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Crock Pot White Chicken Chili is a rich, creamy one-pot wonder that tastes especially delicious in the coldest months of the year. Set out a bunch of colorful, zesty toppings and let everyone help themselves.
If you love rich, creamy soups on cold winter days, this easy crockpot soup might be right up your alley. Start with chicken breasts cooked right in the slow cooker (or see my notes for substituting leftover cooked chicken or even turkey). Add veggies, beans, spices, and broth, then later thicken it with cream cheese and half and half
The fun comes at serving time when you set out a plethora of colorful toppings like shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, fresh herbs, and crunchy things like tortilla chips and oyster crackers. Serve Crockpot White Chicken Chili piping hot from the crock pot for game day, winter gatherings, and icy cold weekends, and watch the crowd go wild.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless breasts work great, but you can chicken thighs, leftover Rotisserie Chicken. Just add cooked chicken to the slow cooker when you add in the cream cheese. Leftover turkey works too.
- Great Northern Beans: 3 cups cooked beans can be substituted for the 2 cans (thatโs about 1 cup dried beans before cooking). You can use any type of canned white beans such as white kidney beans or cannellini beans.
- Corn: Or substitute fresh corn cut off the cob.
- Cilantro: Omit if you donโt care for cilantro.
How to Make White Chicken Chili
- In the bottom of a slow cooker, add chicken, beans, corn, green chiles and their juice, onion, and garlic. Stir in low-sodium chicken broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken to cutting board, shred, and return to slow cooker.
- Stir in cream cheese, half and half, and cilantro. Cover and cook on HIGH heat for until chili is creamy and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir until uniformly combined and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ยฝ teaspoon pepper).
- Serve with toppings like diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeรฑos, and tortilla chips.
How to Make White Chicken Chili Ahead of Time
Cool within 2 hours, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance. Reheat the full recipe on the stove over low heat to 165 degrees. Reheat small batches in the microwave.
White Chicken Chili Recipe Tips and Variations
- Yield:ย This recipe makes about 9 cups of chili, enough for 6 hearty servings, 1 ยฝ cups each.
- Favorite toppings:ย Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado are classics. You can also try scallions or heaping tablespoons of guacamole, crispyย cooked bacon, fresh cilantro, minced white onion, fresh lime juice, hot sauce,ย tortilla chips, corn chips (Fritos), or oyster crackers.
- Salsa verde: No chilies? No problem. Tomatillo-based salsa verde gives the right amount of acidic punch in this recipe.
- Favorite sides for chili:ย Enjoy a bowl of chili withย classic Cornbread,ย Soft Dinner Rolls, orย No-Knead Bread. If you prefer to make cornbread from a box or buy a loaf of bread from the store, thatโs fine too! Round out your menu with aย simple garden salad.
- Chili Cheese Burrito:ย Put leftover chili to work in this easyย Chili Cheese Burrito. Just fold up leftover chili withย cooked riceย and shredded cheese, then toast in a dry skillet.
- Classic Beef Chili:ย This easyย Beef Chili recipeย tastes just like the one mom used to make! Itโs also easy to customize with your own special additions if you want to.
- Venison Chili:ย If youโre lucky enough to have some ground venison in your freezer, thisย Venison Chili recipeย is the one youโll want to make all winter long.
- Chili con Carne: Made with boneless beef chuck roast instead of ground beef, this delicious Chili con Carne recipe has layers of flavor from bacon, fire-roasted tomatoes, lots of garlic, and all the classic chili spices. And itโs made right in your slow cooker!
- Turkey Chili:ย This deliciousย Turkey Chili recipeย is made with ground turkey, so itโs a little bit lighter than the standard beef version. Itโs full of vegetables and classic spices and itโs ready for all your favorite healthful toppings like diced avocado, green onions, and fresh cilantro.
- Hot Dog Chili:ย Make a batch ofย Hot Dog Chiliย to spoon overย Chili Dogsย for the ultimate tailgate recipe! Itโs perfect for any game day celebration.
- Sweet Potato Chili:ย This hearty veganย Sweet Potato Chiliย is loaded with black beans, vegetables, and all the classic spices. Like all chilis, it freezes well and makes a great meal prep option.
- Cincinnati Chili:ย Made famous by Skyline Chili in Ohio, thisย Cincinnati Chili recipeย is full of secret ingredients and served on spaghetti with lots of toppings like shredded cheese, raw onions, and kidney beans. Which โwayโ do you want yours?
