I’m all about cozy soups, and the White Chicken Chili recipe has always been one of my favorites. This Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is the perfect example of why people love slow cookers so much. You literally just dump everything in the slow cooker, give it a quick stir, then turn it on and walk away. When you come back you have this hearty white bean chicken chili that’s ready for topping with creamy cheese and diving in with some tortilla chips. And when the sky is dark, the air is cold, and you’ve got the winter blues, easy dinners like this are a total life saver!
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See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Does White Chicken Chili Have Chili Powder?
Nope! Unlike traditional red chili, this “white” chili does not contain chili powder. It’s flavored using salsa verde, cumin, and oregano. This chili gets its name from the white beans used in place of the red kidney beans used in red chili.
Is This Chili Spicy?
This chili is a “medium” level spicy. If you want to make the chili more mild, skip the jalapeño and cayenne pepper listed in the ingredients, and make sure to use a mild salsa verde.
What Size Slow Cooker do I Need?
You can make this in a 3-4 quart slow cooker, or double the recipe for a 5-7 qt slow cooker and feed a crowd. I have a 5 quart slow cooker (affiliate link) and the recipe, as listed below, filled it about half way.
Can This White Chicken Chili be Frozen?
Yes, this chili freezes very well! As always, make sure to chill your chili completely in the refrigerator first, before transferring to the freezer for long term storage. I prefer to freeze all my leftovers in single portions so they can be reheated one by one whenever I get hungry.
Chili Topping Ideas
I highly suggest topping this chili with something creamy, like the Monterrey jack cheese listed in the ingredients below, some sour cream, or avocado. The creamy flavor is the perfect contrast to the salsa verde. You can also top with some green onion, sliced jalapeño, cilantro, pico de gallo, crumbled cornbread, or pickled red onions.
Easy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 jalapeño (optional) ($0.11)
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) ($3.62)
- 1 16oz. jar salsa verde ($2.59)
- 2 15oz. cans cannellini beans ($0.98)
- 1 15oz. can pinto beans ($0.89)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.30)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ($0.03)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded ($0.85)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Slice the jalapeńo lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a spoon, then dice. Place the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and chicken breast in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and pinto beans, then add them to the slow cooker, along with the cumin, oregano, cayenne, and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the salsa over top.
- Pour two cups of chicken broth over the contents in the cooker and then give everything a brief stir. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours, or on low for eight hours.
- After four hours on high, or eight hours on low, carefully remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the slow cooker. Stir the chili, slightly mashing the beans with the back of the spoon as you stir. The mashed beans will help thicken the chili.
- Serve the chili topped with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Other optional toppings include fresh cilantro, diced avocado, freshly squeeze lime, or tortilla chips.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Nutrition
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Serve with a side of Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread!
How to Make Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Slice the jalapeño in half, scrape out the seeds, then dice the remaining pepper. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and chicken breast to the slow cooker.
Drain and rinse two 15oz. cans of cannellini beans and one 15oz. can of pinto beans. Add the drained beans to the slow cooker along with 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, ¼ tsp cayenne, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Pour one 16oz. jar of salsa verde into the slow cooker (I’ve used many brands for this recipe in the past, the one in the photo is Kroger’s Private Selectrion brand).
Pour two cups of chicken broth into the slow cooker.
Briefly stir the contents of the slow cooker to distribute the spices. Place a lid on top and cook on high for four hours, or low for eight hours.
After cooking on high for four hours, or on low for eight hours, remove the chicken breast to a clean cutting board to shred (or you can shred directly in the pot with two forks).
Shred the chicken using two forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Use the back of a spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot. The smashed beans will help thicken the chili.
Top with your favorite ingredients and enjoy!
It’s pretty good with a random salsa verde, but if you can get it, green chile salsa really takes this up a notch (I’m partial to 505’s medium).
I dice my onion a bit smaller than shown to make sure it doesn’t have any remaining crunch after slow cooking, but don’t find the need to pre-cook it.
This is my go to chicken chili recipe. So easy and tasty! I always add frozen corn. It’s the best!
I have made this for years now and it is delicious!! Could you double the recipe and cook on low for 8 hours with the same result?
Love this recipe! I have a toddler that keeps me very busy and this was super easy and convenient to make in the slow cooker AND tastes delicious. I used two chicken thighs that had the bone-in and skin, but it was easy enough to remove the skin and bone after 4 hours on high (the meat literally fell off the bone because the chicken was so tender and moist!!!).
This was so easy and so delicious. I used two chicken breasts and increased the spices by about 25%. Rather than shread the chicken with forks, I just put them on a large cutting board and chopped them. Also, no need to mash beans, it was thick enough. Will definitely be making it on a regular basis.
I’m vegetarian but I made a version of this where I replaced the chicken with another can of beans, but I otherwise followed the recipe exactly so I’m still commenting here. It’s very good and the flavors are perfect.
Loved this so much! I’m almost through the 14 day pantry meal plan. I have to say, this is my favorite. All the recipes are wonderful. I just purchased the no pasta, no rice meal plan and I am looking forward to trying it. Thank you for the great recipes and the hard work of making the meal plans and grocery list. It has saved me so much time.
Spicy & scrumptious!!!!!!!
I had to use a can of kidney beans I accidentally grabbed instead of black beans but it feels filling because of my mistake.
I am not sure if it’s the salsa verde or the cayenne but this recipe is definitely spicy for my tame taste buds & I LOVE it!
I usually have to double or at least add another half of many of Budget Bytes’ recipe seasonings but this recipe is perfect as is!
I will definitely double the batch next time and freeze the leftovers.
Yum, yum, yum!
Great recipe! Have made a handful of times, making modifications of course. Sautéed onions and garlic. Added green chiles, and a can of corn. Also added paprika, salt, chili powder, and onion/garlic powder. 3 chicken breasts instead of 1. Don’t like it too heavy on the beans so I did 1.5 cans of white beans instead of the entire 2. Overall— one of my favorites!
I added low fat cream cheese frozen 🥶 onions and green and red peppers no heat, I do not like heat . Delish. Next time I’ll sauté onions and peppers first. I used cannellini and black beans drained.
Fantastic White Chicken Chili (soup). I wanted a white chicken chili that wasn’t so heavy/creamy like most recipes out there. This recipe is exactly that. More soup like. We omitted adding the jalapeños during cooking to reduce spiciness for my partner and just did the cayenne. Spice level was perfect.
We followed the recipe exactly and cooked it in the instant pot 25 mins manual high pressure and it turned out perfect. So good!!! Top with cilantro, avocado, jalapeño, lime juice. Will be making regularly during the winter!!
This smelled divine coming into the house after work. These kind of meals are always a favorite. The flavor was excellent, thank you. Will be making again.
I read previous reviews and made some modifications. First, I sautéed the onions and garlic as some said it made it more flavorful. Also, I used 4 cloves of garlic as I happen to like garlic. I used a serrano pepper but did not remove the seeds or spine because I wanted the heat. And one chicken breast??? How is that enough? I put 2 cause it’s just me but I could have easily put another small one and I don’t think it would have been a problem. And I went harder on the seasoning cause I don’t like bland food. That said, I really enjoyed it. Would make again.
Near the top of the list of family favorites!! We make it once a fortnight. :)
This recipe is really good, especially since it’s dump and go — you don’t even have to handle raw meat if you dump the chicken from the package. That said, I read some of the comments here indicating that they found it bland, and were suggesting that the onions should be sauteed, so I decided to try that. I sauteed the diced onion and two jalapenos without scooping out the seeds or the white parts (high spice tolerance) in 0.5 tbsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat in a small skillet, then dumped it in the crock pot and proceeded with the recipe as usual.
The result was that the chili was twice as delicious and satisfying for me. The only problem is now I’m going to feel the need to saute the onions and jalapenos every time to make it this delicious. Only other change I made (which I did with the original recipe as well) is adding 1 tsp of chipotle powder (again, spice tolerance).
So if you’re reading the comments with people saying it’s bland, I just want to point out that the base recipe is still really good, and I didn’t find it bland, but these guys are right that sauteing the onions is a gamechanger — just know you’re not going to want to go back to dump and go afterwards if you try it.
This has become a staple in our house! It is so easy, delicious and healthy, my 6 year old even loves it! I don’t add the jalapeños in the crockpot, I ease on the spice for my kids, then add pickled jalapeños to mine and it’s perfect!
Wow I am amazed by this recipe!!!! It’s so delicious. I didn’t have pinto beans so I modified with northern beans and cannellini. And I was a little pinched for time so I pressure cooked my semi-thawed frozen chicken with the broth, seasoning, and onion for 15 minutes then shredded and added in the beans and cooked it for 45 minutes. 100% will make this again!!!
This is in regular rotation for me and a big hit for any guests! I like experimenting with different accompaniments – cornbread, corn chips, guacamole, etc. Sometimes I just drain the leftovers and use it as taco filling. Always works great! Spice can be dialed up or down and chicken/beans ratio can be adjusted with your budget! I’ve made it with a pork loin and that worked well, too.
This recipe was amazing! My husband and I asked “Where has this been all our lives?” We loved this recipe with no modifications. Will definitely make this white chicken chili over and over! Thank you so much.
I LOVE this recipe. If you have pickled jalapeños in your fridge and chicken breast in your freezer, everything else is a pantry staple and you can whip this up any day of the week. It’s a dump and go kind of meal that’s excellent with cornbread or tortilla chips on the side. Plus it freezes great. What’s not to love?!
