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.
My Boyfriend is a USPS Mail Carrier. He came home one day with a large bowl of “White Chicken Chili” from a resident on his route… And at first taste… OMGOODNESS… I WAS HOOKED. Today, I am making my first batch and I am super excited! Thanks for the recipe !!!
You’re so welcome! 🙂 I hope he loved this recipe!
do you think I could sub ricotta for cream cheese? thanks
I don’t think that would be very good in this recipe unfortunately
Wow, this is absolutely amazing!! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect…love it…definitely a keeper. Thanks!!
So happy to hear that! Thanks Laura 🙂
I LOVE this recipe! My personal tweaks were to saute a chopped onion in a tablespoon of butter before adding the other ingredients, I used 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, and reduced the stock to 1 1/2 cups. The recipe yielded 9, 1 cup servings at 302 calories, 13g fat, 23g carb, 4g fiber, and 23g protein per cup. I froze the chili in 1 cup portions. They reheated wonderfully with a quick stir before serving.
So happy to hear you enjoyed this white chicken chili! Thanks for sharing your changes and the nutrition facts 🙂
This recipe was easy to follow and tastes great! Definitely adding this recipe to our collection. Thanks!
So glad this was a hit! Thanks Rebecca 🙂
This was delicious! I gave the recipe to my friend today. It was very tasty. I will definetely make it again!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks Karen 🙂
If I have a 3 quart crockpot, can I just half all the ingredients?
Sure 🙂
What’s the serving size for the 305 calories?
The entire recipe divided into 8 equal parts; each part is one serving size (or 305 calories).
This is so good and easy to make. A local popular restaurant uses a secret family recipe to make white chicken chili. This is better. The various toppings allow one to customize their own serving. My only critique is recipe only makes 4 bowls. If you want 6-8 servings I would double recipe or only serve a cup. I guarantee seconds will be requested.
This comment made my day!! So thrilled to hear this one is better 🙂 And thanks for the note about serving sizes! Happy New Year Bill!
I doubled the recipe. I wanted to have leftovers. I’m glad that I did!
I’m making this right now! I’m so excited to share it with my church group tonight. One question. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and the crock pot is set on high. Do you think they will cook faster and be done in about 4 hours? My crock pot runs hot even on low.