Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Posted Sep 04, 2021, Updated Feb 09, 2023
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This white bean chicken chili recipe is easy to make with only 5 minutes of hands-on preparation. Slow cooker white chicken chili is flavorful, creamy and one of our family’s cozy fall meals.
I make this chicken chili so much that I needed to add a new recipe to our meal list. So, I created this white chicken chili recipe that is just as delicious but with a slightly different flavor profile.
This white bean chicken chili is easy to make in the slow cooker with only 5 minutes of hands-on preparation. It’s a flavorful, creamy and a delicious cozy fall meal.
White Chicken Chili: Ingredients
- Chicken breasts. Use boneless-skinless chicken breasts.
- Salsa. The color of the salsa will determine if this white chicken chili is really white, or if it’s more orange. 😉 To make it lighter color use a green salsa. I find that my red salsa still yields a whiteish/very light color.
- Diced green chiles. You can use mild (our choice) or kick up the spice with spicy green chiles.
- Onion. Any onion variety works: yellow, white, sweet, red, it’s your choice.
- Green pepper. Feel free to substitute green pepper for another pepper of your choosing. Red, yellow or orange bell peppers are great choices, or pick a spicy pepper like jalapeños.
- White cheddar cheese. I prefer a very sharp white cheddar, use your favorite.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Northern beans. Use any beans you like, but white beans (northern) are our favorites.
How to make white chicken chili
I love how easy this recipe is to make! As always, we’ll walk through the process together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
To begin, combine salsa, green chiles, chicken broth, onion, and minced garlic in the container of a slow cooker and stir to combine. Then add the chicken and turn it to coat it with the mixture.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until the chicken is easily shredded with a fork. Then, shred the chicken with two forks (or remove and shred it however you prefer). Return the chicken to the crockpot.
Once the chicken is shredded, add the rest of the ingredient and stir to combine.
Cook for additional 2 hours on low, or 1 hour on high, until the green peppers are soft and cheese is melted. Stirring every 15-20 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve
Serve warm with your favorite toppings (sour cream, chopped chives, crushed chips, etc.) and a side of the best cornbread (or cornbread croutons).
Store/freeze
Let the chili cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQS
Yes! You can easily double this recipe and make it in one large crockpot or two smaller ones.
Yes, this recipe freezes exceptionally well. Put it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
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Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts raw
- 16 oz salsa
- 4 oz diced green chilies
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup onion diced (about half of a medium onion)
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1 green pepper diced
- 8 oz white cheddar cheese diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 15 oz great northern beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- In the container of a slow cooker, combine salsa, green chiles, chicken broth, onion, and minced garlic and stir to combine.
- Add chicken and turn to coat.
- Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is easily shredded with a fork. Shred chicken.
- Add green pepper, cheese, sour cream, cumin, sea salt, pepper, chili powder and beans and stir to combine.
- Cook 2 additional hours on low, or 1 on high, until green peppers are soft and cheese is melted. Stirring occasionally to melt the cheese.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chicken breasts. Use boneless-skinless chicken breasts.
- Salsa. The color of the salsa will determine if this white chicken chili is really white, or if it’s more orange. To make it lighter color use a green salsa. I find that my red salsa still yields a whiteish/very light color.
- Diced green chiles. You can use mild (our choice) or kick up the spice with spicy green chiles.
- Onion. Any onion variety works: yellow, white, sweet, red, it’s your choice.
- Green pepper. Feel free to substitute green pepper for another pepper of your choosing. Red, yellow or orange bell peppers are great choices, or pick a spicy pepper like jalapeños.
- White cheddar cheese. I prefer a very sharp white cheddar, use your favorite.
- Sour cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Northern beans. Use any beans you like, but white beans (northern) are our favorites.
Serve
Serve warm with your favorite toppings (sour cream, chopped chives, crushed chips, etc.) and a side of the best cornbread (or cornbread croutons).Store/freeze
Let the chili cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photos in this post were taken by Jamie from Dishing Out Health.
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Can this be done with frozen chicken breast?
Yes, but I suggest thawing them first.
Definitely one of my go to’s when I’m short on time and can throw this together .. I’ve got a fresh pot on the counter cooking right now ..
The only adjustments I made were instead of the cheddar cheese I added an 8 oz package of regular cream cheese – and spices according to taste – and I left the salsa out –
I also added in 2 stocks of celery for that unique crunch and zest with this hearty chili .
Topped with shredded cheese and a dab of sour cream. Will serve with my favorite tortilla chips ..
Thank you Laura ..
You can’t go wrong !!
Thank you Richard!
Thank you so much for such a delightful and delicious recipe! It’s great with cornbread, though I have yet to try your recipe. I used sharp cheddar cheese instead of white cheddar. I also noticed that in Step 1 of the recipe, it says to combine the green chiles in the slow cooker and in Step 4 it says to add the chilies after the chicken is shredded.
I added the chiles in the first Step only, I hope I did it right. Regardless it tasted so good!
Thank you Susana! I fixed that error in the recipe I’m so grateful you pointed it out to me! I’m glad you love the chili too! Definitely try my cornbread recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
perfect weeknight meal! full of flavor & so simply to make. Will be keeping this in my recipe rotation throughout the fall/winter!
Great flavor! I love the addition of cheese and sour cream here! I made a few adjustments: I replaced a portion of the salsa with canned diced tomatoes, left out the bell pepper, and adjusted the spices to our taste preferences. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!