White Chicken Chili cooked in a crock pot is flavored with southwestern spices and makes a hearty and tasty meal with plenty of spice. This isn’t your ordinary chili. With a block of cream cheese, this is chili creamy style. And it makes the perfect comfort food.
Winter weather came late to South Carolina. I think we had the warmest December on record. But it is finally here. And when the cold weather sets in, there’s no better way to warm up than a bowl of chili. Especially if it has lots of spice and flavor.
This White Chicken Chili is the perfect change-up from a tomato-based chili. I could eat it once a week and not get tired of it.
Most of the seasoning comes from a packet of taco seasoning which makes flavoring the chili super easy. I’ve also added a diced jalapeno and a can of diced green chilies for more spice.
Northern beans add some substance and are in keeping with the “white” theme of this chili.
In addition to cream cheese, Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili also has cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese for plenty of cheesiness.
Add some frito chips or tortilla chips on top for some crunch. You can also add all kinds of other toppings: more cheese, green onions, cilantro, and maybe some avocado. The toppings really are the fun part. 🙂
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small can diced green chiles
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 cans northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- sliced green onions
- Frito chips
Instructions
- Place onion and jalapeno in bottom of crock pot. Put chicken on top.
- Add green chiles, taco seasoning, chicken broth, and beans. Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
- Add cream cheese and cook on LOW for 1 more hour.
- Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese melts, shredding the chicken as you stir. If cheese doesn't melt all the way, cover for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve with green onions and Frito chips.
Nutrition
Kitchen Tools and Products I use to make this recipe:
Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker, 6-Quart – since my old crock pot developed a crack, I have been using this one and I love it.
Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners– no clean-up if you use these liners and nothing sticks! 😆
More Chili Recipes
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Can you cook dry Northern beans and add them later? I’m on a lipid diet and not supposed to eat canned beans.
How spicy would you say this is? Planning to make tonight for my family. Wondering how spicy it would be for my 3 year old.
Thanks
I’ve made this in my slow cooker many times and love it every single time! I add an extra jalapeno for more spice and it still comes out pretty mild imho. I also recently tried it in my Instant Pot and it worked like a dream! I pressure cooked for 30 minutes on high, QR, add cream cheese, pressure cook on high for 5 more mins, QR, add cheese and done! Hope that helps. 😉
My whole family loves this recipe! One of the best chicken chili recipes I’ve ever fixed! The flavor can’t be beat. To save time, I would love to know if you or anyone has tried fixing this same recipe in their Instant Pot? If so, would you mind sharing the recipe?
Can beans not be used
I haven’t read if anyone has cooked on high to save time? Or maybe 2 hours on high then finish on low for an hour? Any advice is appreciated
Do you have to cook the cream cheese for an hour or would it mix in after bout 20 minutes? Just wanted it to be ready quickly when we walk in the door!
One of our favorites! My son loves it and eats it like crazy! A great excuse to by corn chips too 😂
I’m adding corn to mine and cooking on high hopefully with still turn out ok. I didnt get it in on time so I gotta rush it. I’ll follow with a finished product. Fingers crossed. Lol
What kind of thing is chicken broth? That might sound daft, but in the UK I only know chicken broth as a pre-made thin soup including rice and veg. Is your chicken broth what we’d call cream of chicken soup? Or even condensed chicken soup? Or just chicken stock? Thanks!
Chicken broth is like chicken stock – thin – not creamy. I plan to make this this weekend for a chili cook off at church. Will add roasted red pepper to it. Might purée a can of white beans – want it to be thick.
I figured when I read the recipe that shredding the chicken while stirring would be problematic. It was. The chicken didn’t shred evenly, so I had to dip big chunks of the chicken out, shred them with two forks, then add them back to the pot. Not an arduous task, but this is simply an FYI. Delicious dish, though.
Are the two chicken breasts both sides of two chickens or just one chicken?
If you don’t have 5-6 hours to make it, is there any trick to being able to shorten the cooking time and it still come out OK? Like griling or baking the chicken in the oven first? Any suggestions?
You could use cooked chicken and shorten the cooking time.
You can use an instapot it’s ready in 30 minutes
This recipe turned out wonderfully! It is now in my recipe rotation. I had to make 2 changes; I didn’t have a can of diced peppers so I added a chopped red bell pepper, which added a little color. I also didnt added extra jalepenos to kick up the heat.
Do you have a calorie calculation for this recipe?
what size cans of great northern beans are needed for this? cant wait to try this!!
Looks great! Should the chicken already be thawed?
Yes.
can you freezer meal this recipe?
Made this today can u freeze it
How may servings does this make? Thanks in advance! =)
About 6 to 8 servings.
Laughing cow cheese is a great substitute for lower calorie and healthier versions of some of these delicious recipes using cream cheese!
That is a wonderful tip Daphne! 🙂
This looks delicious! Does anyone have suggestions for adding any beans? I love chili with beans. Thanks for any suggestions!
You can add any type of beans Lisa. I would use canned beans and rinse and drain them. And I would put them in with the cream cheese.
There are beans, great northern, in the recipe.
This was so simple and so good! I’ve been looking for a white chicken chili recipe to try and this one had me at cream cheese. Only change I made was using a small can of diced jalapenos instead. We topped our bowls off with a dollop of sour cream and some fritos. Delicious, thanks for sharing!!
So glad you enjoyed it Angela!
How many servings does this make?
This looks delicious! Does anyone have suggestions for adding any beans? I love chili with beans. Thanks for any suggestions!
Did you read the recipe? It shows great northern beans.
I added a can of rotel and its super delicious!
I have never had a white chili before, it looks delicious and as I like everything made with cream cheese, I am sure I would love this. 🙂
Christin,
This is the best sounding/looking chili recipe I’ve seen. All that cheese is “to die for”! And I love the thought of the Fritos with it. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
This looks absolutely incredible! Ive been dying to get a slow cooker for ages and this recipe might have just tipped me over the edge!
You will not regret getting a slow cooker Lucie! 🙂
Your house is the place to be for game nights! It finally got cold this past week but back to warmer this weekend. The weather’s been a bit wild but good thing we can eat this white chicken chili anytime, any weather! Looks so tasty!
I love cream cheese in soups! This looks so great. I really like that you can make it in the slow cooker, and it’s so cold up here that I’ve pretty much been eating soup every day.
It’s a grey day here today and this looks extra-specially enticing. I love chicken chili and this looks like a winner.
Oh this came right at the perfect time for me! I was just craving white chili!! I love that this one has a lot of spices and flavor. I’m putting this on my menu plan for next week for sure. 🙂