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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 can green chilies
- 1 can white kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Topping Ideas
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Tortilla strips
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in the order in which they are listed, except for toppings, to the crockpot. Cook on high 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
- When soup is done, remove chicken breasts and shred, then add back to pot.
- Serve in large bowls and add toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional info includes a couple slices of avocado
Comments & Reviews
Tara says
I did the Stovetop method & it was so simple & delicious! My kiddo even ate it!!! The jalapeños really make this soup! We topped ours with sour cream, some shredded marble cheese, more lime & it was just enough!
Definitely will make this again!!! 👌