Crockpot White Chicken Chili

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This Crockpot White Chicken Chili is the perfect dump dinner – just add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and serve with fresh toppings!

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil.
Chicken breasts – you could also use turkey, beef or pork, just make sure to brown any ground meat ahead of time. You can also leave the meat out for a vegetarian option.
Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
Garlic – fresh garlic is best but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
Chili powder – make your own chili powder using a blend of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne.
Cumin – coriander is the best substitute for cumin.
Green chilies – use jalapenos instead if you want your chili to be a bit spicier.
White kidney beans – try another kind of bean like garbanzo or fava beans.
Corn – substitute for another veggie of your choice like bell peppers, kale or carrots.
Chicken broth – vegetarian broth would work here.
Lime juice – freshly squeezed is best but you can use the bottled variety instead.
Salt & pepper – to taste.

How to make white chicken chili

Add all the ingredients to the crockpot in order.
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Shred the chicken.
Serve with your preferred toppings and enjoy!

The best topping ideas

This is perfect party food. Make a huge batch of chili (it’s easy to double or triple this recipe!) and offer a table full of toppings. You can keep the chili hot in the crockpot for hours so everyone has time to eat.

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Here are some toppings ideas to get you started:

Avocado
Sour cream
Jalapenos
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Tortilla strips
Queso or other shredded cheeses
Beans
Fried onions
Scallions
Tomatoes or pico de gallo
Hot sauce

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you thicken white chicken chili?

There are a few methods you can use to thicken your chili. You can remove a small amount of hot broth and dissolve some flour into it before adding it back to the chili, lightly smash some of the ingredients with a potato masher, sprinkle some cornmeal over top of the chili and stir, add in some tortillas and let them simmer for 10 minutes, or dissolve some cornstarch in broth, water and milk to make a cornstarch slurry before adding it to the chili.

What's the difference between white chili and regular chili?

White chili uses chicken and doesn’t include tomatoes, whereas regular chili has a tomato base and generally uses ground meat like beef or turkey.

What should I serve with this recipe?

I like serving my chili with cornbread or garlic bread, rice, French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, southern collard greens, roasted broccoli or roasted potatoes. They all compliment the slightly spicy flavour of the chili nicely!

Storing and reheating

Crockpot white chicken chili will last in the refrigerator for 5 days. That means you can make the whole dish ahead of time and just reheat it when you are ready to eat.

To reheat a single serving of white chicken chili, warm it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can put a plate or towel over the bowl to keep it from splattering. You can also reheat the whole pot either on the stove top or in the crock pot.

Freezing this recipe

This recipe works great as a freezer meal as well. Crockpot chicken chili will last for three months in an airtight container in the freezer without any of the toppings.

To thaw, leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can reheat using any method you prefer. You can also reheat from frozen if you've frozen in individual portions. Simply microwave for 6-8 minutes on high, stirring halfway through.

More easy chili recipes

Meal prep tools for this recipe

Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this chili into your weekly lunches.
I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.

*Nutritional info includes a couple slices of avocado