I’ve also made a version of this in a dutch oven while camping. It was a hit. :)
This recipe is incredibly mediocre. I believe because there’s no fat in the recipe. I suggest sauteeing the onions, garlic and jalapeño in oil or ghee first, then adding the other ingredients.
I make this in my Instantpot, sautéing the onions and spices in garlic olive oil first. Then I switch it over to slow cook and throw the rest in. It’s always turned out great!
This recipe is so good!
I also experimented and cooked this in the instant pot. A cooking time of 25 minutes was perfect. The only change is that I’d reduce the broth by ~1/2 cup for a more chili texture, the full liquid resulted in more of a stew. Otherwise the recipe can be followed exactly.
We Make this weekly for lunches and it’s delicious! We always add an extra chicken breast!
Easy to make but I was disappointed it wasn’t very good. I won’t make again.
Passed on to me by daughter Liz Mitchell. So easy to make and was just delicious! More than for two meals for Liz’s dad and me.
So good! Couldn’t be easier to make and had so much flavor
My family loves this easy, tasty recipe with tortilla chips on the side. It’s a regular at our house!
This delicious white chicken chili checks all the boxes: easy, delicious, and economical. Except for a bit of chopping it basically involves putting the ingredients in the crockpot and walking away. It was the perfect dinner for a cold winters day. Next time I would double the recipe so we could have some leftovers.
I just made this soup for dinner and it was delish! I had to make a few changes because of what I had in the house (no time to shop this morning), but nothing that made a big difference and it was still great. Subbed bone-in thighs for chicken breasts, omitted the jalapeño, used 1 can each of cannellini beans, navy beans and black beans, increased the chicken broth by 2 cups, and everything else as directed. Served it with fresh lime juice, cubed avocado, grated Monterey Jack cheese, and a dollop of sour cream; superb flavor and plenty of leftovers. My husband raved and asks for it to be made again. Thanks for the great recipe!
This will definitely become a staple in our meal rotation! It’s hearty, flavourful and delicious! I’ll need to double the recipe next time because my husband had three servings for dinner and now we have very little leftovers. The jalapeno adds a pretty good kick to it so no hot sauce was necessary – omit the jalapeno if you prefer a milder chili. I used boullion cubes in place of chicken stock – I didn’t bother dissolving them first, just added 2 cups of water and threw in the cubes and they dissolved while cooking. Such an easy recipe to pull together and great for the fall and winter months when you want something warm and hearty.
This became an all time favorite in hour house.
We are doing this chili at least 4 times a year. We are freezing some.
Took this recipe from a friend who received us for dinner and we loved it so much. Now family and some other friends asked for it and I had to write it in French since we are French Canadiens. Truly, it’s SSSSSOOOO DELICIOUS !!!!
Thanks for this recipe !!!
I came here to see if this freezes well. It seems like it should, or maybe add the cream cheese when reheating. I hope it turns out well for you!
Same cooking time if you double the recipe? I love this recipe and have made it several times but run out too quickly with my family. I want to double next time I make it
You can absolutely double. The cooking time should be about the same, but with higher volumes in the same size slow cooker, you will have to increase a touch. XOXO -Monti
This was delicious and so easy to make! The thing I would probably do next time is add an extra cup of broth, as I like a good amount of liquid in my soup, and I found this a bit lacking in that regard, though I did use maybe a third-pound more chicken so that’s probably on me. On a more general note, I just want to say that I truly appreciate your commitment to great food while also focusing on the cost, and trying to do things in the most affordable manner while not sacrificing taste. I’ve always been fairly willing to splurge on more expensive or unusual ingredients when a recipe called for them, but during this time of inflation I’ve really had to cut back on that and focus on cost and making recipes that use more common ingredients, and your website has been a godsend for me in that regard because the recipes are still excellent, so I don’t feel like I’m really giving up anything, all while saving a bit of money.
Well said, I completely agree! Thank you Beth and the Budget Bytes team.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Because I like spicy food, I used two jalapeños and also added some frozen corn. I’m looking forward to eating the leftovers.
I made this today and it was delicious! Will definitely make it again. Because I like spicy food, I used two jalapeños.
Any recommendations for using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Hi Brittany! The cooking time is so long that you should be fine subbing a chicken thigh for a breast. You can also brown the thigh before adding it to the mix. If you have a thermometer, check to see that the internal temperature is at at least 160 to 165 degrees before eating it. If you don’t have a thermometer, place the thigh on a whiter plate and press down. If the juices run clear, you are good to go.
I have used this recipe at least 5x by now. Never have used Chicken Breast and always with Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks, and it has always come out really fantastic! I also double the amount of Jalapeno and Cayenne Pepper, and usually go for about 1 lb of meat, since chicken thighs is $1.39 per lb, where I live.
This was a great recipe!!! I had great northern and navy beans on hand. I will definitely will be making this again!!
Hi! Would you recommend making any adjustments to the other ingredients if I were to leave the chicken out?
Maybe add an extra can of beans to make up for the volume loss? But other than that you shouldn’t have to make any adjustments. :)
Have you done this with dry (soaked overnight) beans instead of canned? Thanks!
I haven’t tried that yet, unfortunately!
Hi, I did it but I cooked my beans before doing the recipe.
I only use dry beans because it’s so much cheaper and taste better but you really have to cook them well before doing this recipe.
This recipe is now a classic at home, WE LOVE IT ! There is spaghetti sauce and there is this chili recipe.
This chili was delicious. I was a little short on time, so I cooked it in my instant pot. I sauteed the onion and garlic and then added it to my IP. I used pinto, kidney and cannellini beans.. I also used a skinless bone in chicken breast for added flavor. I omitted the jalapeno. I used the pressure cook setting on high for 12 minutes and it came out perfectly. I topped the chili with cilantro, lime and avocado.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times with a few key changes:
1. Chicken thighs instead of breasts. Lightly season and sear them in a cast iron pan before adding them to the crock pot.
2. Double or even triple the amounts of spices, and able sure to add salt to taste.
3. Triple the amount of garlic.
4. I put about 4-5 jalapeños in and do not remove the seeds.
Making these changes I believe leads to a much more flavorful chili with a bit of a bite.
My mother just served this for a family dinner. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it. I made her text me the recipe and I can’t wait to try it!
Love this recipe! I use two chicken breasts instead of one, and one can of cannellini beans instead of two. I did what others suggested and cooked the onion ahead of time. I put the two chicken breasts in the crock pot frozen and they were fully cooked when I got home from work. I put the cooked breasts in the mixer for easy shredding. I served this with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, dollops of sour cream, and tortilla chips. It tasted even better on the 2nd day! My husband is a VERY picky eater and he loved it.
This might be my favorite recipe on this website. I’ve started making this chili about once every 2 weeks and has been my go-to slow cooker meal!
I pretty much always use 4 chicken thighs instead of one breast since I think thighs taste better when heated up for leftovers. Also use 1 15 oz can of pinto beans and 2 15 oz cans of black beans since it’s a little cheaper.
Well darn.
I just made this recipe in the slow cooker for tonight or tomorrow. But messed up and put 1 tbsp of smoked paprika instead of 1 tbsp of cumin. 😢
Went back and added the cumin anyway so we’ll see. I should really finish my coffee before trying to follow recipes on my phone.
Love your site and have followed it for years and shared with family.
Yea, several people have mentioned that the onions aren’t getting done. Me too. Next time I’m pre cooking the onions and garlic.
I’ve made this recipe twice. Won second place at the church chili cookoff and had to throw the second batch out. DON’T put the onions and peppers in a blender!!!!!
Love this recipe, so easy and tastes like it takes a lot more effort.
Can you do this with lentils? Will they soften enough over 4 hours in a slow cooker?
Quick-cooking brown lentils should soften in that amount of time. But different lentil varieties can require different cooking times.
I’ve got this going in my slow cooker right now. I love this recipe! It is perfect and so tasty. I have made it quite a few times. Once I made it with a large can of posole instead of beans and that was really great too!
Really nice, flavorful, easy meal. If you have any frozen corn laying, it would add a nice texture and sweetness to compliment the spice if you use jalapeños. As others have mentioned, it’s really nice when served with tortilla chips atop.
This was so simple, tasty, and satisfying. I didn’t have time to use the crockpot, so I just tossed everything in a pot on the stove and considered it done once the chicken was shreddable. We had guests who were not fans of spicy food, so I just made sure to get a mild salsa verde. I also subbed paprika for the red pepper. Everyone liked it. The best part is that my husband, who has never liked white chicken chili, loved it and had two bowls. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is the comment I was looking for since my crock pot is too small for this recipe (only 1.5 quarts 😅)
Can’t wait to try this tonight!
Can you make it with chicken thighs?
Yes, thighs are great in recipes like this. :)
I just made this for a weekend outdoor get-together and it was a hit. You know you’re onto a good recipe when several people request the recipe as they eat it. I was more than happy to oblige!
I was worried it was going to be too thin but once I shredded the chicken and let it soak a few more minutes, the consistency either thickened or the chicken shreds balanced it out.
I really wanted to like this, but after 8 hours in the slow cooker, the onion was still crunchy. I’d think that it would have been soft by then, but it wasn’t. I’m a big texture person, so I wasn’t able to eat any of it. If you have this same issue, consider sauteing it ahead of time so you don’t lose the recipe.
