Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

This Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is packed with flavor from tender shredded chicken, creamy white beans, sweet corn, green chiles, and a tangy green enchilada sauce. It's a simple dump-and-go crock pot recipe that's perfect for an easy weeknight meal!

In this Article:

• Key Ingredients & Substitutions
• Helpful Tips
• Variations
• Serving Ideas
• Storing & Freezing
• Is This the Cheesecake Factory White Chicken Chili?
• More Chili and Soup Recipes
• Recipe

Slow cooker meals are an essential ingredient to busy lives everywhere. Life is so much easier when you can simply toss a bunch of ingredients into a pot and let it simmer all day long, and this white chicken chili is bound to be your new favorite. It's a hearty mix of white beans, chicken, and flavorful seasonings that's healthy, family friendly, and packed with protein. Best of all, you can throw it together before you leave for work and it's ready when you get home. If you love a good bowl of chili, be sure to browse our best chili recipes too.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless breasts cook right in the chili and shred in seconds. Boneless thighs work too and stay a little juicier over a long cook. You can also stir in leftover rotisserie chicken during the last 30 minutes.
• White beans. I use great northern beans because they hold their shape through hours of slow cooking. Cannellini beans are creamier, and navy beans are a fine swap too. Drain and rinse canned beans to control the salt.
• Green enchilada sauce. This is the secret ingredient! A can of green enchilada sauce adds tangy tomatillo and chile flavor with zero extra work. Salsa verde is a good substitute.
• Diced green chiles. Canned mild green chiles, like these Hatch chiles, keep things easy. Choose hot chiles, or add a diced jalapeño, if you like more heat.
• Corn. Frozen or drained canned corn adds sweetness and color. There's no need to thaw frozen corn first.
• Chicken broth. Low-sodium broth lets you season to taste at the end. Chicken stock or vegetable broth works too.
• Spices. Cumin, oregano, and white pepper give the chili its warm, savory flavor. White pepper is traditional here because it disappears into the pale broth, but black pepper is fine if that's what you have.

Helpful Tips

Use the right size slow cooker. A 6-quart slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. I sometimes use the slow cooker setting on my Instant Pot, which works just as well.

Lay the chicken on top. Resting the chicken on top of the beans and broth, rather than burying it at the bottom, helps it cook gently and evenly. It's done when it reaches 165°F and shreds easily with a fork.

Don't overcook it on high. Chicken breasts can turn dry and stringy if they cook too long. Plan on 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high, and switch the cooker to "warm" once it's done.

Thicken it up. This is a brothy chili. For a thicker, heartier bowl, scoop out about a cup of beans, mash them with a fork, and stir them back in. The starch from the beans thickens the broth naturally, so there's no flour or cornstarch needed.

Season at the end. Canned beans, broth, and enchilada sauce all vary in salt. Taste the chili after you stir the chicken back in, then add salt and a squeeze of lime until the flavors pop.

Variations

• Extra green enchilada sauce. Double the green enchilada sauce and cut the broth by a cup for a bolder, tangier chili with a deeper green color.
• Cheesecake Factory-style. For a richer restaurant-style bowl, stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese and ½ cup of sour cream after shredding the chicken, and add a roasted, diced poblano pepper. Top with pico de gallo and sliced green onions.
• Creamy white chicken chili. Stir in ½ cup of heavy cream or half-and-half during the last 15 minutes for a silky, mellow broth.
• Spicy. Add a diced jalapeño with the other ingredients, use hot green chiles, or finish each bowl with a few dashes of hot sauce.
• Stovetop. No slow cooker? Simmer everything in a covered Dutch oven over medium-low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, then shred and serve.
• Turkey. Swap in boneless turkey breast, or stir in leftover shredded turkey near the end, for a great post-Thanksgiving meal.

Serving Ideas

Toppings are essential to any good bowl of chili! Cilantro, sour cream, and diced avocado are my personal favorites, but shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese, sliced green onions, lime wedges, and crushed tortilla chips for crunch are all great additions. Set out a little toppings bar and let everyone build their own bowl.

This chili makes a great meal on its own, but for a heartier dinner, serve it with crusty bread, tortilla chips, or a batch of easy cornbread muffins. You can also spoon it over a scoop of cilantro lime rice to stretch it a little further.

Storing & Freezing

Let leftover chili cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavors get even better overnight. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or warm the whole batch in a pot over medium heat, adding a splash of broth if it has thickened.

White chicken chili freezes beautifully. Freeze it in freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags for up to 3 months, leaving a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop until hot. If you made a creamy version, freeze the chili before adding the dairy and stir it in when reheating, since cream cheese and sour cream can turn grainy after freezing. Add fresh toppings just before serving.

Is This the Cheesecake Factory White Chicken Chili?

Not exactly, but it's a close, much easier cousin. The Cheesecake Factory's white chicken chili is a stovetop recipe made with chicken breast, white beans, green poblano chiles, and chicken stock, enriched with sour cream and finished with pico de gallo and green onions. Our slow cooker version shares that same mild green chile flavor, but lets the crock pot do the work. To get closer to the restaurant bowl, follow the Cheesecake Factory-style variation above. And if you love recreating restaurant favorites at home, check out our restaurant copycat recipes.

More Chili and Soup Recipes

If you love this white chicken chili, be sure to check out these other tasty ideas:

• 15+ Can't Miss Chili Recipes
• Spicy Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup
• Copycat Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Chili

Recipe