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 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, this is an easy recipe to convert to an instant pot. 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:
- Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger
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.
Very Good Recipe – Made this lastnight for a group of friends and everyone loved it. I set out the toppings in separate bowls so that everyone could help themselves. Definitely will make this again 🙂
This turned out phenomenal!! Looooved this! Serving size is about 8-9 from my experience.
This was very tasty! Will definitely make it again. My husband did request rice to be added to it, a good addition. I didn’t shred the chicken, instead I cubed it. I liked it but hubby say shred it next time.
Made this last night, it was really good! Had a nice Southwestern/Tex Mex flavor to it. If you don’t like cumin, you could cut that back a tad, but I liked it. I mistakenly thought I had more sour cream in the fridge than I had, & when I stirred it in it just didn’t look right. So I added a little heavy whipping cream to make up the difference & it worked out just fine. I did thicken it with the cornstarch slurry, & I liked the texture I wound up with. Cornbread on the side, made a nice dinner!
How much cornstarch and water do you use for the slurry
Until it looks like pancake batter not to thick but not runny either
I believe adding the entire can of beans – with liquid – would thicken the chili.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
Yes! Should do fine, you may need to cook a little longer. I would do 6 hours on high.
Hi Sarah! About how many is a serving size? I love this recipe!
Hi, I do not figure out serving sizes. I apologize.
This was excellent. It was my first attempt at making white chicken chili and it was a winner. My mom made it too. We did add the cornstarch mix to thicken at the end. Thanks so much for a new favorite!
I am making the white chicken chili in my crockpot but I need to make extra. I have company over and my crockpot isn’t big enough.
What are the stovetop directions? I would like to cook them both at the same time.
Oh and I must tell you, we LOVE the white chicken chili crockpot recipe, can’t make it enough.
Thank you!!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, I would follow the stovetop directions in a recipe like this. https://www.erinliveswhole.com/easy-white-chicken-chili/
Is there anything I can use instead of broth? Milk..maybe?
Milk may seperate and curdle. You can do water if needed. Or water and chicken bouillon.
This is delicious. My only modification was to reduce the broth because i wanted to make it in my Instant Pot using the pressure cooker. Turned out great.
This was delicious! I used frozen (thawed) corn, dried Great Northern Beans I had previously cooked, and hot peppers from my garden instead of canned. My family enjoyed it. I will be making it again!
I made today and it is Delicious.
Definitely a 5* recipe.
This is one of my favorite Chicken chili recipes! I did add a pouch of instant potatoes to thicken it up and it tasted great. thank you for your wonderful recipe. I will be enjoying this one for a long time to come!!
Ms. Sarah, I have had all types of White Chicken Chili and I must say yours is the best. I’m not a fan of corn unless I grow it ( not this time). The sour cream made all the difference as far as flavor goes. This is a keeper for me.
Thank You