Great recipe. The slow cooker does all the work for you. After making this a couple times I added some rotel to satisfy my tomato addiction and drop of da bomb hot sauce to get it to my spice preference. I also added some orange juice on top to add citrus and to cut some of the heat with sweet. Amazing. I make this at least once a week.
What a change from regular ol’ chili. I added brown sugar to tame down the heat. Really nice flavor. I think I’ll half the jalapeño next time. Otherwise, it was great.
Any idea on converting this to an instant pot?
Love this recipe for rainy days.
I’d probably try either the poultry setting or the chili setting (isn’t there a chili setting?). And then if the chicken isn’t tender when it’s gone through the cycle, just add more time. :)
it’s super easy! put the onion & garlic in first
on sauté mode for a couple of mins. then add the beans salsa and chicken. turn it on to pressure cook setting for the chicken breast time – i think around 10 mins should be good! take chicken out, shred it, put it back in, done! super easy. personally i add some celery and carrots before the pressure cook, and i add some sour cream after putting the shredded chicken back in, and it’s amazingly delicious!
This is one of my families go-to meals. I’ve made it so many times and have found that the salsa used DOES seem to make or break it. We serve it with corn chips, sour cream, avocado and a little squeeze of lime and it never disappoints. Thanks for another great recipe!
I have mine going 6+ hours and as the house smells like the salsa I purchased, this is my only concern. I forgot to taste test it before putting it in…!
This looks really good. I’m wondering how I could add some veggies to this. Ideas?
Carrot, celery, and bell pepper would all be really good! :)
This was pretty good! I used unsalted chicken broth and still did not feel a need to add salt (and I love salt). I used great northern beans instead of cannellini since they are easier to find and are very similar. The taste was good, and I think this is a great base recipe to eat alone or build off in the future. I may try to figure out a way to make it a bit thicker since it was more like soup than a thick hearty chili–but that is to be expected.
This was really good and easy. The other comments made me nervous but I didn’t find it bland at all. I used medium salsa and added a bell pepper and corn..omitted the jalapeños!
First – I love this blog so much! Second – this recipe is a great one!
I thought I’d share a tip for anyone who hates shredding chicken like I do. If you have a hand mixer, once it’s time to shred the chicken, you can press the beaters into the chicken breast right in the chili. I turn the mixer to low/ medium low, and it does all the shredding for me! 😅
Made this for husband and I, it was the perfect size to have left overs but not an overhwelmingng amount. Unfortunately neither of us thought it was that great. While there was flavor it had very little depth or complexity, something always felt like it was missing. If I bother to make it again I think I would saute the onions and pepper prior to slow cooking, and maybe add bell pepper as well and hope that helps.
So good great flavor diffently will make this again
This turned out so great and the house smelled amazing. I left the seeds in the jalapeno, used spicy salsa, and still added the cayenne pepper for an amazingly yummy kick! Next time I might add some bell pepper as an additional veggie.
Such a great recipe! I didn’t have a slow cooker, so just prepared this on the stovetop. Sauteed the onions and garlic in a little oil, added some canned jalapeños, and added a can of corn because I just wanted to use it up. Like most chili recipes, there is a lot of flexibility with this one. Looking forward to my leftovers!
Aside from removing the chicken and changing the broth is there anything you would change about this recipe to make it vegetarian or vegan even?
No, those are the only two animal products, so that should do it. :)
I loved this!!! I doubled the chicken and it was great! I’m making it for the second time right now and added a can of hominy corn. I think the brand of green salsa could make a big difference. I’ve had success with Walmart’s brand of it.
Sour cream was a game changer topping for this amazing recipe. I was surprised to not see it on the list.
If I don’t have chicken broth, can vegetable broth be substituted? Would it change the flavor tremendously?
I find vegetable broth to be a bit heavier in flavor, if that makes sense. I think it will definitely change the flavor (and color). Whether it tastes good, though, will just be a matter of personal preference. :)
FYI, this works really well in the Instant Pot!
How did you do it in the instant pot?
It doesn’t seem like chicken breasts work very well in the slow cooker. Turns out really dry. I’m either going to try thighs instead, or cook the chicken separately and add at the end.
I make this but since my boyfriend has the cilantro soap gene, I make my own tomatillo salsa to include without cilantro and just top my own bowl with cilantro. It’s still delicious and the tomatillo salsa is fairly easy to make. The chicken is delicious and I think the smashed beans really make this recipe.
Just superb! I took this to a potluck at work and my co-workers devoured it! Although I have a chicken intolerance I am able to substitute for ground beef. My kids won’t eat anything that is green so I used tomato sauce/paste for the soup. My wife’s grandfather makes a really nice chili seasoning so I put tons of that in there.
Lol, so you made regular beef chili.
Very easy to make
For me, this one was just okay. I think it just tasted too much like store-bought salsa. Maybe it would’ve been better if I’d used a higher quality salsa with less sodium.
I used Frontera tomatillo salsa, my family loved it. Plenty of kick and flavor, doesn’t scorch your tastebuds.
Can we do this in the instapot?
I haven’t done it myself, but slow cooker recipes usually convert to IP very well.
Super easy in the instant pot! I dump everything in and then use the soup button. It does take awhile to come up to pressure because the amount of liquid so plan accordingly.
My husband and I love this recipe! Simple, easy, delicious!!
This recipe is delicious! Everyone loved it! I will definitely be making this again.
Can you use this recipe with frozen chicken breasts?
Only if you fully thaw them first. It’s not a good idea to place frozen meat in a slow cooker because it takes way too long to heat up to a safe temperature.
If you do this recipe in an instapot you can use frozen chicken breasts. That’s the perk of instapots.
This chili was the perfect cold night easy meal for my family. My husband and 12 year old LOVED IT! We will be incorporating this recipe into our rotation along with several other recipes from this site!
So good!! My whole family loved it and there were no leftovers. Definitely would make it again!
I have already cooked shredded chicken from previous meal prep, could I just saute the aromatics and then heat and eat the rest and add the chicken at the end?
Yep! No need to slow cook if the chicken is already cooked. I would use the exact method you described. :)
This was soooo good. I took it to a chili potluck and multiple people told me it was their favorite. I froze a portion of it and it heated up really well, too! Thank you for the recipe.
I love the update! I don’t want to be “that” guy but do you happen to have a link of the original recipe?
I actually didn’t change the recipe at all on this one, I just took new photos. :) You can see an archived version of the old post here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180614213203/https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili/
We used to have a stove top chicken chili verde recipe that was similar (but it uses dry beans). If that’s what you’re thinking of just email us at support@budetbytes.com and we can send you a pdf of the recipe.
Its a rainy fall Sunday. This is perfect for a day like this. I use 2 chicken breasts. My 3rd time making this, my 3yo daughter even eats this.
To avoid over-buying, I ended up going with a package 3 thin-sliced chicken breast pieces that weighed just over 3/4 lb in total, just got the slow cooker going! Should I expect a meaningful difference in the end product?
Yes, they will probably cook faster, but it’s hard to tell how much without testing it.
This smells amazing cooking it’s whats for dinner tonight rainy fall day with some hot buttered corn bread.. May nevet eat red chili again lol
Could you use dried beans in this one and adjust cooking time?
There’s probably a way to make that work, but I’d need to test it before offering specific instructions. :)
Can I use frozen chicken breast for this recipe?
I don’t recommend putting frozen chicken in a slow cooker because it takes too long to come up to a safe temperature and can create a food safety issue. So, if you do use frozen chicken breast, make sure to thaw it fully first.
Thank you so much!
Could this be done in an instant pot? If so what would the time conversion be? Or should I just use the pressure cooker as a slow cooker by not sealing the pressure valve
Slow cooker recipes usually convert to pressure cooker pretty well because they’re both wet cooking environments, but I’m not well versed enough to estimate the suggested cook times. You might try Googling “slow cooker to pressure cooker conversion” to see if there is a general rule of thumb to use as a starting point. :)
I made this tonight in my instant pot – set it for an hour which means it took about two hours before it was all done. It was PERFECT. It was a huge hit from my husband down to my 6 year old ❤️
I will be making this recipe in a few days and I am going to do it on the stovetop. I’ll be making it for a get-together so I need to have a good idea of how much time this will take on the stove. Anyone have any good estimates? Thanks!
Great recipe, filling, easy, and tasty! Instead of jalapeno, I added frank’s red hot while serving
Had to make this again! First time making it, was unsure how it would turn out using the salsa verde. And holy unbelievable recipe!!! All that tasted it , LOVED IT!!!! Fantastic!!!
Wow! One of my new favorite recipes, such great flavor. Added in cojita cheese on top, sour cream and avocados.
I absolutely love this recipe. Instead of using a jar of salsa verde, we add just over a pound of tomatillos (quartered) and a bunch of cilantro!
Can I substitute regular (red) salsa instead of salsa verde? It’s what I have on hand, and we’re still trying to limit grocery stops. Thanks for your help!
Yes that will work in a pinch! Enjoy!
Perfect for hosting guests! I really love it with your quick and easy cornbread.
