White Chicken Chili Recipe

4.89 from 116 votes

White Chicken Chili Recipe

This White Chicken Chili recipe is hearty, tasty, and easy to make with tender chicken, white beans, green chiles, and cozy spices! Choose your favorite method—stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot—and enjoy a satisfying bowl with ease. For a rich twist, turn it into the creamy white chicken chili everyone searches for by stirring in cream cheese and heavy cream at the end. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or make-ahead meals—your family will love this chili!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Robyn Stone

Equipment

Stockpot (Stovetop Method)
Slow Cooker (Slow Cooker Method)
Wooden Spoon
Soup Ladle
Garlic Press

Ingredients

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 clove garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
15 ounces white beans, canned, drained
4 ounces green chiles canned, undrained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Instructions

Stovetop White Chicken Chili Recipe

Place chicken in a 4-quart, heavy bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add chicken stock and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken with two forks and then add back to the liquid.
Add garlic and onion to stockpot, white beans, green chilis, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh oregano. Stir until well-combined. Taste for flavor and adjust to your preference.
Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe

Add chicken, chicken stock, garlic, onion, chilis, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook for 8 hours on low. Shred chicken with two forks and stir in white beans and fresh oregano and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe

Add the chicken, chicken stock, garlic, onions, beans, chilis, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to your Instant Pot and secure the lid with the vent closed.
Set you Instant Pot to High pressure for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then, using a pot holder, carefully use the quick release. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and shred the chicken using two forks. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and serve.

Video

Notes

RECIPE VARIATIONS

Creamy White Chicken Chili -

Follow the original stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot method, then finish with these easy additions:

Cream Cheese — Stir in 6–8 oz (full-fat recommended) cubed cream cheese during the last 5–10 minutes of cooking (stovetop) or after shredding the chicken (slow cooker/Instant Pot). Stir until fully melted and smooth.
Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half — Add ½–1 cup during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Stir gently until incorporated. This gives this chicken chili the signature creamy white chicken chili richness.
Finishing Touch — Add the juice of 1 fresh lime for brightness.

Toppings (Highly Recommended for Creamy White Chicken Chili):

Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
Sliced avocado
Extra squeeze of fresh lime
Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
Sour cream or Greek yogurt
Chopped fresh cilantro

Vegetarian White Chili -

For a meatless white chili variation, simply omit the chicken and increase the white beans to 3 cans (drained and rinsed). Add an extra 1–2 cups of vegetable broth to keep the consistency right. Follow the same stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot cooking method. For a creamy vegetarian white chili, stir in 6–8 oz cream cheese and ½–1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half during the final minutes, just as you would in the creamy chicken version. Finish with fresh lime juice and top with sliced avocado and cilantro.

STORAGE TIPS

Refrigerate: Once the chili is cooled, place it in airtight containers or wrap it tightly and refrigerate it for 3 to 5 days.

Freezer: Once the chili is completely cooled, ladle it into an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve it.

Reheat: You can reheat the chili by pouring it into a large stockpot and heating it on the stovetop until it's heated throughout or reheat in the microwave for 45-second intervals at 80% power, stirring after each interval until it's heated throughout. If you thawed it after freezing, you can put the thawed chili in your slow cooker on Low to allow it to slowly warm throughout the day, ready to serve for supper. Then serve and enjoy!

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