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!
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 jalapeรฑo 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 jalapeรฑo 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.