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!
Looks fabulous. My only question is that I would want to cook this at least an hr as you personally suggested to meld the favors, wouldnt the chicken become over cooked and become tough?
Made this w/ leftover turkey after Thanksgiving (a very similar recipe w/ the same ingredients). I also added a can of garbonzzo beans (loved this addition) and added crushed tortilla chips towards the end of cooking to thicken the soup. Have used just a dollop of cream cheese and dollar of sour cream instead of cream) and it was just as tasty!
This recipe looks AMAZING! I’m thinking about entering a chili cook-off contest at the hospital where I work. Definitely think this one could compete! Thank you so much again!
Hi!! This is simmering away on the stove right now and I must say–it smells So Good! My white chili recipe has been in storage for quite some time, and sounded so good on a snowy night like tonight! I did buy the pre-chopped onions and I used the minced garlic to save time and everything was quick and easy:) Can’t wait to add the cream cheese and cream and more–eat it with sweet corn cake!! Thanks so much for a recipe that appealed to me and my busy schedule. I’m settling down to check out more of your recipes as it summers! Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! Hands down the best chili I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Do you have the calorie, fat, carb, protein counts & for what serving size?
Do i drain the beans/chili cans at all? Super excited to try this!
Just made this recipe tonight and it’s amazing. This will now be the only White Chicken Chili I make. However, prep for me was WAY longer than 5 minutes! Chopping onion, mincing garlic, squeezing fresh limes, chopping cilantro, deboning chicken, opening 7 cans, measuring 6 spices, cubing cream cheese took me 30+ minutes. I must say it was worth it, but will definitely start prepping sooner next time.
I have been looking for days for a creamy white chicken chili recipe I can make with my crock-pot for our company holiday party tomorrow. I just couldn’t resist this recipe and had to try it! We call it the SOUP-er Bowl and I hope with this recipe I can win that Golden Ladle. The pictures seriously made my mouth water just looking at it. I intend on making this tonight and serving tomorrow. I will report back how it turned out. Thank you for a great time friendly recipe!
I just made this for dinner tonight and I have to say this was the BEST White Chicken Chili I have ever tasted! I asked my husband if it would be wrong of me to lick the bowl. lol. This recipe will definitely be going into the keep pile. Thank you so much for sharing it. I’ve already go folks asking for it based on my post on Facebook about it.
If this goes into the freezer, does it change texture once thawed and reheated, because of the cream and cream cheese? I’ve found cream of “something” soups tend to do this, And it’s not pleasant. Honest results please?