This crockpot white chicken chili recipe is made with tender chicken, beans, flavorful salsa and a creamy base. Takes just 5 minutes of prep and is great for busy weeknights.
This chili is a favorite, along with my slow cooker enchilada soup, slow cooker turkey chili, and crockpot potato soup. I even make Wendy’s chili in my crockpot!
Table of Contents
- Why we Love this White Chicken Chili
- Recipe Ingredients
- Favorite Toppings
- How to Make Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Tips for Making the Best White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
- 5 star review
- Make Ahead and Freezing Creamy Chicken Chili
- More Easy Chili Recipes
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili Printable Recipe
Why we Love this White Chicken Chili
This makes for the best white chicken chili recipe yet!
- Dump-and-go meal that only takes 5 minutes of prep work. That’s why I just love slow cooker recipes.
- Chili is a hearty meal that will fill up the whole family. Makes great leftovers too!
- It’s budget friendly and simple to prepare.
Recipe Ingredients
Some pantry staples mixed with chicken equal a meal that is hearty and comforting.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts because they shred so easily and the white meat absorbs the flavors well. The shredded chicken will soak in all the flavor!
- Beans: Most types of beans will work well in this chili, but I like to use mostly white beans, or a mixture of white kidney beans, pinto beans, great northern beans, and light red kidney beans.
- Broth: Chicken broth helps cook the chicken and gives a nice backdrop to the crock pot chili.
- Corn: I like using white corn because of the color and the sweetness it adds.
- Seasonings: I used both salsa and salsa verde. The brightness of the salsa verde elevates the flavor and gives the chili a little heat. Just a little bit of chili powder, salt, and pepper is all you need to give this soup a nice pop of flavor.
- Sour cream: This makes the chili super creamy.
Favorite Toppings
You can serve the soup as-is or load it up with all your favorite toppings!
- Cheese: Have shredded cheese sprinkled on top. We love the Mexican blend or a cheddar cheese.
- Chips: Tortilla strips or tortilla chips give a crunchy chip texture.
- Garnish: Thinly slice red radishes, lime, jalapeño, or an avocado to place on top of the soup to add more to the appearance of the soup.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a colorful green color and freshness to the white chicken chili.
How to Make Crockpot White Chicken Chili
If you can open a can, you can make this white chicken chili recipe. It only requires a few ingredients dumped into a crockpot and the patience to wait for them to cook!
- Dump. Add chicken and broth to the crockpot. Season the chicken with salt and chili powder. Then add in beans, corn, salsa verde and salsa.
- Cook. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred, then place back in crockpot. Add the sour cream and stir. Then cook an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve. Ladle soup into bowls and add your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best White Chicken Chili Recipe
Make the perfect chili with the right amount of heat, double or even triple the batch of chili, or create your own savory flavor.
- Heat levels. It’s definitely not a spicy soup, but if you want to add a little heat, you could use a medium-hot salsa. If you don’t like the extra spice, use a mild salsa.
- Batches. Double the recipe to make a big batch that will feed all your friends and family.
- Side dishes. Make this a complete meal by adding in cornbread muffins, warm tortillas, or tortilla chips.
Recipe FAQs
I love to use a variety of beans in my chili, however, you could definitely just use one kind. The beauty of this recipe is that you can just throw in whatever type of beans are in your pantry, such as great northern beans, cannellini beans, white kidney beans, light red kidney beans, or pinto beans.
Absolutely! All it takes is a quick swap of the chicken broth for a vegetable broth and omitting the chicken. I might add a few extra cans of beans to keep the chili hearty, but it should work fine other than that.
You sure can! If you want to speed things up, you can add shredded rotisserie chicken with 30 minutes left in cooking time. The shredded chicken is already tender and easy to shred using forks.
Want a little more spice? Use a medium-hot or hot salsa and add a can of green chiles and cayenne pepper to the crockpot for a bit more heat. You can also finely dice a jalapeno or serrano pepper if you really want to make it hot.
Sure. Simply bring the broth, salsa verde, salsa, and seasonings to a boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, beans, and corn and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Shred the chicken and return to the pot. Stir in sour cream before serving.
