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.
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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!
Iโm made several recipes from your website and have loved them. This one, however, was a complete miss for me and my family. ย Maybe the reliance on the store bought salsa verde for most of the favor was the issue.ย
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 ย you for this great recipe. ย ๐
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.ย
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!ย
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!
Iโm having to make this with drumsticks tonight because thatโs what was used to replace the thighs they were out of in my grocery pick up today๐ I took off the skin. Should I cook it longer since there are bones? Do you think it will work okay?