Crock Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe

As soon as the cooler weather arrives, one of the first things that I do is pull out my crock pot and make all sorts of chili recipes, including my favorite White Chicken Chili recipe.

It is a quick and easy meal to prepare and every bite is full of amazing flavor. Best of all, it is what I call a dump and go recipe.

This means that all you have to do is put the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn it on. There is no need to pull out any other pan or skillet to brown the meat or saute the vegetables.

Simply pile everything in and let the crock pot do the work. Of course, you will have to dice a few vegetables, but even that won’t take more than 5 minutes.

Then when you get home, all that is left to do is shred the cooked chicken and add the creamy ingredients. What you are left with is a delicious chili recipe that is full of tender shreds of chicken complimented by kernels of sweet corn and white northern beans in a creamy sauce.

It is the perfect recipe to serve on a cool and blustery day. And it is one that we love to take to tailgate parties to share with family and friends.

Even when someone else brings traditional Crock Pot Chili to a gathering, this White Chicken Chili is always the first one to be gone. Which is unfortunate, because I always enjoy the leftovers even more than the first day that I make it.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

*Don’t let the long list of ingredients deter you from making this recipe. Most of the spices you will already have in your kitchen.

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2-15 oz cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 7 oz can diced green chiles
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
• 15 oz can sweet corn, drained
• 3 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of 6 quart slow cooker. Then sprinkle the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper on top of the chicken.

Next add in the diced onion, garlic, great Northern beans (drained and rinsed), diced green chiles, jalapeno peppers, corn, chicken broth and cilantro and then stir to combine.

Cover and cook on HIGH power for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours. If you are using the Instant Pot Crockpot setting push the MORE button and set it for 4 hours.

Once the cook time has expired, remove the chicken breasts to a large plate or cutting board. Then use two forks to shred the chicken and return the meat to the slow cooker.

Cut the cream cheese into smaller blocks and add them to the mixture. Then add the heavy cream and stir.

Continue to cook on HIGH power for 15-20 minutes until the cream cheese has completely melted when stirred.

Prior to serving, give the mixture one more good stir and serve with desired toppings. Suggested toppings include: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced jalapeños, avocado slices and/or tortilla strips.

Frequent Recipe Substitutions

1. Chicken Thighs

If you prefer, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in this recipe. The chicken thighs will give the Crock Pot White Chicken Chili additional flavor because they contain more fat than chicken breasts.

However, before putting them in the slow cooker be sure to trim any excess fat that is hanging on the edges. This will help prevent the chili from having pockets of fat floating to the top.

2. Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

I purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken at a wholesale club at least twice a month. We will eat the chicken for dinner along with some mashed potatoes and green beans and save the leftovers for other recipes throughout the week.

In the summer we will make Chicken Salad or Barbecue Chicken Wraps with the leftover meat. And in the cooler months I will use the leftovers to make casseroles such as Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole and Chicken Pot Pie Casserole.

And if you have enough leftover, you can also use rotisserie chicken to make White Chicken Chili in the crock pot. 1 pound of raw chicken breasts equals approximately 3 cups of cooked and shredded chicken.

Therefore, add 3 cups of shredded chicken to this recipe if using leftover rotisserie chicken.

3. Cannellini Beans

Although this recipe calls for great Northern beans you could substitute cannellini beans instead. The two types of beans are basically interchangeable in recipes with a couple of slight differences between the two.

Both are mild tasting white beans. However, cannellini beans are slightly larger and have a thicker outer skin.

Great Northern beans are slightly less creamy on the inside and will take on any flavor that they are cooked with. Therefore, if you have canned cannellini beans on hand it is okay to use them in this recipe.

4. Cream Cheese

A half of a block of cream cheese is added to the crock pot at the end of the recipe to make the White Chicken Chili creamy. You can use regular, reduced fat or fat free cream cheese.

Although, be sure to cut the cream cheese in smaller cubes before adding it to the recipe so that it melts better.

5. Heavy Cream

If you don’t have heavy cream you can use milk as a substitute. Whole milk would be best to use.

However, if all you have in the house is skim, 2% or plant based milk, feel free to use that in place of the heavy cream.

The chili may not be as thick and creamy, but it will still be delicious!

Enjoy! Mary

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