I’ve been making your recipes for years, and this is my first review. This recipe might be one of my favorites I’ve ever made, which is impressive. I thought nothing could dethrone the sweet potato chorizo skillet! I don’t know if it’s that the jar of tomatillo salsa verde I got was exceptionally good (Frontera, for the record) and was doing all the heavy lifting, or what, but this was FANTASTIC. I could eat this five more times this month and not get sick of it. Thanks so much for still showing me how to have delicious meals from shelf-stable ingredients!
Adjustments I made: added a bag of frozen zucchini and summer squash slices, and cooked in a lacquered cast iron Dutch oven for 2 hours on 375. Chicken came out fully cooked and shredded on contact with a fork, basically. Highly recommend that cooking method if you have a Dutch oven.
So super happy with this recipe! I tripled the hen because I have giants to feed. I added veg for my own happiness in thinking “Well good, they’re eating their vegetables.” (Dices: Carrot, zuke, yellow pepper, corn, cabbage, tomatoes). It’s fan-flippin-deliciousness, it’s pretty and it’s on the menu.
So dang good!!!! I have made a lot of your recipes and I think this is my new fav!!! I added some lime juice to it. I also made it in my instapot instead. Perfection!
Yummy…it’s delicious
Hi! I’m a long-time user of your site and I love the recipes. However, I’m getting continually frustrated that quite a few of my old favourites have been “updated” to be what are really completely different recipes. I had this issue before with the Meatball Stroganoff, and now the Chicken Chili Verde is another casualty! I understand wanted to come out with new and interesting options, but I would really appreciate it if you could archive the old versions for those of us who like and use them. Being a librarian, I’ve managed to track some of them down outside of this site, but it’s always a chore and I don’t see the harm in letting people choose which versions they prefer to access.
Hello! We actually do keep a pdf of all the recipes that are updated, in case anyone wants the old version. If I change the recipe substantially, I post a link to that file right in the blog post for people to download. If it’s just one minor adjustment (as most of them are), I just state the change in the blog post, but we still keep old pdf version, and we’re always happy to send it to anyone who asks. And then sometimes, as with this particular recipe, I don’t change any of the ingredients at all. I simply update the photos and make sure the directions are written more clearly. You may be confusing this recipe with a stove top white chicken chili recipe that is no longer on the website. We’re happy to send that to you, if you’d like. I’m sorry for the confusion, but hopefully you can understand that leaving really old, poor quality content on my website is a bit like walking into a job interview and handing someone an essay that I’ve written in the 7th grade. I want all of the content on this site to represent who I am and what I’m doing now. Feel free to email us at support@budgetbytes.com with any requests!
It’s true! Beth emailed me an old version a couple years ago. Beth, you are an angel.
I made this chili this week for my work lunches! Ate it with monterey jack cheese and crackers. I do like to add some diced zucchini to any kind of chili–a cheap and easy way to increase the veggie quotient. :) This and your SNAP challenge chili mac are two of my go-to recipes.
This recipe was amazing!!!! I don’t love jalapenos so I subbed in a can of ro-tel tomatoes with chilis. I also added some frozen corn. It is delicious and both of my kids love it too. Will make this again.
This was great! I added a little cinnamon (kind of like how you add a little cocoa to red chili) and it added extra flavor to the chili! This was great for a rainy day and I had most of the ingredients at home already! Next time I would probably add a can of chickpeas and a half can of corn.
This is a keeper! I used two chicken breasts and substituted Cotija for Monterey Jack cheese. Served it with lime wedges, cilantro and fresh jalapeno. Everyone I served wanted the recipe.
What a great recipe! I made it vegan by removing the chicken breast, using vegetable broth, and adding an extra can of beans plus a big can of jackfruit to give it a meaty texture and it came out great.
I first made this chili right after you first posted in 2015 and I have kept the ingredients on hand for it pretty much ever since. I actually have a batch of it in my freezer right now. I LOVE this chili recipe. I’ve tossed a can of corn into it just because I had it on hand once and that was yummy as well. I top it with some shredded monterey jack cheese and crushed tortilla chips. It’s always a hit.
Omgosh this was extremely tasty and delicious. By adding the fresh sliced jalapeños kicked it up a notch. This is by far the best White Bean Chicken Chili recipe I have made. I know the name is White Chicken Chili. In my own opinion that’s an inaccurate name. Unsure why adding pintó beans when you can use another can of Cannellini beans but it did give the chili some contrasting color. This will always be my go to White Bean Chicken Chili recipe. Thanks for sharing this awesome chili recipe.
Can this be cooked in an instant pot? What would be the instructions? Thanks!
We haven’t tried it in an instant pot ourselves, but a previous commenter noted, “Yum!!! I made this tonight and am excited to have leftovers for work. I made this in my Instant Pot with a frozen Costco chicken breast. 15min high pressure and natural release for 20min. The beans held up just fine in the pressure cooker. Another hit Beth!! Thank you so much!!”
Has anyone made this in the IP? If so, what do you think the cook time should be? Thanks!!
We haven’t tried it in an instant pot ourselves, but a previous commenter noted, “Yum!!! I made this tonight and am excited to have leftovers for work. I made this in my Instant Pot with a frozen Costco chicken breast. 15min high pressure and natural release for 20min. The beans held up just fine in the pressure cooker. Another hit Beth!! Thank you so much!!”
This is delicious! My grocery store was all out of jalapeños so I used a poblano pepper and it worked nicely. One thing I added on my own that others might be interested in trying – mix about 1/4 cup of masa flour into about 1/2 cup of water and add to chili for additional thickening and flavor.
I made this for our Sunday lunch (main meal of the day for us). Used a few of my own tweaks–really liked the two kinds of beans. It was delicious and I have requests to make it again. I made cornbread to accompany and it was a great lunch. Trader Joe salsa verde is my go to.
I’m made several recipes from your website and have loved them. This one, however, was a complete miss for me and my family. Maybe the reliance on the store bought salsa verde for most of the favor was the issue.
I made this following the recipe exactly ( including the jalapeno) and it was soooo spicy I could barely eat it. (and I love spicy food). BUT, I loved the consistency, appearance, and ease of cooking, so I’m definitely making it again without the jalapeno and the cayenne to see where that gets me. The brand of Salsa Verde I bought was “Mrs. Renfro’s”, which I never had before but was the only brand available in my market. Maybe that’s the culprit for the excessive heat? Anyway, word to the wise, taste a little of the Salsa Verde before adding it in to get a reading on the level of heat, and proceed accordingly. I sure wish I had :-)
This was great just as written. Because of the high sodium content of commercial salsa verde I used low sodium chicken broth. Will be making this again! Very flavorfull for something so quick and easy Thanks for the recipe Beth!
Can u freeze this?
Most definitely!
I have a family of 6 (with 3 teens) that eats like a family of 8. I used 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs and it was the perfect amount for my family. Also, since I work longer hours, I had it on high for four hours and then on warm until I got home. It was perfect. Thank you for this great recipe. 😊
Seems like a lot of salt per serving — is that from the canned beans and salsa?
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
So yum! I had a late start so made it on the stove top and used rotisserie chicken. I subbed hominy for the pinto beans, because we love hominy.. Topped it with cojita cheese which added some salty goodness.
I make this recipe as written all the time and love it. This past time, since I’m trying to cut back on meat consumption, I replaced the chicken with just an absolute ton of trumpet mushrooms that I tore up and amazingly it worked really well!
What a great idea – was wondering what to substitute for the chicken!
How would you do this in an instant pot?
I always make this one in the Instant Pot. Just throw everything in there and press chili/beans :) I saute the onions in the pot first, but it’s really not necessary.
We Love crock pot white chicken chili although ours is just a wee bit different than yours. Where you use salsa Verdi and assorted beans, I use canned chopped chilies and cannellini beans only for the colour issue. I also add extra beans and 3 more small half chicken breasts so there’ll be lots of extra chili to freeze for future meals. I serve mine with the same extra options you do, with the exception of also offering an optional dollop of sour cream. Hubby prefers a mixture of freshly grated old cheddar and pepper jack cheese over any other cheese though so have to stick with that. Honestly, either way white chili might be made by different cooks/chefs, it’s always delicious, and, as far as this old cook is concerned so much tastier than the usual red chili.
what about in an instant pot?
We haven’t tried it in an instant pot ourselves, but a previous commenter noted, “Yum!!! I made this tonight and am excited to have leftovers for work. I made this in my Instant Pot with a frozen Costco chicken breast. 15min high pressure and natural release for 20min. The beans held up just fine in the pressure cooker. Another hit Beth!! Thank you so much!!”
Perfect slow cooker recipe and a family favorite!
I don’t know if I’ve ever actually reviewed this recipe, but it is one of my favorites! It is so easy to make. I usually like to serve it over a little rice. To make shredding the chicken easier I like to use the paddle attachment of my stand mixer, it works so well! I usually make exactly as the recipe is written. Planning on making it this weekend!
Do you think this recipe will freeze okay?
Yes it will freeze wonderfully!
I’m having to make this with drumsticks tonight because that’s what was used to replace the thighs they were out of in my grocery pick up today😕 I took off the skin. Should I cook it longer since there are bones? Do you think it will work okay?
Would it work to sub the chicken with ground chicken to avoid the need to shred or would it just fall apart?
To be honest, I’m not sure how ground meat would turn out in a recipe like this. I think I’ve only used ground meat in a slow cooker once before (it was beef) and it got really overcooked, so I’m not sure if that would happen here as well.
