Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Today’s brand new crockpot recipe is a creamy, slightly spicy, bowlful of goodness that’s just perfect for loading up with all your favorite toppings on a chilly day! This crockpot white chicken chili is basically a creamy, brothy soup with tender shredded chicken, soft beans, sweet pops of corn, and just enough spice from the green chiles and seasonings to keep things interesting.

Everything simmers together in the slow cooker, then you blend a little of the soup with the cream cheese to thicken it up so it turns silky and cozy without feeling too heavy. It’s the kind of bowl that’s mild enough for most families, but still has a gentle kick. I hope you’ll love it! 

If you love a slow cooker soup, I’ve got some more reader favorites for you! Be sure to check out my crockpot chicken noodle soup, crockpot cheeseburger soup, crockpot cowboy soup, crockpot cabbage roll soup, and crockpot minestrone soup! 

Ingredients 

Looking for the printable recipe card? You’ll find it at the bottom of this post! 

How To Make Crockpot White Chicken Chili 

• Lay the chicken breasts right into the bottom of your slow cooker.
• Sprinkle over the cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, dried oregano, and coriander.

• Pour in the chicken broth, then add the onions, garlic, and green chiles. Top it all off with a bay leaf. (I usually wait to add the beans until later with the corn, but if you prefer super-soft beans, go ahead and toss them in now.)
• Pop the lid on and cook for 6–8 hours on LOW or 3–4 hours on HIGH, until the chicken is fall-apart tender. During the last 2 hours, add the beans and the thawed corn, then let it all keep simmering.

• Scoop about 2 cups of the chili — beans included — and the cream cheese, into a blender or food processor and give it a quick blend to thicken things up. (An immersion blender works too.) Pour that mixture back into the slow cooker.

• Remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board. Shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker and stir everything together.

• Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add fresh cilantro if you’d like. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, tortilla strips or chips, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!

Storage 

Allow the chili to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It’ll keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Recipe Notes 

You can use a mix of cannellini and pinto beans like I did, or keep it simple and go all-in on one type. Great northern beans work just as well, too.

Canned beans are already cooked, so they soften quite a bit during the long slow cooker time. I like adding them later with the corn so they hold their shape and don’t get mushy. If you prefer softer beans, go ahead and add them at the beginning.

I used about ¾ of a block of cream cheese, but if you want an extra-creamy chili, feel free to use the full block or stir in a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half.

To help thicken things up, I blended the cream cheese with some of the beans and broth from the slow cooker. If you don’t have a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, you can mash everything together in a bowl with a fork until smooth, then stir it back into the chili.

If you like a thicker chili overall, mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon cold water to make a quick slurry. Stir it in and cook on HIGH for 15–30 minutes until it thickens.

I used mild diced green chiles, but you can swap in the hot version for more heat. You can also bump up the cayenne to taste.

Topping Ideas 

The toppings are honestly my favorite part! Set everything out and let everyone mix, match, and make it their own. Some of our go-tos are shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a dollop of sour cream, fresh lime wedges, crunchy tortilla strips or chips, plenty of cilantro, and creamy slices of avocado.

Print Recipe

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

This Crockpot white chicken chili is cozy, creamy, and full of flavor — the kind of slow cooker dinner that basically makes itself. Tender shredded chicken, mild green chiles, white beans, and a swirl of cream cheese come together for a hearty bowl that’s perfect on busy weeknights or chilly evenings. Don’t skip the toppings bar… it’s half the fun.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time6 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large onion diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 4 oz cans fire roasted mild diced green chiles
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 15.5 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups frozen corn thawed
• 6 ounces (¾ block) cream cheese
• Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Lay the chicken breasts right into the bottom of your slow cooker.
• Sprinkle over the cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, dried oregano, and coriander.
• Pour in the chicken broth, then add the onions, garlic, and green chiles. Top it all off with a bay leaf. (I usually wait to add the beans until later with the corn, but if you prefer super-soft beans, go ahead and toss them in now.)
• Pop the lid on and cook for 6–8 hours on LOW or 3–4 hours on HIGH, until the chicken is fall-apart tender. During the last 2 hours, add the beans and the thawed corn, then let it all keep simmering.
• Scoop about 2 cups of the chili — beans included — and the cream cheese, into a blender or food processor and give it a quick blend to thicken things up. (An immersion blender works too.) Pour that mixture back into the slow cooker.
• Remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board. Shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker and stir everything together.
• Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add fresh cilantro if you’d like. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, tortilla strips or chips, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!

I hope this crockpot white chicken chili earns a spot in your regular rotation. If you give it a try, let me know how your bowl turned out (and which toppings won at your house). You can leave a comment below and you can also tag me in your pics on Instagram @slimmingviolet!