This white chicken chili is packed full of flavor, with shredded chicken, corn, white beans and more. It can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove top. And is so good topped with tortilla strips, avocado, or sour cream!
This white chicken chili is packed full of so much delicious flavor. It’s full of shredded chicken, corn, diced chiles, and white beans. It has a chicken broth base, and no tomatoes, keeping it “white”, so that’s where it gets the name of white chili from. You’ll also love this white chicken taco casserole!
The soup can either be made on the stove top if you’re in a hurry, or in the slow cooker if you’re heading out for the day or just want to get dinner going in the morning to be ready at dinner time.
Another comforting soup you may love is this Tuscan white bean soup.
I first heard of white chicken chili from a friend’s mom, several years ago. I got this recipe from her, and changed it a bit to fit our tastes. It’s been one of my favorite recipes for almost 10 years now. I’ve made it for an easy dinner at home, I’ve made it for our annual Ugly Sweater Christmas Party, and I made it for a church dinner where I was asked to bring chili to share. It was one of the first, maybe the first of all the chilis to be gone, so you know it’s good!
This chili has a bit of a kick! It’s not too spicy though, but if you don’t like spice at all you can leave the cayenne pepper out, or cut the amount down to even less. You can also get mild green chilis to make sure they’re not too spicy either.
How to make white chicken chili in the slow cooker?
Add your minced onion, minced garlic, chicken broth, raw chicken, white beans, diced green chiles, corn, and all your spices to a crock pot. Stir it all together and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove the chicken and shred it up. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, then stir in the sour cream and the cheese. Cook for another 20 minutes on high until the soup is nice and creamy.
Serve the chicken chili with all your favorite toppings and enjoy!
How to make white chicken chili on the stove?
If you cook your soup on the stove, you’ll need to saute the onion and garlic before adding in the rest of the ingredients. In the crockpot they cook long enough to get soft, but without this step they’ll be hard still and not enjoyable. You’ll then add in the rest of your ingredients (except the sour cream and cheese) and let the whole soup simmer for 30 minutes, or longer if needed. When you’re almost ready to eat, stir in the sour cream and cheese and simmer the soup for another 10 minutes.
If you’re going for the stove top version, you’ll also want your chicken to be precooked. This is a perfect way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, or sometimes I cook a bunch of chicken at the beginning of the week and keep in the fridge for different recipes I need it for, like this soup, tacos, bbq chicken sandwiches, or salads, etc.)
My favorite part about soups like this white chicken chili is the toppings! There are so many yummy toppings you can put on the soup, some of my favorites are crunchy tortilla strips, extra cheese, sour cream, and avocado!
White Chicken Chili Topping Ideas:
- tortilla strips
- tortilla chips
- diced avocado
- fresh cilantro
- jalapeno
- green onion
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
How to store white chicken chili?
If you have any leftover chicken chili you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. It should stay good in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
This white chicken chili is so creamy, hearty, and comforting. It’s perfect on a cold fall or winter day paired with tortilla chips, or some corn bread. It’s flavorful, and so delicious, and I just know you’ll love it!
What people are saying about this white chicken chili recipe:
If you want a great fall soup, try this white chicken chili that cooks in the slow cooker all day. Easy recipe and everyone loves it” – Chelsie Garrett
Looking for more chicken soup recipes?
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White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 4 cups shredded chicken* (or 2 to 3 large raw chicken breasts)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans white beans (drained and rinsed)
- 7 oz can can diced green chiles
- 1 can corn (drained)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, monterey jack, or mexican blend work great)
Optional Toppings:
- cilantro
- avocado
- tortilla strips
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
For the Stovetop:
- Heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.
- Add your minced onion and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in your chicken broth, shredded chicken, white beans, green chiles, corn, and spices. Allow the soup to simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add in your sour cream and cheese and stir to combine.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with your choice of toppings.
For the Slow Cooker:
- Put all ingredients; onion, garlic, raw chicken breasts, chicken broth, white beans, green chiles, corn and spices into your slow cooker. Stir it all together.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for about 6-7 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and shred with 2 forks.
- Return shredded chicken to slow cooker.
- Stir in your sour cream and cheese.
- Put the lid back on the slow cooker, and cook on high for another 20 minutes, or until chili is thickened and creamy.
- Serve with your choice of toppings.
Video
Nutrition
This white chicken chili was first published on July 20, 2011. The photos and text were updated on October 16, 2020.
Rusty says
This is not my favorite White Chili Recipe. It is more like a soup. It was fine.
Attie L Beck says
This was so delicious! I highly suggest subbing the canned corn for fresh corn cut off the cob. It stays crunchy in the crock pot and made it even better with that texture.
Aimee says
That sounds so delicious!
Karen says
Delicious! I’m really glad I came across it. Thanks!
Emy says
This recipe is now one of my favorites. It has such a savory, delicious taste. I subbed cream cheese for sour cream and chicken tenderloin for breast because that’s what I had on hand. I accidentally forgot to put the corn in it and it still ended up great! I have this recipe saved now and it’s definitely one I’ll be revisiting.
Pam says
I made this to take to a family that just got home from a month staying in a hospital room with their son who had Covid.
It smelled heavenly cooking and was very tasty. I’m going to make this at Christmas when my family is in town. This recipe makes a big pot! Pair it with a salad & cornbread! It’s a meal.
Karen Carr says
Fantastic!!! Used less chilis & chili powder based on notes and that was perfect for us. Will use more chilis next time.
Can’t wait to make again & would be a great dish to take somewhere for potluck
Tracy says
What sort of white beans do you suggest? I, more or less, bought two cans of each kind at the store! Ha!
Aimee Berrett says
I think I usually use navybeans, but canelli or great Northern should work okay too!
A. Snack says
How many servings did this make?
Aimee Berrett says
I’m not sure exactly. I’d guess 6-8 depending how big the bowls are.
Chelsie and Lyndon says
Aimee, I just tried making this last night and it was delicious! I used black beans instead of white since that's what I had on hand, and I also didn't have any cayenne pepper so I substituted for chili powder. Lyndon loved it, so this will definitely be a keeper in our house.
Jessie and Curtis says
I've also seen this recipe using a whole rotisserie chicken (really cheap from Costco or Walmart). The chicken is a little more tender and it adds a really great flavor!
Karen Hurd says
A friend of mine gave me one of her mother-in-law's recipes. It is tasty but not good for you at all.3/4 stick of butter1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix1pkg cream cheese1 can cream of chicken soupMix together and pour over chicken (we use about 4 chicken breasts, but whatever works best for you) in a crock pot. Cook about 6 hours on low or until tender. We eat it over mashed potatoes but its good over pasta as well.Its really not a healthy meal at all, so we don't eat it very often.