Yum!!! I made this tonight and am excited to have leftovers for work. I made this in my Instant Pot with a frozen Costco chicken breast. 15min high pressure and natural release for 20min. The beans held up just fine in the pressure cooker. Another hit Beth!! Thank you so much!!
Thanks for sharing Kristi!
I made this the other day and it was delicious. I didnt’ have any problems with my InstantPot with the chicken. We put it on “more” (since the IP only has low, normal, and more as heat settings lol) for 4.5 hours since I didn’t want to have to start it again if it wasnt done at 4. We doubled the recipe and used 2 large chicken breasts. After 4.5 hours it shredded like no problem with some forks.
I have been eating it for lunch at work for the last two days and it is still delicious! Corn was the only thing I added because I wanted some crunch. Well and cheese – but i feel like thats a given. Cheese gets added to everything.
How many calories per serving?
Thanks for the request! I do get that request a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information. The calculators and databases that most bloggers and websites use to calculate the info can be extremely inaccurate, and for something that can so severely impact the health of people with health conditions, I just don’t feel comfortable publishing unreliable numbers. I prefer to leave it up to the reader to use the database or calculator they trust. I’m sorry and I wish accuracy were easier than shipping the food off to a lab for analysis!
Tried this recipe in my Instant Pot, and I have fallen in love. I only used one can of the cannellini beans since I have the mini IP, and I didn’t add the jalepeno, and I really really loved it. It was super easy to make, and definitely something I’m going to work into my meal prep.
Thank you for the recipe!
Happy to hear it worked in the IP for you Molly.
Another delicious recipe! Thank you, Beth. I made this on the stove top and simmered it for about 30-45 minutes. Served with tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded Colby jack. Yum!
Happy to hear it!
My whole family loves this soup. I know it’s only for four hours but could I cook on a lower heat for 6 hours?
Hi Beth, quick question…if I wanted to make this on the stovetop, do I change anything from the recipe? Or just follow the same instructions and simply cook it in a pot on the stove?
It should work pretty much the same, but it won’t need as long of a cook time. :) Simmering on the stove, even on the lowest heat, is usually still hotter than a slow cooker, so it will go faster.
Hi Beth! This looks incredible – thank you. I don’t have a slow cooker or a crock pot (working up to buy one hopefully soon!) Do you have any ideas for how I can adapt this to work in a regular oven pan or skillet? Thanks in advance.
You should be able to just let everything simmer together in a pot on the stove over low. I haven’t tried this to verify, but it should work very similarly, but it won’t need as much time because even on low it will be hotter than a slow cooker.
I made this yesterday and it was a hit with my family. I did make it in my Instant Pot ran into some problems using the slow cooker function. I cooked it on high for 4 hours only to find that the chicken was not completely cooked!! I then shut the lid and hit the poultry function ,which cooked it at high pressure for 17 minutes and dinner was saved! The chicken shredded and it was great. I would definitely make this again but will just go for pressure cooking for 15-20 minutes or the poultry setting. Need to experiment some more. I also doubled the recipe and added an extra piece of chicken. I definitely think it needs more chicken and would do 2 breast for the original recipe and 4 if doubling. I got about 12 serving when I doubled it. Lastly, I cut the heat in 1/2 by doing 1 jalapeno & 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for a doubled recipe and it the perfect amount of heat for our family. I also sautéed the onions, jalapeno & garlic before adding everything else. I researched later that a lot of people have difficulties getting things cooked on the slow cooker function with the Instant Pot, which was disappointing to hear since I thought this pot did it all. Anyways, this is a 5 star and I would make it again for sure.
Whoa, it wasn’t cooked after four hours?? Was the chicken breast frozen when it went in?
No it was not frozen.
The slow cooker function on an Instant Pot is NOT the same as using an actual slow cooker, unfortunately. Ribs will be fall off the bone in a slow cooker, but in an IP it’ll be cooked through but stick firmly to the bone in the same amount of time and temp. I suspect it has to do with how a slow cooker has a rubber seal to keep heat and moisture in, and the IP’s slow cooker function cant recreate that since only the pressure cooking function seals and traps heat.
SO GOOD! I made it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and adding an extra can of pinto beans instead. I also use veggie broth. I used a potato masher to mash my beans at the end as I find it more effective than the wooden spoon method. Seriously, so good and so easy. I always make a double batch in my big crock pot and freeze a big container for a future busy week. One of our favorites!
Wonderful. Made with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Added diced celery in Crock Pot (5 ribs to doubled recipe) and cooked all on low for 8 hours. In end added one can of diced tomatoes in last 30 minutes or so. Was very flavorful. Only thing is I omitted the cayenne and jalapeno as the salsa verde I used was spicy enough for me. Used Herdez brand. Thanks for another great winner. Was a yummy bowl of cozy. Very satisfying.
I add corn to it and top with lime juice, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips. A friend showed me this recipe and paired with baked potatoes and it’s become my favorite!
Very easy and so tasty! I used ground chicken because It was on sale for the organic. I think adding a small amount of celery and carrot would round out the flavor nicely. As is, I’m still happy that I have a second batch of this in my freezer.
Would this work with thighs and other dark meat?
I think that would work great. :)
Do you think this would turn out ok with chicken breast tenders or would they not be very shreddable? Thanks! I love your recipes, by the way!!
Yes, you could use tenders. :)
Any tips to adjust this for cooking in an Instant Pot? I’ve made in the crock pot before and it is SO good, just curious if it would work in an IP too . . . thanks!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/homemade-slow-cooker-white-bean-chicken-chili-budget-bytes-381702308#
This site has the nutrition facts for this recipe. Very good and very filling, will definitely make again. My 4 year old cousin asked for some ate a whole bowl of it herself.
Hi there. Amazingly tasty recipe! Wondering if it would work to add heavy cream somewhere in the cooking process to make it more creamy/ less brothy.
Yes, I would add it at the very end. :) I’ve also seen people melt cream cheese into chili for that purpose, so that’s another option!
You can also smash some of the beans to thicken the broth
Can I cook on low for 8 hours instead of high for 4?
Yes, that will work. :)
Do you think that trading out the pinto beans for black would totally mess with the flavor? I’m just not big on pinto.
I think it would taste fine, but it will definitely make the color look pretty funky. Hahah
Delicious, it didn’t last two days, making it again!
Thank you.
Delicious! It would be awesomely helpful if nutritional information/calories per serving were included in all recipes.
Such an easy, delicious recipe! Making it again tonight for my second time. I love that it’s a ‘dump’ recipe – no sauteeing or browning ahead of time.
Do you know how many net carbs per serving?
No, I’m sorry, I do not have the nutritional information for the recipes.
Beth, this looks awesome and I am planning on making this probably tomorrow night! I wanted to use my Instant Pot, but wasn’t sure what might need to change. Do you think I’d need less liquid? I’m sure I could find info on how long to do the chicken and then just add the other ingredients in after but I wasn’t sure on how much liquid. Any ideas? Thank you for this recipe!!
I don’t think you’ll need less liquid. I think it will work great in the IP! :)
Is this spicy? Never used salsa verde. Anxious to try this recipe!
Most of the time salsa verde is pretty mild, but it will definitely depend on the brand.
Can you cook on low for 8 hrs?
Yes, that should work fine. :)
I tried this, and 8 hours on low worked fine. One of my favorite slow cooker recipes- thanks!
Have you heard of anyone adding the *ingredients* for Salsa Verde (Tomatillo, etc) to the crockpot instead of Salsa Verde itself? This was a fave recipe but I’ve moved where salsa verde is hard to buy.
I bet that would work!
I’ve done it a few times – when tomatillos were is radon at my local market I made a whole batch of fresh salsa Verde and used it in this recipe 3 times and it was excellent!
If I wanted to make this with left over rotisserie chicken (already cooked, breast meat), do you have any suggestions? Should I reduce the time to two hours or just add the chicken in at the end?
I think I’d just add it at the end. :)
Hej! I am a budget-byte-lover from Sweden :) You can’t but salsa verde over here – is there anything you could use instead? xxx
You can also do it with a red salsa, but the color of the final dish will just be different. :) I think that will be your closest option. The salsa verde is responsible for a lot of the flavor in the dish (it has tomatillos, onions, peppers, vinegar, and more), so you don’t want to stray too far when using a replacement.
Yes you can, it is with the taco ingredients. I got mine at Ica.
This looks so tasty! If I needed to cook this on low, how long would I need to leave it for? And would everything still be the right texture?
You can do it on low for eight hours and it should still turn out fantastic. :)
I made this a couple days ago and wow, so easy and incredibly delicious! I just love to make your recipes.
Also, I use a hand mixer to shred the chicken… literally takes 20 seconds! Absolute life changes for chicken shredding! :)
Another winning recipe. The slow cooker style makes it so appealing, too. Thank you for another one to go in the rotation!
Made this for the family and everyone loved it. I skipped the jalapeno because the salsa verde already had a bite. Even for crockpot recipes this is super easy. Thanks again Beth.
Why do you drain and rinse the beans ? When I do stove top chili , I just dump in the whole can of beans, including the liquid . Thank you, Cindy
Just a personal preference. :)
This is delicious! I actually used dry beans and extra liquid, cooked it for 6 hours, THEN threw in the raw chicken. Perfection.
What is the carb and calorie count per serving?
Total Carbohydrate 46 g / calories 342.
