Updated
This creamy white chicken chili is one of my favorite comforting recipes of all time. It’s loaded with cream cheese, chicken, white beans, and green chiles for a mildly spicy chili that’s just so delicious. I love to cook up a batch of this famous chicken chili for family dinners, game days, or to store up for winter. Did I mention this is ready in less than an hour?
5-Star Review
“Wow! Best white chicken chili I have made! Seriously this is amazing!! I made no adjustments…It is perfect!” -Tammy
Easy White Chicken Chili
My easy white chili is filled with chicken, beans, green chiles, cream cheese, and lots of other ingredients that make it so delicious and creamy. It’s been one of my family’s favorite fall and winter comfort foods for years and years. I love to make a big batch to freeze for a snowy day! This recipe is meant to be quick and easy, so it will be ready to go after just 30 minutes on the stove. However, simmering longer will make it thicker and more flavorful.
Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 onions diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds cooked chicken, cubed 2 lbs cooked shredded rotisserie chicken or turkey) or this Instant Pot shredded chicken.
- 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth (1 carton)
- 62 ounces great northern white beans fully drained and rinsed (4 (15.5-ounce) cans)
- 12 ounces diced green chiles drained (3 (4-ounce) cans)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese cubed (1 brick)
- 1 cup heavy cream
Optional Toppings
- tortilla chips or strips
- jalapeños
- cilantro
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- avocado
Instructions
- In a 6 qt dutch oven or stock pot, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil and lime juice over medium high heat. Cook until the onions are fragrant and translucent.2 onions, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Add in the cooked chicken, chicken broth, beans, chiles, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until it's the thickness you desire. Stir occasionally. I let mine simmer for a full hour to let all the flavors blend fully and to get a nice thickness. It would have been ready to go after 30 minutes, so just do what you like best! (See below for Crock Pot Instructions)2 pounds cooked chicken, cubed, 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth, 62 ounces great northern white beans, 12 ounces diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cubed cream cheese. Stir constantly until the cream cheese melts and incorporates completely. Stir in the heavy cream.8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, 1 cup heavy cream
- Top with as many or as few optional toppings as you desire. I used them all! The more the merrier.tortilla chips, jalapeños, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado
Becky’s Tips
- Want to make this in a crockpot? Check out our Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili.
- Spicy White Bean Chili: For a spicy version of this chili (that’s not creamy), swap out the diced green chiles for 2 cups of salsa verde; the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cayenne for ½ tablespoon of poultry seasoning; omit the lime juice, cream, and cream cheese; and add 2 diced jalapeño peppers and 1 poblano pepper.
- Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How To Make White Chicken Chili Step By Step
Sauté the onion and garlic: In a 6 qt Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté 2 diced onions and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of lime juice over medium-high heat. Cook until the onions are fragrant and translucent.
Let the ingredients simmer: Add in 2 pounds of cooked chicken, 32 ounces (1 carton) of low-sodium chicken broth, 62 ounces (4 cans) of great northern white beans, 12 ounces (3 cans) of diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and ½ cup of chopped fresh cilantro. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until it’s the thickness you desire. Stir occasionally. I let mine simmer for a full hour to let all the flavors blend fully and to get a nice thickness. It would have been ready to go after 30 minutes, so just do what you like best!
Make it creamy: Turn off the heat and stir in 8 ounces (1 brick) of low-fat cubed cream cheese. Stir constantly until the cream cheese melts and incorporates completely. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream.
Top and serve: Top with as many or as few optional toppings as you desire. I used them all! The more the merrier.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover creamy white chicken chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend separating the chili into smaller portions so you can take one container out to reheat at a time.
To store in freezer bags, pour the chili into a bag with a bit of space left at the top (don’t overfill it). Then lay the bag(s) flat on a baking tray, and place them in the freezer until fully frozen. Then you can rearrange the bags as needed for longer storage.
To reheat, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before gently warming on the stovetop, stirring regularly. You can mix in a bit more heavy cream to help get that creamy chili texture back.
Serving Suggestions
A bowl of this creamy white bean chicken chili, loaded up with lots of toppings, is plenty filling on its own, but I also like to add super crusty, easy skillet bread, or traditional classic cornbread to soak up all the amazing flavors.
If you want to add some veggies to your meal, make my crispy air fryer broccoli, or savory roasted mushrooms.
This is absolutely delicious! Have made it twice now and will continue to make it!
How much is a serving? Doesn’t show only shows nutrition but not what a serving is?
Hi Chuck, this recipe makes 10 servings, so 1 serving is 1/10 of the recipe!
We all loved this & slurped it down. This will be in regular rotation. Thank you!
Can you make this without dairy?
Hi Lauren, you can use a dairy-free cream cheese and heavy cream.
Easy and very delicious!! Great for a cold day!
Absolutely the MOST DE-LISH!!! Sautéed onion, garlic in butter. Got in a hurry then read the recipe to use the oil. Still so very yummy. Definitely will keep using this recipe. Thanks for posting AND it’s a great meal after Thanksgiving when your are done with leftovers 😉
Made this white chili for the very first time last night…Actually, this was my first pot of white chili ever! It’s a winner with the fam & thankfully I didn’t double the recipe or it wouldn’t have fit in my 5 QT Dutch pot. If at all possible when making this, I’d recommend at least a 6 QT pot, like they do in the recipe. I kept my chicken chili non spicy, but adding spicy green peppers would also be tasty for those who want a kick. So good!! 5/5
62 ounces Beans! ( dry or can beans)
Hi Gee, canned beans!
This soup was delicious, and so easy! I used some leftover chicken thighs I had in the fridge, and I even threw in some corn from the garden. I did want a bit more spice so I put in 2 chopped jalapenos and some verde salsa as suggested and it was PERFECT. My husband loved it too. Will definitely make this again!
This is our family’s favorite soup night dinner! All the kids ask for it. It is easy and so delicious! Also, THANK YOU for writing recipes to make our lives easier by re-listing the ingredients under each step so we don’t have to keep scrolling to the top.
I’m so grateful for the great format listing the ingredients by the steps, too! Makes my life so much easier! Thank you, Becky!