Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili is so easy—just toss everything in! With sweet corn, chiles, chicken, and white beans, it’s packed with flavor!
Love slow cooker soups? Try my popular Chicken Chili or Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup next!
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
White chicken chili is one of my family’s favorites, and I’m excited to share this easy recipe with you! It takes just 10 minutes to prep—no pre-cooking or chopping is needed. Just toss everything in the crockpot and let it do the work!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Crockpot White Chicken Chili:
- Chicken: Thighs stay tender and shred easily; breasts can dry out if overcooked.
- Green enchilada sauce: Old El Paso® mild works great, or use a spicier one for more heat.
- Chicken stock: Use a high-quality stock like Swanson’s® for better flavor.
- Cream cheese: Full-fat brick melts best; avoid lower-fat or tub versions.
- Beans: Drain and rinse Great Northern beans to reduce sodium.
- Corn: Frozen corn goes right in—no need to thaw.
- Green chiles: Mild for flavor; hotter chiles for more spice. Fire-roasted for more flavor!
- Spices: Oregano, paprika, chili powder, and cumin add a rich flavor.
- Cilantro & lime (optional): Adds a fresh, bright finish to the chili.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili Notes
- Spice levels: For mild chili, use mild enchilada sauce and green chiles. For more heat, use medium or hot versions.
- Shredded chicken: Add the chicken back after whisking in the cream cheese to avoid stringy chicken.
- Thickening: Chili should be thick and hearty. Full-fat cream cheese thickens it, and toppings like sour cream and cheese add more thickness. For extra thick chili, use 1 cup of chicken stock.
- Cooking Time: Cook raw chicken for 3-5 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low, until it shreds easily or hits 165°F.
- Slow Cooker vs. Pressure Cooker: Slow cooker = long and low; pressure cooker = fast and high. Choose based on how much time you have!
How To Make Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Add Ingredients: Put all the “add first” ingredients in the crockpot and stir.
- Cook: Cover and cook until the chicken shreds easily.
- Shred Chicken: Take out the chicken, shred it, and set it aside.
- Add Cream Cheese: Soften in the microwave, then whisk it into the crockpot until smooth.
- Return Chicken: Stir the shredded chicken back in.
- Serve: Spoon into bowls and add your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Toppings
If I had to pick just three toppings for this White Chicken Chili, they’d be cheese, sour cream, and lime juice. I highly recommend at least those! But here’s a full list of options:
- Cheese: I like to grate Monterey Jack or sharp cheddar cheese over each bowl and let it melt before stirring.
- Sour cream: Light sour cream is my favorite in this chili.
- Lime juice: A few squeezes of lime brighten the chili, plus I serve extra lime wedges on the side.
- Chips: Crushed tortilla strips add a nice crunch.
- Cilantro: If you like cilantro, it adds freshness. If not, use parsley.
- Avocado: A ripe avocado on top adds extra creaminess.
Storage
Crockpot White Chicken Chili Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat slowly over low heat, stirring often. Don’t boil or use high heat, as it can cause the ingredients to separate.
More Slow Cooker Favorite Recipes
- Black Beans made from scratch
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes side dish made simple!
- Beef Ragu served over pasta
- Crockpot Cowboy Casserole with Italian sausage
- Crockpot Chili winner of dozens of chili cook-offs!
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
This creamy, flavor-packed Crockpot White Chicken Chili is the ultimate "set it and forget it" meal! Sweet corn, fire-roasted green chiles, tender chicken, white beans, and a simple seasoning blend make it delicious.
Equipment
- CrockPot 6-quart
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
Add First
- 1 (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, see note 1
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles mild
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth, see note 2
Add Later
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese see note 3
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro optional
- 1 large lime optional
- Optional toppings for serving see note 4
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6-quart crockpot with cooking spray. Trim any fat from the chicken and, if using breasts, cut into 2-3 pieces.
- Add all "add first" ingredients to the crockpot. Stir to combine and ensure the chicken is submerged.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours, until the chicken easily shreds.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred it in a bowl. Don't add it back into the crockpot yet.