You can import any recipe into MyFitnessPal http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe_parser
and it will calculate for you. I’ve found this tool helpful as I’m navigating a low-carb diet…
This was really good and very simple. I made it yesterday to have for work this week but, of course, had to try some last night…to make sure it was good enough, y’see. ha. I’ve added it to my repertoire! It’s very tasty. I made a few minor changes in spices to suit my taste, but overall it was your recipe I made. Delicious! Thank you.
This looks so good! Do you have any recommendations to adapt this to the stovetop? I don’t have a slow cooker yet.
Thanks!
You can just simmer it on low until the chicken is tender enough to shred, which is usually about an hour or so. :)
Nice easy recipe. The heat is dependent on the salsa verde that you use.
Is there a reason you are using ‘Essential Everyday’ brand?
This was a recipe developed for Albertsons and that’s their store brand (first paragraph). You can use any brand you like and it will still be great. :)
Is there something that I could use other than jalapeño for flavor? I have a sensitive stomach that won’t let me eat spicy food.
Hi Amy — Do you like poblano peppers? They have a very slight heat; and are great in Southwest dishes! You’d just want to roast/char the poblano before you add it to the slow cooker (broil for a few minutes, turning so it gets blistered all over, then steam it in a ziploc bag, and then peel the skin off, seed and dice). That would be great in this!
I think you could safely leave it out and still have a great chili. Most of the flavor is coming from the salsa (make sure to get a mild green salsa, though!).
this recipe inspired me. i used 2/3 pound dry light red beans, and 1/3 pound dry split peas, soaked in microwave hot water for an hour. 1 chicken leg quarter. 1 teaspoon green thai curry paste, big handfull of halved cherry tomatoes, garlic and onion, italian spices and black pepper plus chili powder plus a few cups water. 25 minutes in pressure cooker. shredded the chicken and added a huge bell pepper cut up. 10 more minutes pressure cooker. it tastes awesome.
Can you use this recipe without using canned beans? like maybe use dry pinto beans (soaked overnight) maybe increase the chicken broth, etc. I just like fresh beans.
hmmm…or maybe lentils? lentils as far as I know, require no
soaking. just a good rinse.
Yes, if you soak them and add extra liquid you can use dry beans, but I’d need to test it out to know how much more liquid was needed. I think beans would definitely be better than lentils, flavor-wise, for this recipe.
Beth – I LOVE this recipe and can not WAIT to try it out. Is there room in this recipe for a cup of frozen corn? I put corn in everything – and do not know if this would be good and if so – when to add the frozen corn.
SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU PASSION and INSPIRATION to help us all get back to Home Cooking that tastes AMAZING! Mary
Yep, you can definitely add a cup of frozen corn to this! I think that would be great. :)
I love this chili! I use my crockpot often, and most recipes worth making take a lot more prep than this one. I really appreciate that I didn’t have to brown anything or make last-minute additions. You just chop, stir and set. Another great recipe!
Oh my goodness is this good! I got many compliments on this chili, using salsa verde is genius. Well done!
Can you use thighs rather than breast?
Yes, they would work well for this. :)
This is my go to chili recipe. I’m lazy, so I get the beans canned, skip the slow cooker, and just simmer in a pot. Delicious!
I made this easy dish this week and loved it. The taste of the salsa verde was new to me. I might add less of it next time I make this, but otherwise it was delicious and easy. Please keep the crock pot recipes coming, Beth.
Just made this recipe, and it is so delicious!! There are tons of flavor and it is so filling.
I used my stand mixer to shred the chicken, which worked like a dream. I substituted great northern beans for cannelini, as they were on sale at my store. I didn’t have oregano on it’s own, so I used 1/4 tbsp Italian spices. I had no cayenne, so just used a dash of crushed red pepper flakes.
I forgot to mash the beans at the end, but I didn’t miss it!
Delicious! Made this today in our slow cooker on low for about 7 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, I scooped out about 2 cups of the beans and broth and pureed them in the blender and added it back to the slow cooker. I had about a cup of frozen corn that has been sitting in my freezer for a bit so I threw that in for the last 30 minutes as well. Perhaps it was the salsa we used but it was a bit too spicy so I cooled it down by added a cup of half and half. I will probably omit the cayenne next time and just add it at the end if it needs more heat.
Made this again for the first time since the weather got colder here again. Forgot how AMAZING this recipe is, and thrilled that I doubled it. Without a doubt, this is our favourite cold weather meal. Thank you so much Beth, the flavour is incredible and it warms your up on a cold day.
What would I take out of this to make it not spicy? Just the cayenne?
You’d definitely want to skip the jalapeño as well, and make sure you’re using a mild salsa.
This looks amazing. Has anyone made this to freeze? I want to pack the freezer for a new mama friend and I’m wondering if it would turn out well by freezing, thawing overnight, and putting in the crockpot in the morning. Would appreciate any advice :-)
Did it anyway and it worked well :-) Will keep this recipe forever!
Did you put all the ingredients in it before you froze it (except the cheese)?
I froze everything but the broth and cheese, added broth to the crockpot and cheese at the end
I have used this site for years as it is super easy to customize the recipes for my families allergies (wheat and nuts) and this is one of my favorite recipes. I make it at least twice a month. I modify it by adding 2 chicken breasts and increasing the broth and seasoning slightly. My children love the shredded chicken.
Love this recipe! It’s super easy and delish! And bonus… it doesn’t call for flour. Thanks so much for sharing!
I’ve made this recipe probably a dozen times now, sometimes following the recipe exactly and other times modifying. These have been my results:
Chicken without beans: Still good, though it does feel kind of like crockpot salsa chicken it was delicious nonetheless.
Add chipotle peppers in adobe sauce: Spicier than I would’ve liked, and I stained my cutting board slicing them. Oops!
No pepperjack: The difference went mostly unnoticed in our mouths, but it was felt in the wallet and waistline.
Pork shoulder/Boston Butt for chicken breast: Ding ding ding! I found a winner! Cheaper than chicken breast and even tastier! I have found this to be my preferred method by far.
Also, sour cream is the one mix in I’d suggest not doing without. As far as reusing it, when I make this I eat it on top of rice to stretch things further, so adding some cold rice to a skillet in the morning is no big deal. Once the rice is hot scoop some of the chili on top and heat that through. Add egg if desired.
Another great recipe! I’d never had chili made without a tomato base before, and ended up being very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this dish. My husband also loved it. I left out the jalapeño and cayenne, and the spice level just from the salsa verde (medium) was perfect for me. My husband then added a little cayenne to his bowl of chili for a little more heat on his. I also love dishes where I can just throw everything in the slow cooker without a lot of prep. I’ll be making this one again for sure.
I made this to have for grab-and-go lunches this week. I subbed 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the breasts and portioned it out into 5 servings instead of 6. At 516 calories, 35g of fiber, and 42g of protein per serving this is a delicious, healthy, and VERY hearty meal.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was excellent–seriously great flavor and so easy to throw together. I added the optional jalapeno and it had a perfect amount of heat. This got two thumbs up from my husband, and I just forwarded the recipe to my dad. This is a great change of pace from a classic chili while still hitting the mark for winter comfort food.
I just made this and it was fantastic! Beyond yummy when topped with grated cheese, crushed tortilla chips and fresh cilantro. The salsa verde was the critical “magic” ingredient. Doubled the recipe (except kept it at a single jalapeno) and it was just the right amount of heat. I had never shredded chicken like that so it was fun to learn to do that. I had bought 4 chicken breasts in bulk and in hindsight wished I had cooked all four and then saved out half to use in something else later because the chicken was so tender and flavorful from slow cooking in that broth.
I have made this recipe about three times – came back to get the recipe again for dinner tomorrow. So yummy. Full of flavor and deliciousness. I usually cook some boned chicken in the oven for a bit (350 for 30 minutes on each side), debone it and then throw it in the pot – saves me some $$ so we can buy some sour cream and French bread. Thank you!
If I use pre cooked chicken and beans, is it possible to make this in a skillet or large pot if I don’t have a slow cooker? I love all of your other skillet/one pot dishes and want to give this a try but can’t justify buying a slow cooker. Thanks!
Yep, if everything is precooked, you can just let it simmer on the stove top for 20 minutes or so to heat through and let the flavors blend a bit. It might not be quite as scrumptious as the slow cooked version, but I bet it would still be good.
Thank you! Can’t wait to try it. 😀
I left out the pinto beans, used a pound of ground turkey and a chopped Butternut squash. Still super yummy!
Made this yesterday. Really good!
Will navy beans and pink beans work for this recipe…Ty…I am excited to try this recipe…
I think they will still work. :)
I couldn’t find salsa verde, but I have a large can green enchilada sauce. Do you think that could work?
Hmmm, that’s quite different. I’m not sure how the enchilada sauce would stand up to the slow cooker.
I made it yesterday with enchilada sauce. Left out the jalapeno grated a zucchini in (to up the veggie factor :-)) It turned out to be delicious!
Could these be cooked longer on low? I am going close to 10 hours for the day and would really like to make this but don’t want to burn it before it even get started.
Yes, I think ten hours on low would still work. :)
Thanks so much! Making it today:)
I highly recommend this recipe — who knew salsa worked so well in soup?! Prep was short & easy and it tastes great for days. This will definitely be a staple recipe for fall & winter.
