soup rotation. Yum.
Vanessa Geiger says
Big hit w my church!
Karen says
A fan favorite of our entire family (including two picky teens)! I’ve also received rave reviews every time I’ve made this for a party, wine weekend with the girls up north, football Sunday, and have even had it requested from our kid’s friends! Make it, you won’t be disappointed!!
Shem says
What would the process change if I were to use chicken tenderloins instead of breast? What do you recommend?
The Chunky Chef says
The chicken likely won’t need as long to cook, but the veggies will still need several hours to be tender, so I’d recommend using the chicken indicated, or you could try experimenting 🙂
Debbie Kirkland says
Love this recipe. We fix it often and I take leftovers to lunch the next couple days.
Lexi says
I love this recipe! My boyfriend raves about it and tells his friends too. I’ve made it easily 10 times. I usually make it in the slow cooker but I had some rotisserie left over so I did stove top today. I let the pot come to a boil and added the chicken after 20 minutes along with the half and half and cream cheese.
Maya Suzuki says
I used the same ingredients, except I used rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club . Do I still keep the same cook time?
The Chunky Chef says
You can definitely make this recipe using pre-cooked chicken. It just won’t take nearly as long in the slow cooker, and I would add the chicken towards the end so it doesn’t end up mushy. You’ll just need a few hours on low to make sure the veggies are tender, then proceed with the recipe starting in step 5 🙂
Mary Jacobs says
Can you leave out just the cilantro?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, although it adds a flavor that’s hard to replicate.
Jaime says
We loved this! I made a few modifications: No corn, no half and half, I used 8 oz of cream cheese, 1 can of mild Rotel instead of the green chilies and 2 cups of chicken broth for a thicker base. It was perfect on a cold night!