White Chicken Chili with cream cheese is the ultimate creamy comfort food! This easy white chili recipe is loaded with everything good and so comforting on a cool night. We top our Creamy White Chicken Chili off with avocado, jalapenos, sour cream, and more. Make this chili on the stovetop or in a Crock pot!
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White Chicken Chili Recipe with Cream Cheese
This is the only white chili recipe you’ll ever need. It’s so good, you’ll want to make it every night!
This recipe is SO easy to throw together (just how I like my recipes). You can have the ultimate comfort food on your table in about 30 minutes. And it’s great for freezing and eating later too. You won’t be disappointed, trust me!
You can make this easy white chicken chili with cream cheese (the secret to making it super creamy) on the stove or in a Crockpot. Two easy ways to make one delicious chili! The creaminess makes it unique, and an instant family favorite.
Why You’ll Love this Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe:
- CREAMY: This chicken chili is SO creamy, thanks to the cream cheese and heavy cream.
- FAMILY FAVORITE: Everyone in the family will love this recipe. It’s comforting, delicious, and always a favorite.
- STOVETOP or CROCKPOT: Make white chicken chili on the stovetop or in a slow cooker! I have a how-to for both recipes.
Award Winning Chicken Chili Recipe
Not only is this a reader favorite recipe, but so many readers have written in to tell me that this Creamy White Chicken Chili won them first prize at their local chili cook offs. I couldn’t be more proud! Let me know if you try it! Want to make this Blue Ribbon Chicken Chili at home? It’s so easy!
This chili recipe makes about 14 servings, so it’s perfect for a crowd. Whether it’s at the cook off or just for the family, everyone will love it!
Ingredients for the Best White Chicken Chili
This white chili recipe is not a healthy low-cal kind of recipe, but I want it in bulk anyways! It’s so cold right now, I’ve got to be shivering off a few calories, right? It’s just the ultimate comfort food and it’s filled with so many delicious ingredients.
To kick the creaminess up a notch, I added heavy cream AND cream cheese to this chili. This recipe is meant for a crowd, but I’m a little selfish with this one. Instead of sharing it with anyone, I like to eat a nice big bowl and then freeze the rest for later. I’m already looking forward to eating it all season long!
Ingredient List:
- Chicken
- Spices and seasonings
- White Beans
- Fresh Cilantro
- Green Chiles
- Cream Cheese
- …and lots more!
What seasonings should I use in white chicken chili?
This recipe is filled with SO many great things and it all contributes to an amazing flavor. The spices and seasonings are so important to creating the perfect taste!
You’ll need ground cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and chili powder for this chicken chili.
More Favorite Chicken Recipes:
- Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Crockpot Chicken Recipe
- Tuscan Chicken
- Chicken Wings
- Chicken Tacos
- Chicken and Dumplings
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo
How to Make White Chicken Chili on the Stovetop
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Cook onions and garlic in a large pot.
- Add in chicken, broth, beans, chilis, and seasonings. Boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and heavy cream.
- Spoon the white chili into bowls, and top with preferred toppings.
Tips!
- Use a 6 quart dutch oven or large stock pot for this recipe.
- Make sure you use chicken that is already fully cooked. Do not add uncooked chicken into the chili.
- You only need about 30 minutes to fully cook this chili, but letting it simmer a little longer will really enhance the flavor and create a nice consistency.
- This chicken chili recipe can easily be made in a crock pot if you prefer. Check the slow cooker instructions below and in the recipe card.
- Make this your own with your favorite toppings. Add as many or as few as you like!
- Serve white chicken chili with some hearty, crusty bread for a little bit of dipping.
Family Favorite Comfort Soup
A good chili recipe can’t be beat. This recipe is even better! It’s such an important recipe to have in your arsenal for cold winters, or any time you need a comforting meal.
I like to think this Creamy White Chicken Chili is one of the best soup recipes out there, and for me it definitely is! I hope you try it and let me know what you think. We have been making this for years now and it’s a hit every single time!
Creamy Chicken Chili Toppings
If you make this, please don’t forget to add ALL THE TOPPINGS! Go as crazy as possible with your favorites. Here’s what we like to throw on top of our chicken chili.