Made this tonight and it was very yummy! I put too much cayenne pepper in it though. (Thats what I get for free pouring and not using measuring cups) It was still very delicious! My husband loved it! I don’t like beans either, but I used a hand blender to blend it in the soup while I shredded the chicken and put it back it. It did thicken the soup up and it was yummy!!
Oh, man! The Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I cooked the chili on low for six hours, and the chicken breast was super tender. I served the chicken chili with shredded Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, and corn chips (which sounds unusual, but so good!!). I’ll definitely make this chili again later. Thank you so much Beth, for the awesome recipe!! :-)
This recipe is SO good! I tried it on a whim, and completely loved it. I’ve made it at least two more times since then. It’s lighter than red chili, and has a nice kind of vinegary taste to it. Thank you for sharing!
I’m craving white chicken chili, and will be making it for dinner this week.
First time visitor, learning to cook for myself. This shit right here…omg its SO GOOD! And I got enough left over to bring to lunch for the rest of the work week.
I made this for the first time last night. It was delicious. I had to make a few minor changes. I used Trader Joe’s salsa verde which was only 12 ounces so I added about 2 ounces more chicken broth. I used chili powder instead of cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp).
The night before, I chopped the onion and garlic (put in bowl). I drained and rinsed the beans and mixed with seasoning (put in the bowl). Put these bowls in fridge. The morning before I went to work I assembled, then cooked it on low for about nine hours. I took the chicken out to shred and mash the beans and then added the shredded chicken back and cook it for about 30 minutes more. Delicious!
My boyfriend and I have made this probably a dozen times now. We make it on Sundays and by Wednesday, it’s all gone. I’m going to make two batches this week just to have enough for lunches.
Are the pinto beans in this recipe whole or refried? I’m afraid things are different here in Canada.
They are whole. :)
Hi Beth, I made this and it turned out quite watery. I omitted the pinto beans because I couldn’t find them in 3 different Canadian grocery stores. Is there a different name we might use or a substitute? Could I have added in more white beans after 4 hours on high to thicken it up. I know I’ll love it if I can get it right. Thank you for everything < 3
You could use more white beans to replace the pinto, yes. Also, try mashing up some of the beans to help thicken the liquid part. :)
Hey Jenn! I’m in Nova Scotia and I find canned pinto beans in the organic section of Sobeys :)
I made this a few nights ago and it was fantastic! The house smelled wonderful, too, and it was so easy to make. I had to add more water after it was done to make it more soupy. I think the type of salsa verde and chicken broth you buy could make a huge difference in the taste, so use high quality on sale.
This recipe was a huge disappointment for my family. It tasted gross, and none of us could eat more than a few bites. Overpowering cumin flavor. Into the garbage disposal it went.
Hey Beth, have you ever used slow cooker liners? I’m wondering if I should buy some and whether they affect the cooking at all…
I haven’t, no. Sorry!
What does “high” mean? I tried to make this a few weeks ago, and after 4 hour the fluids were completly gone, and it was burned as hell. I think I took the term “high” a bit to literal. :)
Most slow cooker have just two settings, low and high. Every slow cooker will be a little different, but most are around 200 degrees for low and 300 degrees for high. Slow cookers can vary a bit in how much moisture they let escape during cooking, too, so that could cause it to dry up a little faster.
I have made this 3 times because WE LOVE IT! We had company over and I was upset because we had only one bowl leftover and I want to eat this every day!
Made this again this morning, and there was enough for my husband to have lunch today, dinner for both of us tonight (2 helpings), and lunch for my husband again tomorrow. He loves all of your recipes, but says that this is his favourite. Was out of salsa verde, so used a can of petite diced tomatoes and can of green chillies. Nope…no Rotel here either., so I have to substitute and make do. It was delicious.
I made this chili last night exactly as instructed and it was delicious! The chicken was perfectly tender and the spices gave it a nice flavor. However, my chili turned out insanely spicy (I added the optional jalepeno). The spiciness was so unbearable that I had to cool it down by adding loads of sour cream and of mozzarella cheese.
Next time I try this recipe I will add more chicken and maybe skip the jalepeno pepper.
How long would this take on low?
About eight hours.
I got up bright and early this morning to make this recipe. I have been salivating over it since you first posted it, but never seemed to remember to pick up the beans that it required. Well, this morning I threw it all together and doubled the recipe so that I wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. It has gotten us through lunch and dinner today, and will do the same for tomorrow. My husband, Mr. Picky Pants, even liked it, and he has a man-cold on top of it all. That’s saying a lot, Beth! Oh, the only changes I made was to cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces and add the beans for the last 30 minutes or so. Before the beans are added, I was able to “mash” the chicken with a wooden spoon, and it shredded perfectly without any of the super long pieces. YUMMY!!! There is a little less of it left over (could be to a certain picky person having thirds), so I will bulk up the remainder of it will a small can of diced tomatoes tomorrow. Beth to the rescue AGAIN!
I made something similar and used a can of hominy instead of pinto beans. I’ve also pureed cannelini beans and added them which thickens it up nicely.
This is delicious and so easy, Beth. I had a recipient for something similar that I misplaced a while back. This was a great find for me as it is very similar (even better!) I mushed up the beans and let it sit over night to increase the thickness. Very good!
Recipe! Not recipient. LOL.
Hi Beth, I am not a fan of salsa verde. Do you have a recommendation of what I could use in its place? I did try it with the salsa verde but it confirmed it wasn’t my favorite.
Someone else commented that they made it with regular red salsa and enjoyed it quite a bit, so that would probably be the next best substitution! :)
I am making this right now with a few changes! I soaked white and pinto beans overnight and am cooking them right in the slow cooker. I set it to low and plan to cook for about 8 hours. I am also subbing cubed tofu for chicken and Better than Bouillon vegetarian No-Chicken broth. It smells awesome so far! So excited to have this for work lunches this week!
I doubled this recipe for a larger pot, used chicken thighs (boneless/skinless), and added 2 large cans of corn at the very end. We loved it! Great flavor and just the right amount of heat.
I hate to bring the ratings down, but this one just wasn’t for us. I followed the recipe exactly, but we just didn’t love it. I think it was the addition of the jarred salsa. But I have loved every recipe I’ve tried on your site besides this one! We ended up using it on top of nachos, so it didn’t go to waste. :)
Loved it! It was a bit salty though. Will try with reduced sodium chicken broth next time or maybe a different kind of salsa verde.
Hi Beth, do you think I can go without the broth? It looks absolutely delicious, but just a little too soupy for me.
Yes, that might work. Or, you can try reducing the broth to just one cup. :)
I made this last night. It was a big hit. The chicken was frozen and I let it cook all day, almost 12hrs, on low. The addition of lime sounds good.
Hi, I saw your post and was looking to ask if I could do it for 12 hours on low (unfortunately I won’t be home for 12 hours). Do you think it turned out ok doing it for 12 hours?
Yes, that will probably work okay.
Love this recipe. Do you think it would freeze well for eating later? I freeze most beef chili that I make and it turns out great but wasn’t sure about this.
Yes, I think this one will freeze very well. :)
I made this last night, and subbed black beans for the cannellini, added frozen corn in at the end, and used lime as well. It turned out great! Since I wanted a longer cooking time, I cooked it on low for about 8 hours (though I probably could’ve eaten it around 6-7 hours). Thank you for posting this- I love it when you post slow cooker meals!
This recipe turned out delicious!!!! I am such a fan of this blog and have tried lots of recipes. I think this may be my favorite now! Cooked on low for 8 hrs and came out perfect. So easy to make. We added avocado, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Yum :)
Another hit in my household that turned out perfect. You are actually making me think I can cook. I can’t wait to cook up more of you recipes.
Another amazing recipe. Might be one of the best ones on the site! So so easy and so flavorful. I ate it with cilantro, little cheese, and scooped some with chips. Wanted to eat the whole crockpot!
Yum!!!! great hit with all at my house including the beef chili lover
Hi Beth, is there any reason this couldn’t work with a non-tomatillo salsa? I tend to prefer red salsas, but otherwise this looks delicious!
Yep, you can definitely do it with a red salsa if you prefer. :)
Thank you!! Update in case anyone happens to be curious: it turned out incredible! I used a generic-supermarket medium-spicy red salsa. So if you’re tomatillo-shy like me, don’t skip this recipe!
Think I could cook this on low for 8+ hours? I normally turn on the crock pot when I leave for work around 7:30, and I don’t get home til after 5…
Yes, that will work well for this recipe :)
This is a seriously good recipe. I made it with a second chicken breast, because I had it, and without the pinto beans, because I didn’t have them, and chucked in two potatoes, diced, because I found them. And on the stove, no crockpot. Took less than an hour, but did improve second day. Yum.
Is it ok to leave this in the slow cooker for longer than 4 hours? Like 10-11 hours? I am gone from home for work for that long
Yes, just set it to low heat instead of high.
this looks delicious! i have some leftover cooked chicken that i froze, and i was wondering how you think i should incorporate it in this recipe?
I would add it in the beginning just as if you were adding the raw chicken.
Any suggestions for doing this with dry beans instead of canned?
You’ll need about six cups of liquid for every pound of beans that you use (one pound should be plenty).
Is there a way to do this with dry beans instead of canned?
Yes, you’ll need six cups of chicken broth for one pound of beans, then just cook on high until they’re soft and mashable.