- White Turkey Chili:ย This is my favorite soup to make after Thanksgiving when leftovers are abundant. Itโs hearty, creamy, and a refreshing way to enjoy leftover turkey all over again. To keep things easy, makeย White Turkey Chiliย right in your slow cooker.
- Chili Mac:ย Made in just one pot in 25 minutes or less, this easyย Chili Mac recipeย is like a great bowl of chili in casserole form. Itโs perfect for the busiest, hungriest weeknights.
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili: Electric pressure cookers are hands-free and make White Chicken Chili easy, all in under an hour. Hereโs how:
- In the bottom of an Instant Pot, add chicken breast, broth, corn, beans, spices, onion, and garlic. Cover with lid and seal. Switch the valve to the โsealingโ position and cook for 20 minutes on manual high pressure.
- Once it is done cooking, let it naturally depressurize for 10 minutes then switch the valve to the โventingโ position to completely release steam before opening lid. Remove the chicken breasts to a mixing bowl and shred apart with a couple forks. Return the chicken to the pressure cooker.
- Add the half and half, cream cheese, and cilantro, and stir until melted. The cooker usually has a keep warm function that can continue to warm the chili.
How to Store Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer:ย Cool cooked chili to below 40 degrees on anย instant-read thermometerย within 2 hours and place into airtight containers. Frozen chili will last 4 to 6 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
White Chili Chicken FAQs
Regular (red) chili gets its color from red chilis (often in the form of chili powder) and tomatoes. White chili uses green chiles and creamy ingredients like cream cheese, half and half, or heavy cream.
Kidney beans contain phytohemagglutinin, a type of lectin that is very toxic at high levels. To substitute dried kidney beans in this recipe, you MUST pre-soak dried kidney beans AND hold them at boiling point on the stove top (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 10 minutes. So as long as you pre-soak your beans, youโll be cooking this chili long enough that you shouldnโt have a problem.
The Americanized chili powder blend you use in this recipe is made of a variety of spices including ground cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. If you shop at an international food market and buy โchili powder,โ sometimes this is just straight-up ground dried red chiles (cayenne pepper).You should be able to tell by the color of the powder.
More hearty soups to love
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredientsย
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note 1)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans great Northern beans drained and rinsed (see note 2)
- 10 ounces frozen corn (see note 3)
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chilies undrained
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro plus more for garnish (see note 4)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- shredded cheese jalapeรฑos, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and tortilla strips, for serving
Instructionsย
- In the bottom of a slow cooker, add chicken, beans, corn, green chiles, onion, and garlic. Stir in chicken broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken to cutting board, shred, and return to slow cooker.
- Stir in cream cheese, half and half, and cilantro. Cover and cook on HIGH for until chili is creamy and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Stir until uniformly combined and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ยฝ teaspoon pepper). Serve with toppings like diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeรฑos, and tortilla chips.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless breasts work great, but you can use leftover Rotisserie Chicken, too. Just add cooked chicken to the slow cooker when you add in the cream cheese.
- Great Northern Beans: 3 c. cooked beans can be substituted for the 2 cans (thatโs about 1 c. dried beans before cooking). You can use any type of canned or cooked bean.
- Corn: Or substitute fresh corn cut off the cob.
- Cilantro: Omit if you donโt care for cilantro.
- Yield:ย This recipe makes about 9 c. of chili, enough for 6 hearty servings, 1 ยฝ c. each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
[wrpm-recipe-video]
The Nutritional facts suggest there are 228k cal per 1.5 bowls. Is that 228,000 calories? Is that possible?
Hi Jim, kcal is a term that is interchangeable with calories. Hope this helps! โ Meggan
This sounds delicious. I was wondering if I could make it into a freezer meal for my daughter. I know not to add the cream cheese and half n half. I would make it a dump and go so not cooked.
Thank You! Terry
Hi Terry, I donโt see why not! โ Meggan
Will this double nicely? Thanks!
Hi Erica, yes! Just make sure you use a large 6 quart slow cookers so it fits, since a double batch is about 4.5 quarts. โ Meggan
How much rotisserie chicken would you use instead of the uncooked chicken breast?
Hi Mary, you would want to use about 2 to 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken. I hope you love it! โ Meggan
Absolutely delicious! I love the tip about rotisserie chicken and adding it with the cream cheese at the end.
Iโm so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks Brooke! -Meggan
Iโm so thrilled to have discovered so many amazing recipes. Thank you!!
This recipe is so good I canโt even handle it. I made it because I had all the ingredient, with the exception of half and half, but I just subbed whole milk, and it still was super awesome. Keep it up all the good food!