White Chicken Chili
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Savor the delicious flavors of this White Chicken Chili recipe by tossing it in a Crock Pot in the morning, then coming home to a warm and healthy meal in the evening. This slow cooker recipe is so easy to make and loaded with flavor from fresh jalapenos, green chilies and spices. This is a must-make fall and winter recipe, that your family will request over and over again!
Table of contents
This recipe has been one of my favorite things to toss in a Crock Pot since 2015 when I first introduced it on the blog. It’s easy to prep in 15 minutes, then the slow cooker does the rest of the work.
White chicken chili is different from traditional chili because it’s not made with tomatoes or tomato sauce. The liquid in the soup is made up of chicken broth, green chilies and lime juice tossed with lots of delicious herbs and spices.
The base of the soup is made with ground chicken, jalapenos, and two kinds of white beans, cannellini beans and great northern beans. It has a similar texture to traditional chili, but with it’s own unique and delicious flavor.
It’s light and healthy, yet still warm and cozy. It’s the perfect combination for staying warm during the chilly winter months, while still eating something that’s delicious and nutritious. I promise, when you try this white chicken chili recipe, you’re going to love it!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – you can also use another neutral-flavored oil, like avocado oil or canola oil.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for it’s nice, neutral flavor, but for a bit more bite, you can also use a red onion.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh-minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Jalapeno – if you don’t like spice, you can omit the jalapeno. But if you’re okay with just a little bit of spice, I recommend keeping it in there for the flavor.
- Ground chicken
- Ground cumin + dried oregano + chili powder + black pepper + salt – to season the chili.
- Cannellini beans – also known as white kidney beans, these beans have a thicker skin and bolder bean taste than Great Northern Beans.
- Great northern beans – these beans have a more mild flavor than the cannellini beans, with a nutty taste that makes them a perfect pair in this recipe.
- Diced green chiles – these canned chiles are found in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores, near the salsas and hot sauce. They are mild in spice, but add great flavor to the chili
- Chicken broth
- Lime juice – I recommend fresh-squeezed juice for the best flavor.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, recipe video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Saute onions and peppers. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and jalapenos and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer everything from the skillet to a slow cooker.
- Cook the ground chicken. Place the same skillet back on the stove over medium-high heat and add two pounds of ground chicken. Crumble and cook, until the chicken is no longer pink. Season the chicken with cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans, and a can of great northern beans, and add them to the slow cooker. Add an entire can of diced green chilies. Add chicken broth and frozen corn, then stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Slow cook the chili. Set the Crock Pot to low and cook for 6-8 hours, or set it to high and cook for 3-4 hours.
- Add the lime juice. After the chili has slow cooked, open the lid and stir in the lime juice before serving.
Ways to top it
When serving the chili, feel free to add the toppings of your choice. This might be sour cream and cheese for a creamy topping, sliced jalapenos for a bit of spice, or tortilla strips for a delicious crunch. Either way, you can’t go wrong with adding 1, 2 or all of these toppings to your bowl of chili!
- Thinly sliced avocado
- Lime wedges – for juicing over the chili
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapeno
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Shredded pepper jack or monterey jack cheese
- Tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips
How to make it on the stove
This recipe is also easy to make on the stove, if you don’t have a few hours to leave it in the slow cooker. Follow these simple steps to make the chili in under an hour on the stove top.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium high heat.
- Add the diced onions and jalapenos. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground chicken, crumble and cook until no longer pink, around 7-9 minutes.
- Season the chicken with the cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper and salt. Stir to combine.
- Drain and rinse the cans of cannellini beans and great northern beans, and add them to the pot. Add the entire can of diced green chilies. Add chicken broth and frozen corn, then stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the lime juice before serving.
Substitutions and variations
- To make a creamy white chicken chili – add 8 ounces of cubed cream cheese during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Allow it to melt into the chili, then stir it up after 30 minutes to make sure it’s completely melted into the chili.
- To make keto white chicken chili – omit the two cans of beans and the frozen corn. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 31 grams, down to 7 grams, and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving. The chili will still have a wonderful flavor, with a slightly different texture, but it’s perfect for those on a low carb diet.