- Soften the cream cheese in the microwave (about 1 minute) and add it to the crockpot. Use a whisk to briskly mix the softened cream cheese into the chili. Once smooth, return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir in cilantro and 1 to 2 tabelspoons lime juice (optional).
- Ladle chili into bowls and top with your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, or tortilla strips.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Chicken thighs are best—they add more flavor and become tender, shredding easily. Breasts have less flavor and can dry out if overcooked. Be sure the chicken is fully thawed before cooking.
Note 2: Use high-quality broth or stock for the best flavor. Swanson’s® is my favorite. For a thicker chili, use 1 cup of stock; for a regular consistency, use 2 cups.
Note 3: Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best results.
Note 4: Don’t skip the toppings! They really elevate the chili. Sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, or tortilla strips are all great options.
Instant Pot Directions: Add all “add first” ingredients. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on manual mode for 15 minutes with an immediate pressure release.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat slowly over low heat, stirring often. Don’t boil or use high heat, as it can cause the ingredients to separate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 1243mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 892IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am the worst cook, but this crockpot chili is fool proof. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. I’ll be browsing more recipes from here in the future. #accomplished
Yay!! So happy to hear that! Thanks Mariah! 🙂
What is a serving size?
Divide the total soup into 6 or 8 equal parts; each of those parts is 1 serving size 🙂
Made this on Sunday- I sauteed 1/2 and onion added the chicken and then de-glazed with white wine and added a clove of garlic. I also doubled the recipe. I couldn’t figure out why there was no onion or garlic in the recipe? Anyway, it was amazing!
Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Fantastic!! My husband is a chef and said it was the best thing I ever made for him. Of course he’s Italian so I did not add the oregano! That would be a sin! Lol
Wow!! That is quite the compliment; thank you so much Angela! 🙂 So happy to hear it was a hit 🙂
I just made this and it turned out phenomenal! To make this dairy free I refrigerated a can of full fat coconut milk and scooped off the solid portion and mixed into the crockpot at the end instead of the cream cheese. I also used 2 TB of arrowroot starch since it didn’t thicken as much without the dairy and bit of nutritional yeast. The squeeze of lime at the end really makes this dish come alive! It has so much flavor depth to it! Thank you!!!
So, so happy to hear this was a hit! Love your swaps to make it dairy free 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
this was SO good and easy! I only used 1/4 block of cream cheese because I can be sensitive to dairy, and it still tasted super creamy and had great thickness. I had never used fire roasted corn before — um, YUM! thanks for the great recipe, I will definitely be making this again and again!
So thrilled this was a hit! Thanks for the comment Laura 🙂
Can you use shredded rotisserie chicken instead? Would you just cook the rest as stated, then add the shredded cooked chicken at the end? Thanks! Looks tasty!
Yes that would work great and exactly how you said 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this last week. My daughter and I loved it. So easy and quite Delicious!! The only thing I did different is increase the spices, I always increase most people’s spices or change them up a bit, however with yours the flavors were on point. Thanks for such an easy and tasty recipe. We will be making this all the time as well as the Chicken Tortilla Soup on your blog.
Ahh thank you soo much Nicole! So glad you guys enjoyed! 🙂
There are so many white chicken chili recipes out there and this one is by far the best!! My hubby can’t get enough of it and it’s always a crowd pleaser when serving to friends and family!!!
?Love this recipe! It’s a staple in our home! ❤️
Thanks bunches!! ?
Yay! SO happy to hear this was the best one you’ve had ? Thanks so much for the comment Lorri! ?<3
Cream cheese is absolutely the secret to good white chicken chili. We loved this recipe. I made homemade broth yesterday with a whole chicken, which yielded 5-6 cups of chicken. I used all of the chicken in this recipe so ended up using a lot more broth than 2 cups. Otherwise the measurements still worked and the end result was amazing. I also added onion and garlic, just for personal preference. Loved this!
Ahh I couldn’t agree more! Definitely the key to the best white chicken chili! I’m soo glad you enjoyed and those subs sound amazing! Thanks Cassie! 🙂