There’s nothing better on a cold day than a big bowl of hearty, warming chili and this white chicken chili is exactly that. It’s simple, inexpensive, and packed with tender shredded chicken, creamy white beans, and just enough spice to keep things interesting. Make it in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or right on the stovetop whichever fits your day.
Why I Love This Recipe
This is one of our go-to cold-weather dinners, especially once soup season really kicks in. It’s simple enough for a busy weeknight, but tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did. Like most soups and chilis, it actually gets better after sitting for a day, so I always make a double batch — that way there’s an easy lunch or dinner ready to go without any extra work later in the week.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ lbs chicken tenders
- 1 (4 oz) jar chopped green chiles
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups chicken bone broth
- ½ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Optional toppings:
- Extra shredded cheese
- Sliced jalapeño
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado
- Fresh lime wedges
How to Make White Chicken Chili
Slow cooker method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until they begin to soften, then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken tenders, green chiles, spices, and beans. Pour in the broth and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours, or on HIGH for 2–3 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker along with the shredded cheese.
Instant Pot method
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the oil.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes.
- Stir in all remaining ingredients except the cheese.
- Seal the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on soup mode for 20 minutes.
- Once done, quick-release the pressure, then carefully remove the chicken and shred it with two forks.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot, stir in the cheese, and warm through.
Stovetop method
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened.
- Add the chicken tenders, green chiles, spices, and beans, then pour in the broth and stir to combine.
- Bring to a brisk simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks, then return it to the pot along with the shredded cheese.
To serve Stir everything together, taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and add your favorite toppings.
Storage
This chili keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavor only improves as it sits — making it a great candidate for doubling or tripling the batch for easy future meals.
FAQs
Can I use chicken breasts or thighs instead of tenders? Yes — both work well and shred just as easily. Boneless, skinless thighs tend to stay especially tender in the slow cooker.
Can I freeze this chili? Yes — let it cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
Is this chili spicy? It has a mild to medium heat from the cayenne pepper and green chiles. Reduce or omit the cayenne for a milder version, or add sliced jalapeños as a topping if you want more kick.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned? Yes, though you’ll need to cook them separately first, since this recipe doesn’t build in enough time for dried beans to fully soften on their own.
What can I use instead of chicken bone broth? Regular chicken broth or stock works just as well if bone broth isn’t available.
Can I make this dairy-free? Yes simply omit the shredded cheddar, or use a dairy-free shredded cheese alternative.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Finely dice onion and bell pepper.
- For Slow Cooker: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened; transfer to slow cooker.
- Add chicken tenders, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne, beans, and broth to slow cooker. Stir gently.
- Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours.
- Remove chicken, shred with two forks, return to cooker with shredded white cheddar. Stir to combine.
- For Instant Pot: Set to Sauté. Heat oil; sauté onion, peppers, garlic. Add remaining ingredients except cheese.
- Secure lid, set valve to sealing. Cook on Soup mode 20 minutes. Quick release pressure.
- Remove chicken, shred, return to pot with cheese; stir to warm.
- For Stovetop: Heat oil in a large stockpot. Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic until softened.
- Add chicken, green chiles, spices, beans, and broth. Bring to a brisk simmer, then reduce to LOW.
- Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken, shred, return with cheese; stir.
- To serve: Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and add toppings of choice.