This Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is such an easy, healthy, creamy, and delicious crockpot recipe! Packed with lean shredded chicken breasts, fiber-packed beans, and veggies like corn, peppers, and celery, this soup is sure to warm you up and make you feel great. As a bonus, this recipe makes a TON, so you can freeze leftovers or serve it at a party (football food, anyone?). I like serving it topped with avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce, and shredded cheese. You can also easily make it on your stovetop!
I’m not really sure how white chicken chili became a thing, since it’s unlike any other chili recipe I’ve ever had. And living in Texas, I can’t be going around calling any old thing “chili.” (Texans are VERY particular about the fact that chili has all beef and NO beans and don’t you dare try and argue. Believe me, I’ve tried.).
Regardless of the semantics of the word chili, I think we can all agree on one thing, Texan or not: this white chicken chili is DELICIOUS. It’s mild and simply flavored, which makes it perfect for the whole family. And it’s so easy to make in your slow cooker!
How to make White Chicken Chili in your slow cooker
To make this white chicken chili, cook chicken breasts, veggies, spices, and chicken stock in a crockpot, shred the chicken, and stir in a few more ingredients at the end just before serving.
- Place chicken breasts, diced celery and onions, a diced jalapeño, canned diced green chilies, ground cumin, salt, dried oregano, bay leaves, and chicken stock in a large slow cooker. This recipe makes a TON, so you should use a 6-8 quart crockpot.
- Cook on low for 5 1/2 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts to a plate or cutting board and shred apart with two forks. Place the meat back into the crockpot.
- Add canned beans and frozen corn to the soup. Continue heating for 15 minutes, until everything is warmed up.
- Stir in sour cream and lime juice, just before serving.
I recommend using homemade chicken stock if you can- it’s cheaper and way more delicious than store bought!
What to serve with white chicken chili:
I’m a big fan of piling a bunch of fixings on top of a bowl of chili. For white chicken chili, these are the fixings I recommend:
- Shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or Cheddar)
- Diced avocado
- Hot Sauce (I like Chipotle Tabasco personally)
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- More sour cream
- Extra lime wedges
If you’re serving this chili for a group at a party, I recommend serving the fixings in small bowls for the guests to help themselves.
How to make it spicy
This is easy- just leave the seeds from the jalapeño pepper in, instead of removing them! You could also add a little cayenne pepper to the mix if you want.
Ingredient substitutions
It’s easy to modify this recipe to fit certain dietary restrictions and preferences. It’s already gluten-free, but here are a few more suggestions.
- To make it grain-free, omit the corn or replace with chopped up zucchini.
- For a vegetarian version, double up on the beans (try using two kinds) and omit the chicken, and use veggie stock.
- To make it dairy free, use coconut milk instead of sour cream, or omit it all together.
- For paleo/whole30, omit the beans and add more chicken-try a mix of thighs and breasts. Also, omit the corn and sour cream (or use compliant replacements).
- To make it low-carb, replace the corn with chopped zucchini and use more chicken instead of the beans.
Other chili recipes:
- Pumpkin Chili (Instant Pot, Slow cooker, or Stovetop)
- Instant Pot Chili with Ground Beef and Dry Beans (slow cooker friendly)
- Crockpot Turkey and Vegetable Chili
- Smoky Vegetarian Chili
- Chicken Chili with Black Eyed Peas (from Grandbaby Cakes)
Be sure to check out all my other soup recipes, like this mild green chili and corn chowder, and slow cooker recipes!
Did you make this slow cooker white chicken chili recipe? Please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 onions diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and finely diced
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
- 12 oz. canned mild fire roasted diced green chilies (three 4-oz. cans)
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 28 oz. canned white kidney beans or cannellini, navy, or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 8 oz. sour cream
- juice of one lime
- optional: shredded Monterey jack cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, more sour cream, and/or hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for beans, corn, sour cream, and lime juice into a large slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 5 1/2 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred or dice to small pieces and stir back into the slow cooker.
- Stir in the beans and corn. Heat for 15 minutes more, covered.
- Just before serving, stir in sour cream and lime juice.
- Serve with optional fixings.
Notes
- Money saving tip: use chicken thighs instead of breasts.
- For a spicy version, leave the seeds in the jalapeño.
- For a dairy free version, omit the sour cream or replace it with coconut milk.
- For a grain free version, omit the corn.
- For small slow cookers, divide the ingredients in half.
- To make on the stove top, follow the same directions but instead of cooking for 5 1/2 hours, cook on low heat, covered, for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious in October 2016. It’s been updated with revised instructions, new photos, and includes more detailed relevant information.
Pamela
I have never made white chili. It never appealed to me and I’m not a big fan of chili. I wanted something warm to eat, I’m tired of salad and I had limited ingredients. I like your recipes so I decided to give it a try. I made some adjustments to make it more keto (because I gained a ton over the holidays). In addition to that, I didn’t have all the ingredients listed. All I can say is wow! This was an easy and delicious recipe! My son liked it so much, he had two helpings for dinner and then ate the leftovers for breakfast. I’m adding this recipe to our regular rotation!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your son liked it! Thanks so much :-)
Christa Medine
This was great! I like spicy, so I’ll probably add a jalapeno or two next time, but otherwise the flavors were delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! I think they also make those green chiles in a spicy version, so that might be a good way to kick it up a notch too :-)