- To make shredded chicken chili – I’ve made this recipe with whole chicken breasts, shredded after the chili was cooked, and ground chicken. I prefer the texture of the ground chicken, it feels more like chili to me, whereas the shredded chicken felt more like soup. That being said, if you want to make it with shredded chicken, cook the diced onions, jalapenos and garlic in a skillet, as instructed. Season two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper and salt, then sear them in the same skillet that you cooked the onions and jalapenos. Add them to a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. After the chili has slow cooked, remove the chicken breasts from the Crock Pot, shred the chicken, then add it back to the Crock Pot before serving the chili.
- To make white turkey chili, simply substitute ground turkey for the ground chicken.
Recipe tips
- Using the ingredients shown above, this recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy free, without any toppings. If you want to keep it dairy-free, I recommend adding avocado on top for creaminess, instead of cheese or sour cream.
- If cannellini beans can’t be found, you can simply use two cans of great northern beans, or substitute in navy white beans. If you can’t find great northern beans, you can simply use two cans of cannellini beans.
- This recipe has a mild-to-medium spice level, depending on how sensitive you are to spice. To reduce the spice, omit the jalapeno. To increase the spice, add 1 serrano pepper, diced and seeded, with the jalapeno, or add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- If you want to thicken the broth of the chili, I recommend adding a cornstarch slurry at the end. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, or chicken broth. Pour this mixture into the chili after the cooking time and stir to combine.
- To double this recipe, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update. This is great for making a big batch of chili for a party, or if you want to freeze a second batch for a future meal. I promise, future you will thank you!
Storage and reheating
White chicken chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
The chili can be reheated in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also add the chili back to a slow cooker and reheat on low for 1 hour.
To reheat the chili in the microwave, place a single serving of chili in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until heated throughout.
You can also freeze leftover chili for up to 4 months. After the chili is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer. To allow it to cool safely, place it in the refrigerator first.
Once cooled, transfer the chili to a freezer safe Ziplock bag. Flatten the chili in the freezer bag for quicker and easier defrosting. When it’s time to defrost the chili, I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to thaw.
After it’s thawed, place it back in a slow cooker on low heat for 3-4 hours to reheat. You can also reheat the chili in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.
What to serve with it
We all know, that cornbread + chili = the ultimate combo, so I love to serve this white chicken chili with Slow Cooker Cornbread or Gluten Free Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread on the side.
It’s also great with chips and salsa, guacamole, or green chili queso blanco.
More slow cooker recipes
Make weeknight meals a breeze by adding these other popular slow cooker recipes to your menu!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- 15 ounce can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
- 7 ounce can diced green chilies
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ cup lime juice, fresh-squeezed
Optional Toppings
- lime, sliced into wedges
- sour cream
- avocado, sliced
- jalapeño, sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and jalapeno, cook for 4-5 minutes
- Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Transfer everything from the skillet to a slow cooker.
- Place the same skillet back on the stove over medium-high heat and add the two pounds of ground chicken.
- Crumble and cook, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 7-9 minutes.
- Season the chicken with the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
- Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and great northern beans, then add them to the slow cooker.
- Add the entire can of diced green chilies, along with the chicken broth and frozen corn. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Cover and slow cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.
- After the chili has slow cooked, open the lid and stir in the lime juice before serving.
- Serve the chili with the optional toppings of your choice.
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe on the stove top, refer to the blog post above for the full instructions.
- To make keto white chicken chili – omit the two cans of beans and the frozen corn. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 31 grams, down to 7 grams, and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving.
- Using the ingredients shown above, this recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy free, without any toppings.
- This recipe has a mild-to-medium spice level, depending on how sensitive you are to spice. To reduce the spice, omit the jalapeno. To increase the spice, add 1 serrano pepper, diced and seeded, with the jalapeno, or add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- If you want to thicken the broth of the chili, I recommend adding a cornstarch slurry at the end. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, or chicken broth. Pour this mixture into the chili after the cooking time and stir to combine.
- Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
- The chili can be reheated in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.
- You can also add the chili back to a slow cooker and reheat on low for 1 hour.
- To reheat the chili in the microwave, place a single serving of chili in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until heated throughout.
- You can freeze leftover chili for up to 4 months. After the chili is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer. Once cooled, transfer the chili to a freezer safe Ziplock bag. Flatten the chili in the freezer bag for quicker and easier defrosting. When it’s time to defrost the chili, I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to thaw. After it’s thawed, place it back in a slow cooker on low heat for 3-4 hours to reheat. You can also reheat the chili in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “White Chicken Chili”
One of the best chicken chili recipes I have made. Full of flavor and makes great leftovers for your busy week.