This creamy Creamy White Chicken Chili recipe is made with cream cheese, chicken, white beans, and green chiles for the creamiest chili recipe you’ll ever taste. This recipe is so easy, so flavorful, and so comforting! Cook up a batch of this famous chicken chili for family dinners, game day, or to store up for winter. Did I mention this is ready in less than an hour?
What’s in this White Chicken Chili recipe?
This easy white chili is filled with chicken, beans, green chiles, cream cheese, and lots of other ingredients to make the most delicious and creamiest comfort recipe. It’s one of my favorite winter dinner ideas!
- Chicken: Use fully cooked chicken in this chili recipe. You can leftovers it into cubes, or use shredded chicken. Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for the easiest option.
- White Beans: Great Northern white beans are best, but you can also use cannellini beans or white kidney beans.
- Cream Cheese: This makes the chili sooo creamy and smooth. You can use low fat or full fat.
- Heavy Cream: This also helps to create that signature creamy chili texture.
- Green Chiles: These add that delicious spicy heat you’d expect from Tex-Mex and southwest cuisines.
- Seasonings: You’ll find a mix of herbs and spices in this recipe, including chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. I also use cilantro, but you can skip it if you don’t like it.
Pro Tip: If you want to cook your own chicken for this white bean chili recipe, I recommend using this Instant Pot shredded chicken. But you can cook it with your favorite method up to 2 days ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge until you make the chili.
What are the best toppings for white chili?
The thick, creamy texture of this white chicken chili is ripe for toppings! The Tex-Mex seasonings pair perfectly with crumbled tortilla chips or tortilla strips, sliced jalapeños, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and avocado slices.
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Use cooked chicken in this chili recipe. A rotisserie chicken works great for an easy option, or make a simple chicken breast ahead of time.
The cream cheese really helps to thicken up this chili, and the longer it simmers, the thicker it will get. If it’s still too watery or soupy, make a slurry (1 tbsp of cold water and 1 tbsp of flour or cornstarch) to stir in.
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.
Absolutely. Follow the detailed instructions in this Crockpot White Chicken Chili recipe for best results.
The green chiles, as well as the cayenne pepper and chili powder, do add some heat. But overall, it’s mildly spicy.
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.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover white chicken chili in airtight containers, and keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days. To reheat, gently warm on the stovetop, stirring regularly. You can mix in a bit more heavy cream to help get that creamy chili texture back.
How to Freeze
Store leftovers in the freezer up to 3 months. Let the white chili cool, then pour into freezer-safe containers. I recommend separating the chili into smaller portions so you can take one container out to reheat at a time.
If you want to store it in freezer bags, pour it 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 in the freezer until fully frozen. Then you can rearrange the bags as needed for longer storage.
To reheat, thaw portions of the creamy chicken chili in the fridge overnight, then you can reheat on the stove as directed above.
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili
A bowl of this white bean chicken chili (loaded up with lots of toppings) is plenty filling on its own. But you can also add some bread, like this easy skillet bread or classic cornbread.
If you want to add some veggies to dinner, make this crispy Air Fryer broccoli, roasted mushrooms, or corn on the cob.
5-Star Review
“Wow! Best white chicken chili I have made! Seriously this is amazing!! I made no adjustments…It is perfect!” — Tammy
This cream cheese chicken chili with white beans has been a family favorite comfort food for dinner, game day food, and even Cinco de Mayo. It’s always a crowd pleaser!
What serving size did you use to calculate the nutritional information?
Serves 10!
I made this today and I was sooo good. I have never made or even tried white chicken chilli but this was so good it will bee one of my favorite rotation recipes. Dad loved it too!
What a win!
Is the cilantro only used as a topping or do you actually use the 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro in the chili itself?
It goes in when the seasoning goes in, but you can also use it as a topping!
This truly was soooo delish!!!!! Be careful you just might overdose, as my dad would say, “makes ya wanna hurt yourself “!!!
Self-control is a must!
I decided to make half the recipe since the entire thing was a lot for the two of us (although next time I might make it all since there weren’t enough leftovers ;-)). I halved everything except for the spices, which might have been a mistake since it was very (very) spicy, but still very delicious. This will definitely be a go-to chili recipe in the future for us!
Thanks for sharing, Helen!
I have four kids, two of them are teenage boys. They absolutely LOVE this chili. When they invite their friends over, they request this for dinner. It’s so good!
Thanks for sharing, Amanda!
Can I add raw chicken breast to the crockpot and cook it for 6-8hrs with all ingredients minus cream cheese and whipping cream?? And then just shred it after it’s done cooking?
You can give that a shot!
I put an entire rotisserie chicken in the crock pot with the chicken stock and cook for a long time. Sometimes over night. Then strain and save the stock, shred the chicken. It all goes back in the crock to finish the recipe. SO worth the extra effort for twice cooked chicken and bone broth!
Hi, I’ve seen this recipe on other sites for a slow cooker and I have two questions. Will all the ingredients fit in a 6 qt slow cooker? Other recipes say to put a 8 oz block of cream cheese on top and cook along with everything else. Is that ok?
It should fit, modify the recipe to your liking!
Hi I really want to make this because it sounds amazing but my family prefers a thicker chili. Do you have any suggestions on how to make this thicker?
Less broth, use a thickening agent like cornstarch!
2 or 3 corn tortillas torn up will disappear while cooking thicken the chili
I love this recipe! I usually have to make it X3. I do like a chunkier chili though. I add 6 stalks of chopped celery, 16 oz sliced white mushrooms, 6-8 fresh tomatillos diced, and 2 more cans of beans. I also use 3 types of beans rather than just one. I use canellini beans 2 cans, great northern beans 2 cans and garbanzo beans 2 cans. I make it in the crockpot or the electric turkey roasted if X3.
So delicious!!
I love all those tasty additions!
I’ve used ground turkey in place of chicken too. Also delicious.