Change up your chili game with this creamy and flavorful Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili recipe. Made from scratch with plenty of spiciness and decadence, this will be the best chicken chili you will ever make!
I make chili at least once a week and try to rotate my recipes. If I’m not making this, I’m making Steakhouse Chili, Jalapeno Popper Chili, or Turkey Chipotle Chili.
The first time I had white chicken chili was at a soup and chili party. A friend brought the white chicken chili, and it was the only pot to disappear completely! I had to get my hands on that recipe, and now I can’t stop making it.
How to make White Chicken Chili in the Crock Pot
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts – can use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- White Beans – Any type of white canned bean works well, I like cannellini beans for they are larger than most beans.
- Corn – small can of drained yellow corn or two cups of frozen corn.
- Seasonings – cumin, chili powder, oregano and garlic powder (and salt and pepper)
- Chicken Broth – can use four cups water and two chicken bouillon cubes if needed. If you prefer you can use chicken stock.
- Sweet Yellow Onion – diced
- Green Chiles – Small can of fire-roasted chiles or one diced poblano chile
- Sour Cream – add at the end of the cooking time to add creaminess to the chili
- Cilantro – this is also added at the end of the cooking time. If you do not like cilantro you can leave this out.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1 – Add the chicken breasts, drained beans, drained corn, seasonings, onion, green chilies, and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Stir. Wait to add sour cream and cilantro.
Step 2 – Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
Step 3 – Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Add back to the slow cooker. Add the sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Step 4 – Stir and serve with your favorite toppings.
Premaking, Storing, and Reheating White Chicken Chili
- Freezer meal – You can make this recipe into a freezer meal by placing raw ingredients into a freezer ziplock bag, freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw (in fridge) and cook when you are ready. Keep the cilantro and sour cream seperate and add that after cooking when shedding the chicken.
- Storing – This recipe after cooking doesn’t freeze well for the cream will seperate after being thawed. Though, it will last 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheating – The best way to reheat this is on a pan on the stove top, don’t over cook or the sour cream may seperate. Or you can cook in the microwave, but again don’t overheat!
What do I serve with white chili?
This chili is lovely as is with no toppings but even better if you pair it with one or more of the following:
- Fritos – the smaller ones work best, not the scoops.
- Monterey Jack cheese.
- Cornbread – we love using Krusteaz Southern Cornbread Mix.
- A Squeeze of lime juice
- Additional sour cream
- Cubed avocado
Cooking tips and FAQs for Chicken Chili
In place of the fire-roasted chiles, use a diced jalapeno. Add a few shakes of hot sauce to your personal bowl.
One block of cream cheese – add at the end, place in soup, and let melt for a few minutes. Stir into chili.
Cream of chicken soup – One can of cream of chicken soup, add at the beginning of the recipe.
Skip it! – Leave out the creamy part of this recipe if you want a healthier chili.
Yes, instant pot white chicken chili is one of our favorites! To turn this slow cooker version into an instant pot recipe: seal the lid on the instant pot. Move the valve to the sealing position. Cook on manual pressure for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Shred the chicken and add the sour cream and cilantro after the cooking time is complete. (Check your manual for safety instructions).
You can use a turkey breast if desired. In fact, it will make for a wonderfully flavored chili!
Yes, you can if you have it on hand. Cut into cubes and add to the recipe. However, the chicken or turkey won’t be as moist as when using fresh raw chicken.
Add two tablespoons of cornstarch to two tablespoons of water. Add to the cooked chili and cook for 10 minutes longer.
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts (chicken thighs work great in this recipe too)
- 30 oz. Cannellini Beans (two 15-oz. cans) drained
- 8.75 oz. can whole kernel corn (drained well) or two cups of frozen corn
- 30 oz. chicken broth OR chicken stock (two 15-oz. cans) or 4 cups water and 2 chicken boullion cubes
- 4 oz. can fire roasted green chiles or 1 diced poblano pepper
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion diced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 cup sour cream (ADD AT THE END OF THE COOKING TIME)
- 1/8 cup minced cilantro (ADD AT THE END OF THE COOKING TIME)
Instructions:
- Add the chicken, beans, corn, chicken broth, green chiles, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. WAIT TO ADD THE SOUR CREAM AND CILANTRO. Stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- When the cooking time is done, shred the chicken with two forks.
- Add the sour cream and cilantro. Stir.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Fritos
- Monterey jack cheese
- Cornbread
- A squeeze of lime juice
- Additional sour cream
- Cubed avocado
- 1 block of cream cheese – add at the end, place in soup and let melt for a few minutes. Stir into chili.
- Cream of chicken soup – 1 can, add at the beginning of the recipe.
- Leave out the creamy part of this recipe if you want a healthier chili.
- In place of the fire-roasted chiles use a diced jalapeno.
- Add a few shakes of hot sauce to your personal bowl.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This chili was delicious!! Definitely a keeper. So good on a cold weeknight. I had avocados, tortilla chips, mini corn muffins, extra limes and cilantro. I added a few more spices. A couple different chili powders and it was really perfect. My husband and son added sour cream to their bowls but I try to avoid dairy and mine was really good without the sour cream. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
If you choose to use already cooked chicken (rotisserie), wouldn’t the cook time be reduced pretty drastically?
8 hours (low) for uncooked chicken makes sense, but seems very long if the chicken is already cooked.
You can probably get away with 5 hours. The vegetables take quite a while to soften, especially onions.
My grandma makes this but in a different way rather than a crock pot/slow cooker. I fell in love with it then and now I make this quite often in my crockpot. One of my favorites! I use cream cheese and I also use more seasonings such as cayenne pepper and I put more of the seasonings in than the recipe called for. It’s so good with cilantro, lime and hot sauce!!!
Not a big fan of beans…. Do you think I can use diced potatoes instead?
I don’t see why not!
Can you use ground chicken?
Yes!
Can you use frozen chicken if you are in a pinch? Or should you only use thawed
No, I wouldn’t. There are some studies that say cooking from frozen isn’t safe.
What’s the serving size? It’s delicious by the way! I had 2 1/2 lbs worth of chicken breast and doubled the spices. It is so so good!
I do not have measurements for the servings on this site. I apologize.
What’s another thickener that can be used besides cornstarch, and how much should be used?
Hi! It’s hard to say without testing it. I apologize.
I just made this today with some banana pepper corn bread. Delicious! I tasted without the sour cream and that is really good too. I will be making this again
Has anyone used sour cream and cream cheese ?
Yes it was great, but I liked it best with just 2-8oz blocks of cream cheese!
So Easy & so Tasty
It sounds very good can u use can chicken in it
Yes, if you are used to the flavor of canned chicken.