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!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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.
Andrea says
This chili is amazing! I keep going back to it because it’s so simple but so delicious!
Tracy G says
This recipe is Amazing, even my picky 13 year old asked me to make it again soon!!
Kara says
This recipe was delicious! I don’t eat meat, so I substituted the chicken for a meat free version…but left everything else the same! Would 100% make it again. With some tweaking to make it thicker, I think it would also be amazing as a dip! So so good!!!
Stephanie says
This is delicious. Will certainly make it again. I would probably leave the corn out or cut way back on it. Not sure it does anything for the recipe.
Carol says
Made this for a church chili cook off. Everyone wants the recipe! It was awesome!
Maryann says
Made this recipe twice the first time exactly as written and is was delicious second time added extra can of corn and added corn starch last hour after shredding chicken. It was perfect great recipe. Love the Chunky Chef have tried other recipes and loved them
Cerina says
Is it ok to mix the ingredients in the first 2 steps and keep in fridge overnight and start crockpot in morning? I’ve made this recipe before and it’s delicious. Thank you!!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoy it! I would mix everything together except the chicken, then in the morning add the chicken and combined ingredients and cook as normal 🙂
Alyssa says
What crock pot quart size does this recipe work for?! I have a small (4.5 quart) and just want to be sure! 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe was developed, tested, and photographed in a 6 quart slow cooker (so you can see how full it is and judge from there) 🙂
Brendan B. says
We waited to make a comment until we got the recipe just right. Took about 5 times and now we have 3 heat and savory varieties. We’ve made it at least once a month, if not twice for about three years.
First we always put in one more small can of the diced chiles if we’re doubling the recipe, which does happen. Also, if you can take out the chicken for 5-10 minutes and leave it before shredding, it makes a world of difference. With that, we also take out the chicken about two hours in to prevent it from really drying out which is very easy to do past the two hour (on low) or one hour (on high) mark.
Adding lime juice at the serving stage is great. Avocados are a must. We’ve also found Crispy Red Peppers from Fresh Gourmet to be a delightful add, or at the very least, crispy tortilla strips.
Don’t skimp on cream cheese! Philadelphia or even store brand are great, but DO NOT get whipped- get the block, cube it up and put it in the after the shredding of the chicken.
I like pre-sautéed onions for extra flavor but roasted or chopped garlic is a good add, too!!!
Feeds our teenage triplets for seconds and third helpings. #eatitallthetime
Jennifer Koehler says
Made this today and I like it, but one of the dairy products (I think the cream cheese) turned into little nurdles floating around the top. I couldn’t get it to blend or look creamy no matter how long I stirred it. Might try the corn starch approach next time or maybe a different cream cheese. I didn’t use low-fat (limited selection at the store), but not sure that would be the issue. Any thoughts?
The Chunky Chef says
Oh no! Was the cream cheese softened to room temperature? I know I’ve had that happen when my cream cheese was still pretty cold. You could also try adding the cream cheese to a small mixing bowl, and ladling in a couple ladles of the chili from the slow cooker, then whisking it until smooth. Then pour that into the slow cooker and proceed with the recipe. I’ll be sure to update the recipe with this tip. But no, regular fat cream cheese works just fine (in fact I use it often because that’s what I usually have on hand). 🙂
Grace says
Is there Any substitute for the half & half? I have all the ingredients except that! (And only 2% milk) Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
2% milk will work just fine, although maybe bump up the cream cheese amount to account for the loss of creaminess 🙂
Lisa says
This turned out really good, except I feel like it’s sweet for some reason? Maybe the corn? Any ideas for me to cut the sweetness?
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm, I’ve never had mine turn out sweet before… could be the corn, or did you accidentally use a half and half creamer instead of plain half and half? I only ask because I’ve had another reader do that on a different recipe, and it would definitely account for the sweetness. You could try adding more salt, and/or a little splash of white or apple cider vinegar to cut the sweetness down a bit.
DCrim says
Awesome and easy . So much flavor! Loved it.
Kim says
My favorite chili recipe!
Tb says
Yummy, I added a jalapeño in the crockpot.
Carol says
Took this to a Chili cook off and won! Everybody wants the recipe. But when I went back to print copies, it now says one onion instead of two, and 4 oz of cream cheese instead of eight! WHY?
The Chunky Chef says
So happy to hear that you won the cook off!! It sounds like you had increased the serving amount (doubling the recipe) when you printed it the first time. If you hover over the servings number, a toggle bar will appear. You can slide it either way, but in your case you’d want to slide it to the right until it says 12 servings. However, if you’re printing copies for your friends/coworkers, they may not want a doubled recipe, so I would honestly leave it as is, since the original amount is a perfect family size.
Jemma says
Omg! I never comment on recipes but this was DELICIOUS. I used a different recipe for a similar recipe and it turned out terribly. But I gave it a second chance with this recipe and it was PERFECT, so much flavor. I only used 1 can of beans, subbed green chilies with chopped jalapeños (from a jar). Added a verrry generous handful of cilantro (personal preference). Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and it was sooooo good. Thank you!!!
Ben says
Phenomenal! I never leave comments on things mainly because I never go back to the recipe to do so. This one made my taste buds scream with excitement! So good!!!
Adrienne says
I absolutely love this dish. I grew up never eating chilli so I had no idea if I would like it or not. Glad to have tried this dish out. It is so easy to throw together in the crock pot. I have fed many large crowds with this dish and it always is completely gone at the end of the meal.
Mallory says
Can I do this with frozen chicken as well? If so, would cook time still be the same.
The Chunky Chef says
Since the USDA doesn’t recommend using frozen chicken in a slow cooker, I don’t recommend it as well. Many other readers will share that they’ve done so, but for liability reasons, I can’t recommend it due to the slow rise to a safe cooking temperature for poultry.