I’m all about cozy soups and stews this time of year and our Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili has always been one of my favorites. But this week I changed it up by making a faster stovetop version with no jarred salsa, and a super creamy finish. The result is an extra cozy, creamy, and lush White Chicken Chili that is easy enough for a weeknight. It’s so good, I think you’re going to want to make it all winter long!
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What’s in White Chicken Chili?
White chicken chili is a thick and rich chicken and bean stew made with tender chicken thighs, beans, corn, green chiles, jalapeño, onion, garlic, and a medley of southwest-inspired spices. Rather than using a tomato-based broth, like beef chili, white chicken chili uses chicken broth thickened with a little cream cheese and sour cream to make it extra rich and delicious.
Can I use Chicken Breast?
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they’re super forgiving and always stay tender and delicious. Chicken breasts, on the other hand, can be a bit finicky and can dry out if overcooked. You can use chicken breasts for this recipe but you’ll want to be very careful not to cook them over too high of heat. Keep the chili on a gentle simmer so the breast meat cooks slowly without getting tough and dry.
Is White Chicken Chile Spicy?
You can make this white chicken chili either spicy or mild! If you prefer a mild chicken chili, simply skip the fresh jalapeño, make sure to buy mild canned diced green chiles, and skip the cayenne pepper.
If you’d like a spicier white chicken chili, make sure to include some of the seeds from the jalapeño, buy hot diced green chiles, and add more cayenne pepper to your liking. A few dashes of hot sauce would be awesome, as well!
Chicken Chili Toppings
My favorite part of chili, be it beef chili or white chicken chili, is the toppings. Sure, you can eat (and enjoy) a bowl of this chili plain, but I love to pile on the toppings to make my bowl my own. Here are some delicious topping ideas for white chicken chili:
- Sour Cream
- Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese
- Green Onion
- Cilantro
- Tortilla Chips
- Hot Sauce
- Fresh or Pickled Jalapeños
- Avocado
- Lime
Creamy White Chicken Chili
Servings 8 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.34)
- 1 jalapeño ($0.22)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($4.94)
- 2 15oz. cans cannellini beans (drained) ($1.78)
- 1 15oz. can pinto beans (drained) ($0.79)
- 1 7oz. can diced green chiles ($1.39)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.30)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 3 cups chicken broth ($0.35)
- 1 cup frozen corn ($0.47)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($1.10)
- ½ cup sour cream ($0.45)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Deseed then dice the jalapeño. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to a large pot with the olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions have softened.
- Add the chicken thighs, cannellini beans, pinto beans, diced green chiles, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, pepper, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the chili to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the chili simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes, remove the chicken thighs and shred with two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the pot along with the corn. Stir to combine and heat through.
- Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the chili until melted. Stir in the sour cream. To further thicken the chili, smash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
- Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve hot with your favorite toppings!
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How to Make White Chicken Chili – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince four cloves of garlic. Deseed then dice one jalapeño. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to a large pot with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the onions have softened.
Add 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, one 15oz. can of pinto beans (drained), two 15oz. cans of cannellini beans (drained), one 7oz. can of diced green chiles, 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and 3 cups chicken broth to the pot.
Stir everything together until combined. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the chili to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
After simmering for 30 minutes, remove the cooked chicken thighs to a cutting board and shred them with two forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and add 1 cup of frozen corn kernels. Stir to combine and heat through.
Add 4 oz. of cream cheese (cut into chunks) to the chili and stir until it has melted in. Stir in ½ cup sour cream.
To thicken the chili further, smash some of the beans against the side of the pot. The chili will thicken even more as it begins to cool. Taste the chili and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking.
Serve the chili hot with your favorite toppings!
Oh. my. word.
I made this today and it is going in the rotation. I left out the cream cheese – the sour cream was enough for me. The flavors were elegant. I used half a can of jalenos instead of fresh – totally fine.
Thank for this recipe!
Forgot to rate it! 5 stars!
This was delicious and was a big hit with my husband. I didn’t modify the recipe at all and will make it exactly the same next time.
Many of the white chilis I have made in the past were boring and bland. This one is bursting with flavor and also very filling. Followed the recipe as usual with great results from budget bytes! Will be doing it again for sure!
This is so good I almost cried. Will be making on repeat for the rest of eternity!
Side note: I accidentally used the whole 8oz package of cream cheese, so I left out the sour cream. I’ll do it the “real” way next time, but if anyone doesn’t want to buy both ingredients (and to have leftover cream cheese), FYI it worked great!
SO awesome! I had to modify this slightly as I’m cooking for a husband who hates cream cheese and a toddler, so once I sauteed the onion and garlic I added some flour and cooked for a minute then slowly added the chicken stock (as when making a gravy). At the end I added a little heavy cream for the ‘creamy’ aspect. I skipped the spicy stuff and used the meat off a rotisserie chicken. Husband said it had great flavor and toddler ate her entire bowl with gusto. So excited for leftovers!
This is tasty! I wish I amped up the spice level a little more.
My grocery store didn’t have boneless chicken thighs, so I went with bone-in after some consideration. I put them in the pot with the skin on and skimmed the bubbly scum off the top for the first few minutes. 30 minutes of simmering was still enough to cook them through and I discarded the skin and bones at the shredding stage. I think it added some good texture and flavor to the broth, overall!
Made this last night for dinner and it was an automatic hit with the boyfriend and I. Will absolutely join the winter-week night meal rotation as it is that quick and simple.
We plan to add 8 oz. shredded, sharp cheddar to the next full batch we make along with the sour cream and cream cheese. We’re trying to echo the Max and Erma’s tortilla soup of our childhoods.
I made this tonight and it’s *amazing*! I left out the jalapeno since I’m a wimp when it comes to spices (my spouse added her own slices on top, though). And I started with some bacon grease instead of olive oil. So delicious. Thanks for another favorite!
How well would leftovers freeze?
Hi, Tiffani! I think the leftovers (or even making a double batch and freezing half for a rainy day) would work very well (without any toppings mixed in)! First, I would allow it to cool completely, uncovered, before loading it into freezer bags. Also, I like the lay the ziploc bag down on a 1/4 sheet tray when I put it into the freezer to protect against spillage and so that it freezes flat for optimal storage. I also make sure to label it, including the date I made/froze it and the “expiration date.” This will safely keep about a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer. — Marion :)
Not well. The texture will change significantly. If you want to meal prep, I recommend making it just before you add the cheese and cream. Freezing until you’re ready to finish it and then add the cream and cheese after thawing. XOXO -Monti
Excellent white chili!
Can I substitute canned corn for frozen? Frozen corn is sadly unavailable where I live.
Absolutely.
Could I use leftover chicken or turkey that has already been cooked? Would I simmer all other ingredients for a bit and then stir it in at the end to heat through? Thank you so much can’t wait to try it.
If i want to make this a crockpot recipe- do I throw everything in on low for 5 hours and add the cream cheese and sour cream at the end?
Budget Bytes has a slow cooker white chicken chili recipe too. It’s separate from this one.
Hi Kate, yes, we have a very similar recipe that is made in the slow cooker that you can check out here: https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili/ (it’s also linked in the introduction paragraph at the top of the post)
Can you use lite cream cheese and lite sour cream?
Yes. Though you do need the fat content for a silky texture, the basic flavor will be there.
This is a great recipe. It’s light on prep, flexible, and delicious.
I used a prepackaged mix of purple, white, and sweet corn which gave it a nice color. I used about 2/3 the sour cream and cream cheese as written; the chili thickened enough as it cooled.