5 star review
“The easiest dump-and-go recipe for working parents! And enough toppings that the kids love it too (except when I add beans that are not white :))”
-Nnrnndr
Make Ahead and Freezing Creamy Chicken Chili
Double this homemade white chicken chili recipe for the next day or freezing at a later time. Follow these guidelines for freezing, storing, and reheating chicken chili!
- Freezing. I love to double the recipe and freeze half of the soup for later. I would recommend freezing it without the sour cream mixed in because sometimes dairy can separate once frozen.
- Storing. Add the soup to a freezer bag or container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheat. Thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying. Then heat back up on the stove top or in the crockpot until warm. Mix in sour cream before serving.
Love crockpot recipes? You’ll also love my green enchilada soup, slow cooker chicken enchilada soup, and crockpot lasagna soup.
More Easy Chili Recipes
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
- 1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 4 (15-ounce) cans beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can white corn
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- ¾ cup sour cream , or cream cheese (at room temperature)
- Ground black pepper , to taste
Optional toppings: Tortilla chips, Scoop of sour cream, Avocado, Shredded cheese, Cilantro
Instructions
- In the bottom of a crockpot, add the chicken and broth. Stir in the chili powder and salt. Add the beans, corn, salsa verde, and salsa.
- Cover and cook on highfor 3 to 4 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred. Return to the crockpot and add the sour cream or cream cheese. I like to place it on top and let it sit for about 10 minutes before stirring. Cook an additional 30 minutes. Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Chicken, Chicken, Cinco De Mayo, Crockpot, Crockpot, Crockpot, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Mexican, Nut-Free, One Pot, One Pot, Soups
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
The easiest dump-and-go recipe for working parents! And enough toppings that the kids love it too (except when I add beans that are not white :))
So Delicious! Made it yesterday on a snowy day in Chicago and we all enjoyed! Followed recipe and will do it again! :)
So glad you enjoyed the white chicken chili!
Could I make this in the instant pot with frozen chicken breasts, adding the sour cream afterwards?
I haven’t tested this out, but let me know if you do! I would definitely wait to add the sour cream afterwards.
I did the 4 frozen breasts in 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 tsp chili for 45 minutes, then shredded it. Afterwards, I added the rest of the ingredients except for the sour cream, then used the “saute” function on my instant pot for 20 minutes. I then added 1 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and turned it off. It was awesome! We sprinkled on top: cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and guac for those who wanted it. Will DEFINITELY be making this again!! My husband’s diet is high protein, with a moderated amount of carbs and fats, hence the Greek yogurt sub, and this fits the bill perfect. Thank you so much!!
So glad to hear this worked well in the instant pot! Thanks for sharing your feedback! :D
I’ve made it in my instant pot many times! Add sour cream afterwards, turns out perfect and just as yummy as in the crockpot but much faster. 25 minutes high pressure.
This was amazing. I substituted Kite Hill Dairy Free Cream Cheese and it was so good. My family added white sharp cheddar cheese on top of their bowls and they loved it!
So glad to hear your family enjoyed the white chicken chili! One of my families favorites too!
back again to make this soup! one of our families favorites! thanks Jamie! Its a crowd pleaser!
Glad to hear everyone is loving it, Kelsey! It is a favorite at our house too.
I love this chili. It is my go to for a cold evening! So easy and yummy!
So happy to hear that you love it!
One of my favorite soups and so easy 💗
So glad you enjoyed it, Markie :)
Can you substitute something for the salsa
You could use a can of rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)
Really good! This was my first time making this recipe and it was easy and turned out great! Next time I will use spicier salsa and maybe throw in some jalapeños for a bit of heat.
I want to make this but I am not understanding all the nutrition info as it’s in grams, I believe. Anyone have any suggestions of how I can understand this? I live in the U.S. if this helps… Thank you!
This has become a family favorite! It is delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that your family loves it! Thank you for leaving a comment and review!
Can you use ground turkey instead of chicken? If so how long should it cook? Also can you make this on the stove top? Don’t have a crock pot.
Thanks
Yes, ground turkey should work and you can do it on the stovetop. I would just brown the ground turkey first and then add in to the pot.
This is such a great comforting meal! It was a huge hit at my house!
I took a double batch of this soup to a Soup & Salad potluck dinner. This is the only soup that got completely eaten. I barely got a taste of it. It was delicious, and I had several requests for the recipe! Thanks!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment!