Creamy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (2024)

This white chicken chili is smooth, creamy and so easy to make. Throw all the ingredients in the pot and with very little effort you can come home to a cozy dinner that is so satisfying.

Why We Love Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

• Flavor Packed– This chili is a twist on a classic chili, using white cannoli beans (also known as white kidney beans), tender chicken, and slightly spicy yet crisp green chilies, but it doesn’t skimp on flavor.
• Easy Make Ahead Dinner– Chili and soups are one of my go to dinners for busy weeknights. It’s a quick meal to finish, and I can prep it the night before.
• Cozy Meal– Nothing beats coming home to a cozy, creamy bowl of this white chicken chili on a chilly day.

White chicken chili was always a staple recipe for me when I lived in the midwest, so I was surprised when I lived in Montreal and discovered many of my friends had never heard of it!

Now that I live in Arizona, white chicken chili or variations of it are often on the menu at local restaurants. This chili is hearty, satisfying, easy, and can be made to your own preferred heat level easily.

Ingredients For Creamy White Chicken Chili

• ½mediumoniondiced, yellow onion or red onion are both delicious.
• 1poundchicken breastabout two large chicken breasts
• 7ouncesgreen chiliesI use mild, or a combination of mild and spicy. Read the label of the can carefully. You can also use fresh roasted Hatch, Anaheim or poblano peppers diced.
• 3canscannellini beansdrained, 15 ounce cans, sometimes called white kidney beans. Great northern beans can also be used, but have a softer texture.
• 1 ½cupscornfrozen or canned
• 2clovesgarlicor 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2teaspoonsoreganodried
• 1teaspooncuminground
• ½teaspoonpaprika
• 1teaspoonsalt
• 32ounceslow sodium chicken broth
• 4ouncescream cheesesoftened
• 1/3cupheavy creamor half and half
• 1/4teaspoonpepper

What Are Green Chilis?

Green chilis are a mild pepper most often used in cuisine in New Mexico and the southwest. Also known as hatch green chilis, these peppers are often roasted which adds a smoky yet slightly sweet flavor along with the heat level, which can vary. Hatch, Anaheim and poblano peppers are all considered “roasted green chilies” and can be used fairly interchangeably.

I live in Arizona now and can find hatch green chilis both fresh and roasted fresh at my farmer’s market and grocery stores.

Often people who don’t live in the southwest are familiar with green chilis as the chili that is included in Rotel. You can use canned green chilies, which are often found in small four-ounce cans.

Use mild green chilis for a chili with low heat, or a mix of mild and spicy chilis for a higher heat level.

How To Make Creamy White Chicken Chili

• In the base of the slow cooker add the diced onion, chicken breast, and canned green chiles. Drain the cannoli beans and rinse well, then add the white beans to the slow cooker. Add frozen corn straight to the slow cooker, but if using canned drain and rinse the corn before adding.

• Chop the garlic and add to the slow cooker. Add the oregano, cumin, and paprika on top of the chicken. Carefully pour in the chicken broth, then close the slow cooker.

• Cook the soup on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

• Cut the cream cheese up into small cubes. Let it soften on the counter for at least 10-15 minutes then place in a large bowl or large glass two-cup measuring cup.

• Flip the slow cooker to low if it is on high. Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker and keep the slow cooker uncovered. With two forks turned backward, shred the chicken on a cutting board.

• Add 1-2 cups of the warm broth a little at a time from the slow cooker to the cream cheese. Use a whisk and mix well while adding the broth a little at a time to melt the cream cheese.

• Place the chicken back into the slow cooker. Add the cream cheese broth mixture back to the slow cooker. Pour the heavy cream slowly into the slow cooker, then flip the slow cooker to high and allow it to cook for about 15 minutes just so the soup begins to thicken.

• Flip the slow cooker to keep warm. Serve and enjoy!

Variation Ideas

Lighten It Up– I’ve made this chili many times without the cream cheese and heavy cream at the end. While I prefer the creamy version, the brothy version of this chili is equally delicious. If you prefer to leave out the cream, you can blend one of the cans of beans with a little bit of broth in the blender to help further thicken the soup if you prefer.

Add More Vegetables- Carrots, celery, and leeks are all particularly delicious when added to this chili/ Adding too much extra vegetable can start to make this fell more like soup territory, but it’s still delicious. You can also add some leafy greens towards the end of cooking (usually takes about 15-30 minutes to add leafy greens.) Try adding some spinach or some kale if you prefer.

Swap The Beans– I’ve added other types of beans to this chili based on what I had in my pantry. Chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans and red or dark red kidney beans are all delicious. While it won’t be a “traditional” white chili if you use red or black beans, it will still be delicious if that’s what you have in the pantry. White navy beans can absolutely be used in this recipe, but I find I prefer the texture of the kidney beans as they are more firm.

How Long Does White Chicken Chili Last?

Expect this chili to last about three days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. It easily tastes just as delicious reheated as it does the first day. In fact, sometimes the flavors marry even more and it’s more flavorful the second day.

Can You Freeze This Chili?

This chili is trickier to freeze because of the cream cheese and cream in the soup. When you freeze dairy, it tends to separate when you reheat it and can become grainy in texture.

If you plan to freeze some of this soup, I’d recommend making the brothy version and leave out the cream and creamy cheese. You can add a little cream drizzled straight into your bowl if you prefer to give the soup a bit more creaminess.

Can I Prep This White Chicken Chili Ahead Of Time?

Yes you can totally prep this soup the night before. Place everything that goes in the slow cooker in the base of the slow cooker. (This is all the ingredients except the cream cheese and cream, don’t add those to the slow cooker) Then simply cover and place the stoneware full in the fridge covered.

In the morning you pull the chili out of the refrigerator and place it in the slow cooker warmer. If you are going to be gone for more then 8 hours, a programable slow cooker can help you to switch the machine to keep warm once the chili has finished cooking, and also keep the food at a safe temperature.

My Chili Is Accidently Too Spicy, Help!

The easiest way to bring down the spice level of chili or soup is to add potato. You can add the potato in large pieces or diced after cleaning. Leave the potato in the soup until cooked all the way through and soft. You can then remove the potato and you will have a delicious potato side, or enjoy the potato diced in the soup. The potato will absorb some of the spice, but itself won’t become too spicy.

Adding a little more cream can also help to neutralize some of the spice if it is just a little too spicy. Or an extra dollop of sour cream on top of the bowl can also help with the spice level.

What Toppings Can I Add To This Chili?

One place we never skimp on when serving chili for dinner is the toppings. While I usually just raid my pantry for ideas, having a few toppings on the table takes this dinner up a satisfaction level, especially for my kid. Here are a few of my favorite toppings.

• Avocado– Sliced or cubed, avocado is a delicious addition. A dollop of guacamole can also work in a pinch. I keep individual portions of guacamole in the freezer from Costco, and defrost in warm water.
• Sour Cream– A dollop of sour cream can make your chili extra creamy.
• Tortilla Chips– Whether you use the salad topping shred sized tortilla chips, full size chips or even flavored tortilla chips, all options are delicious on this soup.
• Shredded Cheese– Shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese or colby are all delicious.
• Jalapenos– Sliced or diced, if you prefer a little heat, a few extra jalapenos on top of the soup is delicious.
• Cilantro– Totally optional, but a little diced fresh cilantro adds a lot of brightness to this soup if you like cilantro.
• Sliced Lime – An extra squeeze of lime juice at the end can give this soup a little something extra. You can serve the lime wedges right with the soup.
• Green Onion– Green onions or chives can add some fresh flavor and just the right amount of color to this soup.