This creamy white chicken chili is made in the Crockpot for the perfect deliciously easy meal on a cold night!
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I love chili, whether it’s a classic Texas chili, green chili, or even this pumpkin turkey chili, I love ALL of the varieties! This white chicken chili is one I find myself making over and over again in the winter though. And even though it’s called chili, I’d say it has a more stew or chowder-like consistency. It is easy to make, has just a hint of spice from the diced green chiles, a bit of sweetness from the corn, a smoky hint of bacon, and a creamy broth thanks to sour cream. Even better, it is perfect for piling high with toppings to make it your own! This recipe has been a fan favorite from our book, Cook Once, Eat All Week, so we’ve adapted it here!
Creamy White Chicken Chili Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this chili:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken – you’ll need about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken for this recipe, we recommend using boneless/skinless so it is easy to shred later!
- Chicken Broth – you’ll need 5 cups of chicken broth for this recipe, either store-bought or homemade will work!
- Diced Green Chilis – you can typically find these canned chilis in the Mexican food section of your local store. If you can’t find any green chilis, a diced poblano pepper or jalapeno will work in its place.
- Bacon – you won’t find bacon in most white chicken chili recipes, but we find that a few slices lend a delicious smoky, salty flavor to the chili!
- Onion and Garlic – fresh onion and garlic give this chili great flavor, but if you want to save even more time, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of onion and garlic powder instead.
- Corn – 1 cup of frozen corn lends just a bit of sweetness to the chili that makes it taste so good!
- White beans – white beans have a great creamy consistency that fits perfectly with this white chicken chili.
- Sour cream – sour cream is what makes this chili creamy, and it adds a great tangy flavor.
- Lime juice – the juice of a lime brightens up the soup and adds another layer of flavor.
- Spices – This chili is simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of oregano and cumin.
- Garnishes – you can garnish this with as few or as many things as you’d like! A few of our favorites are extra lime wedges, sour cream, avocado, and fresh cilantro. You could also add cheese, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, or tortilla strips.
How to Make Easy White Chicken Chili
This white chicken chili really is simple to make, just follow the steps below:
- Cook + Crumble the Bacon – cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once crisp, remove from the pot and set aside, then drain all but one tablespoon of drippings from the pan.
- Saute the Onion + Garlic – still working over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the Green Chilis + Seasonings – add the green chilis and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add the seasonings and stir to combine, then remove from heat.
- Add the Chicken, Green Chili Mixture, and Chicken Broth to the Slow Cooker – place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker, then spread the green chili and onion mixture over top. Pour in the chicken broth.
- Set it and Forget it – cook the chili on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken pulls apart easily.
- Shred the Chicken + Stir in the Sour Cream and Lime Juice – remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. While the chicken is out of the pot, add the sour cream and use a whisk to combine it with the seasoned broth. Stir in the lime juice. Then, add the chicken back to the pot.
- Garnish + Serve – garnish each serving with avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream, crispy bacon, and a lime wedge, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Keep a tablespoon of bacon drippings – don’t forget to leave a tablespoon of the bacon grease in the pot to saute your onion and garlic in. This adds so much really delicious flavor!
Combine the lime juice + sour cream first – if you find that you have an issue with dairy (sour cream specifically) curdling when you add it to hot soups and chilis, try whisking it in a separate bowl with the lime juice and a spoonful of hot broth until smooth and then adding it to the chili!
Use the garnishes – topping this chili with avocado, sour cream, and lime juice is half of the fun! Feel free to use any other garnish that you think would be delicious here too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Using pre-cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken makes making this white chicken chili even easier!
Your chicken chili should be *just* thick enough if you’ve followed the recipe to a T, but if you’re looking for an even thicker chili, feel free to omit a bit of the chicken broth.
We think so! While it isn’t a “red” chili that’s made with beef, it’s definitely still a variation of chili. Because it is made with green chiles, we consider it chili!
Yes, this easy white chicken chili freezes beautifully! Just portion it out into one of our favorite meal prep containers, label it, and freeze for up to 5 months. To reheat, you can either put it in a covered pot over medium heat for about 10 minutes or microwave for 4-5 minutes on high, stirring halfway through.
More Favorite Soup and Chili Recipes
White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 4-ounce can diced hot or mild green chilis, drained (depending on preference)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs*
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained*
- 1 cup frozen yellow corn*
- ½ cup sour cream*
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 avocado sliced, for garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
- 4 lime wedges from ½ lime, for garnish
- Additional sour cream for garnish
Instructions
Stovetop:
- Cook the bacon in a large pot with matching lid over medium-high heat. Once crisp, remove from the pot and set aside, then drain all but one tablespoon of drippings from the pot.
