Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
104 CommentsUpdated Jan 30, 2026
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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!
Featured Comment
This is a keeper! Best white chili I ever had. Thank you very much.
– marty
The first time I had crockpot white chicken chili was at a soup and chili party. A friend brought it, and it was the only pot that disappeared down to the last spoonful! I had to recreate it—and after testing and tweaking, this version is one you’re going to love.
Key Ingredients
Here’s a quick breakdown of the ingredients that make this white chicken chili so hearty and flavorful:
- Chicken & Beans – Boneless skinless chicken breasts and creamy cannellini beans make up the hearty base.
- Corn & Chiles – Whole kernel corn and fire-roasted green chiles add sweetness and a touch of smoky heat.
- Broth & Onion – Chicken broth and diced sweet onion create a flavorful foundation.
- Spices – A bold blend of chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Finishing Touches – Sour cream and fresh cilantro stirred in at the end for creaminess and brightness.
How to Make Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Add the chicken, beans, corn, broth, green chiles, onion, and seasonings to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker.
- Stir in the sour cream and cilantro before serving.
Tips & Variations
Some ideas to change up the recipe!
Meat Swap: Try turkey breast, ground turkey, or rotisserie chicken for a change.
For more spice: In place of the fire-roasted chiles, use a diced jalapeno or a poblano pepper.
Sour cream swap: For a creamier chili, stir in a block of cream cheese at the end or add a can of cream of chicken soup at the start.
To thicken: add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the cooked chili and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Ways to Serve White Chicken Chili
Here are the toppings and sides we love on our crockpot white chicken chili:
- Enjoy with shredded Jack cheese, lime wedges, sour cream, cilantro, and diced avocado on top.
- For texture, top with Fritos or crushed-up tortilla chips.
- Great sides are warmed flour tortillas, or cornbread with butter and honey (we love the Krusteaz brand).
- To make the recipe stretch into more servings consider serving over white rice!
Instant Pot Directions
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).
How to Make This into a Freezer Meal
You can make this recipe into a freezer meal by placing raw ingredients into a freezer Ziplock bag and freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw (in the fridge) and cook when you are ready. Keep the cilantro and sour cream separate and add that after cooking when shredding the chicken.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, (chicken thighs work great in this recipe too)
- 30 oz. Cannellini Beans, (two 15-oz. cans) drained (can use great northern beans)
- 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
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 cup sour cream (or 8 ounces cream cheese), (ADD AT THE END OF THE COOKING TIME)
- ⅛ 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More crockpot chili recipes
Skip the takeout and try Crockpot Wendy’s Chili, loaded with ground beef, beans, and veggies for that classic flavor at home.
Make fall dinner extra cozy with Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili or go bold with Slow Cooker Venison Chili, a lean, hearty twist.
For crowd-pleasing flavor, serve up Slow Cooker Chili or use leftovers in Prime Rib Chili—both slow-cooked to perfection. For something with heat, try my buffalo chicken chili.
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.
I’ve been using frozen chicken breasts in my slow cooker for 40 years.
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!
I used both, was phenomenal
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.