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This award-winning white chicken chili recipe is a hearty, creamy favorite!! Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes or less!
All-time favorite!
Our white chicken chili is an award-winning favorite! No joke – we’ve brought this to our annual Trunk or Treat a dozen or so times and always win for best white chili recipe.
Along with our classic chili recipe, this is our go-to for chili cook-offs and potlucks and ALWAYS gets rave reviews. We know everyone loves it because we never have leftovers! That’s one reason we have it on repeat all soup season long.
We also love that it’s prepped in 5 minutes and on the table in 30! We keep shredded chicken on hand (in the freezer) so we’re always ready to make a batch. Just add some cornbread and enjoy a cool fall night with these recipes.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Ready in minutes. This easy dinner idea is prepped in 5 minutes and finished in under 30 minutes.
- Stovetop or crockpot. It can be made both ways, which is great if you’re in a rush or want to dump and go in the slow cooker.
- Award winning! It’s so good that it’s constantly winning chili cook-offs. With so much flavor and so many ways to customize, it’s sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
- 4 cups chicken broth – If using a lower sodium, you may need to add a little more salt.
- 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans – Substitute with a smaller navy bean or larger white kidney beans (cannellini beans).
- 2 cups shredded chicken – We like to use the crock pot to make Shredded Chicken, but you can also make Oven Baked Chicken or shredded Rotisserie chicken.
- 1-2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chilies – (mild or hot) For more heat add cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or a white chili powder.
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- dash of black pepper – You can also add onion powder to taste.
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack – or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup sour cream – or plain or Greek yogurt
- optional toppings – Monterey Jack Cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado, lime wedges (or fresh lime juice), or Tortilla strips
How to Make White Chicken Chili
- COMBINE. In a large pot, combine 4 cups broth, 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans, 2 cups shredded chicken, 1-2 (4-ounce) green chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, and a dash of black pepper. Cook over medium-low heat.
- SIMMER. Simmer on low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until completely heated through.
- For an extra creamy texture, blend a portion of the cooked white beans with some of the broth before adding them back to the pot. See How to Thicken Soup for more ideas.
- SERVE. Right before serving, stir in the sour cream and cheese until it’s melted. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno peppers, or crushed tortilla chips.
Make In the crockpot
- Add all the ingredients (minus the sour cream and cheese) into the crockpot and cook on low for 1-2 hours and you’re set!
- Add cheese and sour cream and cook for an additional 30–60 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Stir together and serve warm.
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White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3-4 (15.5-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1-2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- dash of pepper
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine broth, beans, chicken, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper over medium-low heat.
- Simmer for 20–30 minutes, or until soup is heated through.
- Before serving, add cheese and sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are mixed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store in an airtight container(s) and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container(s). See How to Freeze Soup for tips.
So I made this tonight for dinner and everything smelled and tasted so good right up until I added the cheese and sour cream. I added the sour cream and cheese right after removing the pot from heat. Pretty sure my sour cream broke and turned the soup into a grainy texture. Any suggestions on how to get that smooth creamy texture?
After removing from heat, take 1-2 tablespoons of the soup from the pot, add TO the sour cream and mix. Then add the sour cream (now mixed with the small amount of soup) to the pot of soup
Great recipe, thank you! Added corn, it was delish!
Glad you liked it!! Corn would be a great addition… will have to try that next time I make it. 🙂
Kristyn,
I am making this again tonight–second time around! SO good! Thanks for all of the yummy recipes and crafty ideas you post! You’re the best 🙂
Laura
You’re way too sweet Laura!! We LOVE this recipe too. 🙂
How did I not realize that you are in Houston? So am I! I love finding other bloggers in the area.
Great recipe…we tried a similar recipe last week for the first time and my family loved it.
I just pinned your chicken tortilla soup and baked potato soup and can’t wait to try those!
Getting ready to make this AGAIN for our pre trick or treating soup buffet tonight. Would love to try this in the crockpot…should I cook the chicken first or put it in uncooked (since it would cook about 7 hours…)?
Thanks so much!
I can’t wait to try this! I think I will add a can of corn to mine.
For anyone that has had this soup before… How do you think mixing corn and tomatoes in would be? And topping with avocado? I normally just use the easy McCormick seasoning packet but want to venture out… This sounds de-lish!
Hi Alexa. To be honest, I’m not sure about the tomatoes, but I think corn would be a great addition as well as the avocados. If you do end up trying the tomatoes, let me know how it goes!! Super curious. 🙂
I think I will add Corn to mine next time, too!! 😀
Yes soup season is here and we need recipes like this to keep us going throughout the winter so thanks for sharing
You’re welcome, Andrew! I hope you guys like this soup as much as we did. It is super yummy!!