Crock Pot White Chicken Chili – Easy Dump & Go Recipe

When the weather begins to turn cool, there is nothing better than coming home to a warm bowl of Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. It’s thick, creamy, full of flavor and, best of all, incredibly easy to make.

In fact, this is one of my favorite dump-and-go slow cooker recipes. There is no need to brown the chicken or sauté the vegetables before they go into the crock pot. Simply add the ingredients, turn on the slow cooker and let it do the work for you.

Then, just before dinner, shred the tender chicken and stir in the ingredients that give the chili its classic creamy texture. In minutes, you’ll have a hearty bowl filled with tender chicken, sweet corn and white beans in a rich and flavorful broth.

It’s the perfect meal for busy fall weeknights when you want dinner waiting for you at the end of the day. However, it is also one of my favorite recipes to make for game day and tailgate parties because you can keep it warm right in the slow cooker.

And don’t worry if someone else brings a pot of traditional chili. This White Chicken Chili is completely different – and whenever I take it to a gathering, I rarely have any leftovers to bring home!

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!

If you want a more traditional style chili made with ground beef, be sure to try my Chili Con Carne Recipe. It is another crowd favorite!

Enjoy! Mary

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