Topping Ideas:
- tortilla strips
- sour cream
- cilantro
- avocado
- jalapeños
- shredded cheese
Can White Chicken Chili be prepared in a Crockpot?
We have shown you how to make white chicken chili on the stove. It’s a super easy way to make it in 30-45 minutes if you just need to get dinner ready to go. But you can also adapt this recipe to make it in a crock pot! You only need to make a couple of changes. You can see our Crockpot White Chicken Chili (⬅ Click!) is super easy and delicious as well.
Use COOKED chicken in this chili. A rotisserie chicken works great for an easy option, or make a simple chicken breast ahead of time.
Let the chili simmer a little longer if you want to make it thicker. While you could mix in a bit of flour or cornstarch, I find that this mix of ingredients already creates a nice thick consistency.
It tastes amazing either way! If you want to let this simmer all day, use the slow cooker. If you need it ready ASAP, make it on the stove.
White chili is made with white beans, and usually has chicken instead of beef. Regular (red) chili also uses tomatoes, whereas white chili does not.
Yes, you could swap out turkey in place of chicken if you prefer. I also recommend trying this Turkey White Bean Chili.
This recipe calls for Great Northern Beans. You can also use cannellini beans.
I added cream cheese and heavy cream to make this chili super creamy and smooth.
Yes, you can store leftovers in the freezer up to 3 months. I recommend separating the chili into smaller portions so you can take one container out to reheat at a time.
Ultimate Winter Comfort Food
I make it no secret that my Mom’s chili is the Best Chili Recipe Ever…but this Creamy White Chicken Chili is a close second. Definitely the best as far as white chili recipes go.
I go back and forth on which one to take to chili cook-offs. This recipe has won a few awards for readers and nothing makes me happier!
I hope this makes all of your comfort food dreams come true. I know it did mine!
More Soups & Chili
If you love this White Chicken Chili Recipe, be sure to try these other soups and chilis we love on a cold night.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 onions diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds COOKED chicken cubed (or 2 lbs cooked shredded rotisserie chicken)
- 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
- 4 cans great northern white beans 15.5 ounce cans, fully drained and rinsed
- 3 cans diced green chiles 4 ounce cans, drained
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 8 ounces low fat cream cheese cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream
optional toppings
- Tortilla chips or strips, jalapeños, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, or whatever you'd like!
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, 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth, 4 cans great northern white beans, 3 cans diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 cup 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 or strips, jalapeños, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, or whatever you'd like!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
I was craving something cozy for dinner and this totally hit the spot. Thanks for the great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it, Kristen!
I want to thank you for including the hover over number of servings feature. That feature is going to keep me coming back to your site. Recipes are always geared towards families and when my husband was alive I could count on him to at least eat most of it. Now that my husband has passed I find myself staying away from most new recipes or else I try to scale them back for just me and sometimes they don’t turn out rate. Your hover button allowed me to make a smaller amount of the chili and it turned out wonderful. Thank you.
So glad you found it useful, Lisa! It’s a great feature!
WOW! Such an incredible tasty recipe.
I will be making this again and again!
This was a big hit. I cooked 3 chicken breasts in the chicken broth with all the spices and onions/garlic/ green chiles then shredded it before adding beans. Also add can of corn. Served with corn bread.
Sounds amazing, Leah!
My family loves this recipe! I make it once a month a least. Great comfort food on a cold winter night!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Paula!
Holy canneloni!! This is absolutely DELICIOUS! Make it. That’s my best advice. It’s easy, quick, and yummy.
Looks amazing, Carol!!
I have been making this recipe for years and everyone that I have made it for LOVES it just as much as I do! My 14 year old daughter requests it all the time. I follow the recipe to a T and I add sour cream, cheese, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, tortilla strips and a little squeeze of lime….soooooo good:)
Sounds great!!
What a great recipe. I used ground chicken and no cilantro. Wow!! It’s awesome. Family loved it. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Craig!
First time making white chicken chili. WOW. Outstanding. I ground the chicken breast and left out the cilantro. Just amazing. Whole family loved it.
Thanks for sharing!!
Best white chicken chili I ever made! Thank you!
That’s awesome, Beth!