- Still working over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the green chilis and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add the seasonings and stir to combine.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add in the chicken. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, over medium heat, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. While the chicken is out of the pot, add the sour cream to the broth and use a whisk to combine. Stir in the lime juice.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot along with the beans and corn. Let simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Garnish each serving with crispy bacon, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream, and a lime wedge and enjoy!
Instant Pot:
- Set your Instant Pot to saute mode and cook the bacon in it. Once crisp, remove from the pot and set aside, then drain all but one tablespoon of drippings from the pot.
- Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the green chilis and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add the seasonings and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken broth and add in the chicken.
- Using the manual setting, place the lid on pot, making sure the valve is sealed, then set it to cook for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes is up, let the pot naturally release pressure for at least 10 minutes before turning the valve to “venting” to manually release the remaining pressure.
- Return the Instant Pot to saute mode, then remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. While the chicken is out of the pot, add the sour cream to the broth and use a whisk to combine. Stir in the lime juice.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot along with the beans and corn. Let simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Garnish each serving with crispy bacon, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream, and a lime wedge and enjoy!
Slow Cooker:
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once crisp, remove from the pot and set aside, then drain all but one tablespoon of drippings from the pan.
- Still working over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the green chilis and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add the seasonings and stir to combine, then remove from heat.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker, then spread the green chili and onion mixture over top. Pour in the chicken broth.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken pulls apart easily.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks, While the chicken is out of the slow cooker, add the sour cream to the broth and use a whisk to combine. Stir in the lime juice.
- Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker along with the beans and corn. Cover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.
- Garnish each serving with crispy bacon, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream, and a lime wedge and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- If using rotisserie chicken: Use 4 cups of shredded chicken and simmer for 10 minutes on the stove, cook for 5 minutes in the Instant Pot, and the same amount of time in the slow cooker.
- To make this recipe dairy-free: replace the sour cream with an equal amount of coconut cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk and 1 additional tablespoon of lime juice.
- To make this recipe Paleo/Whole30: Follow the dairy-free substitution and omit the beans and corn. You can either replace them with 2 1/2 cups of chopped veggies (zucchini, carrots, kale, or sweet potato would be great options), or simply reduce the broth by 1 cup.
Nutrition
I made this is the crockpot on Monday. It was a perfect January dinner, and I’ve enjoyed leftovers all week. I used coconut cream to keep it dairy free. I’ll be making it again!
My family loved this! I am gluten free so always love this site for healthy but yummy recipes my whole family will love. My boys, ages 4 and 6, devoured this meal. No leftovers!
This recipe was a hit. Seasoning was on point! Did not have to make any adjustments. The only thing I did differently was leaving out the sour cream so that everyone could add on their own.
This chili is an absolute MUST make! I have won several chili competitions with this recipe, and get compliments on it every time I make it for others. It’s a staple in our household and we make it about 2-4x a month. Do not skip the bacon or the lime juice as this makes the recipe as tasty as it is!
One of our favorite instant pot go to recipes. I made it without the cream this time because I didn’t have it and it was still great.
Made this for the family and it was universally loved by all…even the picky eater! Thank you!
Great recipe. I absolutely love the lime and cilantro flavors in with the other ingredients. I did add some fresh jalepeno to the recipe since my family likes a bit more spice.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
I absolutely love this recipe. The lime and cilantro bring out the best flavors in this recipe.
I think it is even better than the beef chili. Thanks for sharing.
The best white chicken chili. Not too rich, but so nourishing and filling and always a crowd pleaser! We make it monthly!
Easy go to recipe. I even have done it with a whole chicken and just shred up all the meat once cooked!
Hi, I made this for dinner tonight. Flavours are great. My suggestion is to adjust the name of this dish to call it a soup. For my family, this doesn’t have enough body to be called a chili, but as a white chicken chili soup, it’s great. I served it with a quick cornbread. 🙂
Thanks for the feedback, Jodi! We’re glad you all enjoyed it!
I’ve always liked white chicken chili, but the bacon made this recipe absolutely incredible!
Wahoo! We’re so glad the bacon leveled this recipe up for you!
This recipe is one of my family’s absolute favorites. I make it for parties too, and everyone LOVES it. Could not be easier to make either!
We’re so glad this is a favorite in your house, Stephanie!! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!
Really lovely dish. The broth is amazing! Even the picky teenager ate it and deemed it “alright.” (That’s a win in our house). I made it in a big pot on the stovetop and it was easy peasy. I used the trick to keep the sour cream from curdling and it worked well. Will definitely make again.
Haha, that is a win! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it!
I make this recipe on repeat! The ingredients blend perfectly together and is a refreshing take on traditional chili. My kids are fans as well, often asking for the white chili if we are putting chili on the weekly menu! I pour mine over some cauliflower rice to boost the veggies!
I love that, Morgan! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!