This crockpot white chicken chili is an easy dump and go slow cooker meal! I make this on cold days when I want something warm and cozy for dinner with hardly any effort.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili is the easy meal we need right now
This crockpot white chicken chili checks all the boxes for a slow cooker meal you’ll want to make again and again: it’s a quick-to-prep, make-ahead dinner that’s full of satisfying protein and warming flavors. There’s no pre-cooking for this recipe, just add everything to your slow cooker and let it cook while you go about your day.
The key to making a creamy white chicken chili without adding any cream is to partially mash the cannellini beans before serving. I keep it simple and use the back of a large spoon to mash some of the beans, just enough to thicken the chili while leaving some beans whole.
How to Make White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot
Add ingredients to your slow cooker: The chicken breasts go in the bottom, then add the onion, beans, diced green chiles, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and chicken broth.
Slow cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3½-4 hours.
Finish and serve: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and let it rest for a few minutes. Use the back of a large spoon to mash some of the beans in the slow cooker to thicken the broth, then stir in the corn. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken using two forks or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir the chicken into the chili and serve, with your favorite toppings.
How to Make it a Freezer Meal
You can prep the ingredients for this crockpot white chicken chili in a zip-top plastic bag, freeze, then thaw and cook it later. This makes dinner prep even easier! Follow these steps:
- Put everything except for the broth and corn in a heavy duty zip-top plastic bag, lay it flat in your freezer, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to cook the chili, let the bag thaw for 24 hours in your refrigerator. Then transfer the contents of the bag to your slow cooker, add the broth and cook according to the recipe directions.
Tips for the best Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- You can adjust the spice of this chili to your preferences. (As is, it’s not very spicy.) For medium-spicy chili, use one can of hot and one can of mild diced green chiles, plus 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Toppings make it even better! Try topping your bowl of chili with crumbled tortilla chips, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, avocado or shredded cheese. This chili is also great topped with the homemade tortilla strips from my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
- You can make white chicken chili in the Instant Pot using my Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe. If you prefer a stovetop recipe, try my classic White Chicken Chili Recipe.
More Dump and Go Crockpot Recipes
Just add the ingredients to your crockpot, no pre-cooking required!
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup – Comforting and so easy to make in the crockpot.
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork – You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make this BBQ pulled pork.
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken – Tender shredded chicken in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. I love to serve it over rice with broccoli.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup – You won’t need to chop a thing for this crockpot soup recipe!
- Mexican Shredded Beef – This beef is so flavorful and perfect for tacos, enchiladas and more.
Did you make this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (4 ounce) cans mild diced green chiles
- 1 medium jalapeño, remove and discard stem, seeds and ribs, then dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional, to taste
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen corn
- For serving: squeeze of fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, tortilla chip strips, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, as desired
Instructions
- Put the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, beans, diced green chiles, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and chicken broth.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, 2 (4 ounce) cans mild diced green chiles, 1 medium jalapeño, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛-¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 7-8 hours or the high setting for 3½-4 hours, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board or bowl and let it rest for a few minutes. While it rests, use the back of a large spoon to mash some of the beans in the slow cooker to thicken the broth (optional), then stir in the corn. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes.1 cup frozen corn
- Shred the chicken using two forks or a stand mixer. Stir shredded chicken into the chili. Serve with toppings as desired.For serving: squeeze of fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, tortilla chip strips, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, as desired
Notes
- You can adjust the spice of this chili to your preferences. (As is, it’s not very spicy.) For medium-spicy chili, use one can of hot and one can of mild diced green chiles, plus 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Place all ingredients except for broth and corn in a heavy duty zip top plastic bag. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the bag (either 24 hours in refrigerator or in a bowl of water).
- Transfer bag contents to slow cooker, add the broth and cook according to directions above.
I originally shared this recipe in December 2017. Post updated December 2025 with new photos and more helpful information.
This is such a warm and cozy-looking white chili, Kristine! I don’t make white chili NEARLY as much as I should. Definitely adding this one to the dinner agenda soon!
Thanks, Sarah! I hope you like it!
This recipe was a HUGE HIT with my kiddos, who are 2 and 3. They ate sooo much!!!
It was not spicy at all though (kind of plain), so my husband and I added a little chipotle hot sauce and it was much better for us.
The second time I made it i tried to double it for some freezer leftovers. This recipe does not double well though, for some weird reason. It is so easy to make so not worth it at all, just make it twice.
Oh I also added more corn because corn is a family favorite here.
I do not have an immersion blender. Do you think a hand mixer would work ok?
I’d recommend either serving the chili without blending, or just removing about 1 cup of the chili and mashing it with a fork or potato masher. Enjoy!
This was delicious but ended up being really thick ( I think I used more than a pound of chicken also). What could I add to make it a little more soupy when we heat it up for leftovers tomorrow?
You can add more broth to thin it out. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
This is one of my favorite recipes of yours!!!
I’m a new instant pot user – any way to speed up the cook time on this recipe by pressure cooking?
Hi Katherine, Yes, I have made this in the Instant Pot and it works great! Here’s my Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe. I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe!
Would any sort of “pre-cooking” be required for the chicken? Or could I just put it all in the pot at once?
You just put everything in the slow cooker at once, no pre-cooking is needed. Enjoy!
I made this yesterday for Sunday dinner and it was delicious! I was in need of a dairy-free recipe since my husband is lactose-intolerant. I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1.5 lbs) since it was what I had on hand. And since I only had one can of green chilis I used some roasted peppers and poblano peppers I had frozen from the garden. One last thing was I added 1 T of masa to help thicken it up a bit a half hour before serving. I’m definitely going to use this recipe again!
Sidenote: I did not drain and rinse the 2 cans of Bush’s Great Northern White Beans and I used a potato masher since I don’t have an immersion blender.
Oh boy!! Why can’t I rate it 10 🌟?! I have a loved one who cannot handle any spice, so I served it with optional Cheyenne pepper and dried cilantro on the side. Also served with tortilla chips, cheese, jalapeno, avocado, lime juice, and sour cream. I also added a small amount of heavy cream at the end. It was so delicious. Will definitely make again. Thank you for such a wonderful idea.
So delicious and easy to make. Thank you!
My family enjoyed this recipe which fit well into our budget and was a cozy welcome home aroma floating out our door into the neighborhood!
I’m glad to refer to this site for more delicious ideas.
Busy days and weary cooks will enjoy the appreciative comments and the fewer dishes at the end of the day
I’m thankful for the inspiration we get from Kristine’s site
( we are a gluten sensitive household and many recipes transition well )