Beth, have a toddler who will gladly consume bite size chicken but not shredded – any harm in slow cooking everything else and grilling chicken separately to add at end? Or would you do this sans slow cooker by sautéing onion/garlic/jalapeño, then sautéing chicken, then adding everything else and simmering ~30 minutes?
Yes, you can definitely grill the chicken instead and the only reason I used the slow cooker was to make the chicken tender and shreddable, so if you’re grilling you might as well cook it faster on the stove top. :) You’ll just need to simmer long enough to get the beans soft enough to mash up.
Thanks for your thoughts, and for Budget Bytes! Seriously I’m about to stop putting Budget Bytes in front of the recipes on our weekly menu because they’re basically all from Budget Bytes. No need to differentiate anymore!
Same here, John! :)
Beth, if I wanted to double the chicken in this recipe, how much would I need to increase the broth by (if any)?
Also, congratulations on your collaboration with Albertson’s! I have been following the blog since 2012, and it is wonderful to see you and the blog flourish. Now when is the next Budget Bytes cook book coming out?! Kidding. Sort of. ;)
I also wanted to say thank you, because without Budget Bytes I would not have half the confidence in the kitchen that I do today. Before I found Budget Bytes I was sort of scared of cooking and hardly ever cooked. These days, I LOVE it and cook nearly every night! It has become an outlet for me, and is a total stress reliever.
Wishing you all the best in 2015! Happy New Year!
Thank you! I might start working on an ebook soon. :) If you double the chicken you won’t need to increase the broth any. If anything, it will add moisture, plus the chili is fairly thin to begin with. Happy new year to you, too!
Be careful if you double this recipe in a slow cooker, its just a bit too much stuff for a 5 qts, had to move it to the stove-top!
Also, I thought there were too many beans =X
Wow this was great! I made this last night, I love my chili, but have never used a verde sauce before; I’ve been missing out! I normally use tomato based sauces… need more tomatillos now :)
do you think I could pull this off without a crockpot? I’ve been able to make shredded chicken breast in the oven before, think I can add that to the ingredients and try to make a stovetop version?
Yes, I think if you let it simmer on the stove top, that should be fine. When I make chicken noodle soup, I simmer for about 30-45 minutes before the chicken is shreddable, so it will probably be much faster than the slow cooker. :)
That. Was. Awesome.
Made this last night (not in the slow cooker) and it was divine!
As an FYI all the following chains are owned by Albertsons and you can get the Essential Everyday brand at them:
ACME
Jewel-Osco
Farm Fresh
Lucky
Shaw’s
Bristol Farms
SuperValu
Safeway
Yeah, Albertsons owns a LOT of markets. I did this with boneless skinless thighs and it was a winner!
Awesome, thanks for that info!
Looks divine. Do you have any recommendations for a heathen household that won’t eat beans, no matter how well I disguise them?
Yikes, I dunno. Beans are the main ingredient! :D Even if you subbed them all for vegetables (carrots, celery, corn, etc.) the beans won’t be there to thicken it up, so it probably wouldn’t work. :(
I’ve used refried beans to thicken regular red chili as I’m not a fan of beans either, maybe that might work? They melt right in and since they’re pureed you can’t tell.
Beth, I have to say that this meal was amazing. I doubled it and garnished with a squeeze of lime and it was perfect. The flavors are incredible. The only thing I’m going to do differently next time is mash a can of the beans before cooking; it was too hard to do it with a wooden spoon afterward. Keep those recipes coming!
This is a great recipe! I added some frozen collard greens and frozen sweet corn since I has some leftover in the freezer. My supermarket also ran out of chicken breasts (ugh) so I picked up some smoked turkey wings and added those and then added some meat from a rotisserie chicken that I bought to make lunches and to make chicken stock so that I could get some nice smokiness from the turkey but also some chicken mixed in.
Made this for dinner tonight. Served with cornbread. Recipe turned out pretty well. I followed it exactly, but added chipotle pepper on adobo sauce and a tiny bit of green chili. This really kicked up the heat level (but we are a fan of the spicy). Will definitely make again. Thanks for the always great recipes Beth!
Put this in the slow-cooker before work this afternoon and my apartment smelled AMAZING when I got home. Both my boyfriend and I really enjoyed this chili. I will definitely be making it again! Thank you!
This looks delicious but what is salsa verde in the US? Here in the Uk it’s something you make with anchovies and laboriously chopping lots of fresh herbs!
Oh, yep, it’s definitely different than that! :) It’s a green salsa made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes.
Ah yes — Italian “green sauce” is not the same as Mexican “green sauce.” Don’t mix ’em up!
I made this yesterday and it was very good. I will definitely make it again in the future.
I’m so excited to try this recipe. So inspirational!
Happy new year!
http://www.trangscorner.com
Also meant to add I used a bit of extra chicken as well. We had leftover smoked chicken from my dad’s bbq and it added an awesome smokey flavor.
Made this tonight for the family! Huge hit! :)
This was delish. I even ran to my local Jewel/Osco (Albertson’s) for my missing ingredients, which were all on sale :-)
Could you let this go 8 hours instead of 4 ?
By the way , this is my favorite recipe site ever!
Yes, if you want to do 8 hours, I suggest cooking it for 8 hours on low. :)
Just made this for lunch and it was fantastic! Husband loved it. I made it on the stovetop since I had some rotisserie chicken to use up. We love beans, so it was no big deal for us, but there were lots of beans!
Any possibility of substituting that chicken with ALL my leftover turkey from the holidays? Its pre-cooked I’m just worried it’ll dry out too much.
And why not add some more vegetables like can of chopped carrots, corn, and celery for colour?
PS love the website – been saving me $$ and not losing my mind :)
Yes, you could definitely use the pre-cooked turkey. :) You probably won’t need to cook it as long, either, which is nice! And yes, extra veggies is always a great option. :)
This recipe made me excited! It looks so good. I love chili. I am heading to the store now. My daughter and I am going to make it together. I will let you know what our family thinks.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
You could, but then you’d need to add quite a bit more broth.
Just made this this morning, and it came out fantastic. I thought the 3 cans of beans seemed like a lot too, but you need that extra can to mash up and thicken the chili – otherwise it’s more like a soup.
For what it’s worth, I made mine in my pressure cooker – 20 minutes on high (for a 15 psi cooker).
Nice base recipe. There are bit too many beans for my taste, so I’ll try halving the cannellini beans and doubling the chicken, which won’t break the budget too badly.
If I sub the chicken out of this, any recommendations to add in it’s place?
I think I’d just add more beans, and maybe a vegetable or two (carrots and celery?).
I made this tonight, and it was so spicy that it was about to the point of being inedible (for me, anyway). I used a medium salsa verde, and I’ve never had any problems with the spiciness level of any of your other recipes, so I dunno what gives – perhaps I did something wrong or I’m just a wimp. :) I’m gonna try to cool it down somehow. I think I would really like this if it were less spicy!
Wow, finally sold out to the market, eh? Could have made it less obvious. As a long time follower, I am a bit disappointed, but your blog costs and budget are what they are,so good luck to you.
Actually, sponsored posts are not something that I want to do on this blog, but I accidentally agreed to this as part of another project. I didn’t realize this was part of the deal when I initially signed on to the project, but since I already agreed to it, I only thought it right to follow through. I won’t be doing sponsored posts in the future.
I think the comment above was a little harsh. I love your recipes and I didn’t care a bit if it was a sponsored post (and that doesn’t make you a sell out in my opinion). You do great work and offer lots of free content here. Thank you. Oh, and this recipe is currently cooking in my slow cooker and smells heavenly!
She’s being upfront and honest about it being sponsored, so there’s really no issue here IMO. Re “could have made it less obvious” see that’s where I do have issues, when bloggers are sponsored to promote a product but hide the fact that they were paid to do so. Honesty is so much better in this circumstance.
Beth, more power to you if you choose to do more or not! Its your blog, and you deserve to earn money from this venture.
I came across a white chicken chili that was super unhealthy bu oh-so delicious at a cafe a few weeks ago. I could tell it was laden with heavy cream, but I didn’t care. I’m very excited to see a budget bytes and healthy (bonus!!) version of white chicken chili, I haven’t been able to find a recipe I like anywhere.
Can’t wait to try!
I’m not a big fan of pinto beans….any good subs?
You can do all cannellini beans if you prefer. :)
This looks awesome! Any ideas on how to make this vegetarian? Carrots, sweet potato… would love to hear some ideas.
I think I would increase the beans and add a few basic veggies like carrots, celery, and corn.
I’ve been looking for a good chicken chilli recipe for a while now. This looks great! Can’t wait to try :) Pinned!
Looks delish! As always, thank you!
If I made this in my dutch oven stove top, how long do you think I should cook it? My slow-cooker is in another state.
It’s hard to say, just make sure the heat is low enough so that the chili is just simmering. Check it after an hour or so to see if the chicken is tender, then let it cook longer if needed.
Could I use pre-soaked dry beans instead of canned? Thanks!
You could, but you will need to use more broth because they will still soak up more as they cook. :)
I’ve never made a white chicken chili before, but this one looks delicious. I’ll definitely be making it soon.
Happy New Year! I’ve been following your blog for a while and I love your recipes. I have a tiny crockpot so I’m constantly having to half recipes (or modify them once I realize everything won’t fit). This time, the calculation work is done for me! I can’t wait to try this!
I’ve been meaning to make a white chicken chili and this recipe looks great! Can’t get enough salsa verde!