Easy White Bean Chicken Chili In Crock Pot

This white bean chicken chili in crock pot will become one of your favorite fall soup recipes or simple slow cooker recipes. (You can also make this white chicken chili instant pot!) Add this to your list of soup recipes in crock pot!

White Bean Chicken Chili In Crock Pot Recipe

This white bean chicken chili recipe is one of our favorite crockpot soup recipes. It’s a quick and easy soup recipe to throw together and have ready in a couple of hours of cooking in the slow cooker or instant pot.

What is white chili made of?

Best white chicken chili recipe ingredients:

• Chicken (canned, cooked shredded, or frozen)
• Broth
• Salsa (heat of choice) for white chicken chili seasoning
• White beans
• Cream of chicken soup
• White cheese (like Monterey Jack)
• Sour cream (optional)
• Tortilla chips (optional)
• Green chiles or jalapeno (optional)

Our recipe for white bean chicken chili in crock pot calls for canned chicken (find it in the same area as canned tuna at the store), but you can easily make this white bean chili with chicken breast, either fresh or frozen.

(I often use frozen chicken breasts. I just put them in frozen and let them cook down with the rest of the soup.)

If you want to be prepared for pantry cooking recipes, keep some of this canned white chicken breast  in the pantry as a “just in case.”

Sometimes, I also add other things I need to use in the refrigerator, like carrots and celery. It’s still good!

It’s so easy and so yummy that I usually keep the ingredients for this in the pantry as a “Dang, what are we going to have for dinner?” panic meals or a frugal pantry meal.

It’s nice because, depending on the kind of cheese you use (shredded or cubed), it can be a short couple of hours to cook or an all day white chicken chili in a crock pot.

If you love the slow cooker white chicken chili Pioneer Woman, you’ll love this one, too!

 

Why is it called white chicken chili?

Chicken chili recipes are called white chili because it’s white in color instead of the reddish color of traditional chili with a tomato base. White chicken chili stays white because it is cooked with light ingredients like chicken, a light broth (like chicken), white beans, and a white cheese (like Monterey Jack).

 

White Chicken Chili Beans

What kind of beans are white beans?

There are several types of white beans:

• Northern white beans
• Navy beans
• Cannellini beans
• Lima beans

 

What white chicken chili beans should I use?

For the beans for white chicken chili, use Northern white beans. The flavor is really mild compared to some of the other white beans. However, you can substitute other white beans and get a different flavor for your chicken white bean chili in the crockpot.

Play around with your white chicken chili recipes to see what you like best!

 

Are white beans and northern beans the same?

White beans describe a variety of beans from Northern white beans to lima beans. Great Northern white beans are part of that group. They are large beans with a more nutty, mild flavor.

Recipes for chicken chili usually call for Northern white beans because of their mild flavor over other white chili beans. That’s what we like best for our soup recipes for crock pot.

 

ALSO TRY: Southwest Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken in Crockpot

 

OK!

Let’s get to white bean chicken chili slow cooker recipe!

White Bean Chicken Chili Crockpot Recipe

We made our white chicken chili slow cooker style, but you can also make this white chicken chili Instant Pot, too!

You’ll be surprised what a creamy white chicken chili crockpot this is. 

The seasoning for white bean chicken chili comes from the salsa. Some people make this as a white bean chicken chili salsa verde recipe. I haven’t tried it that way yet, but it’s on my list!

If your family likes super spicy, try this as white bean chicken chili with green chilies. (Just add chopped green chilies to the recipe.)

We also add sour cream and tortilla chips as toppings, too. (If you’re looking for soup recipes Mexican flavor, I think this one checks that box, too!)

You could make this as a no bean white chicken chili, but the beans really do add a great, thick flavor and consistency. (My husband isn’t that crazy about beans and even he likes this recipe.)

 

Is white chicken chili supposed to be thick?

White chicken chili will be thick, but not as thick as you may be accustomed to with a beef chili. It has a soupier texture than beef chili, but can be thickened with cornstarch or by using an emulsifying blender to blend down some (but not all) of the beans.

 

How do you thicken white chicken chili?

When making white bean chicken chili in slow cooker if you find your white chicken chile too thin or soupy, simply remove about 1/4 cup of the chili broth that’s been cooking. To the broth, add 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the mixture back into the chili and stir. Continue cooking until thickened or it makes your white chicken chili creamy.

It’s a white bean chicken chili easy thickening tip! 

If you want more of a white bean chicken chili soup, don’t thicken it. It’s good that way, too!

 

Enjoy your white bean chicken chili in crock pot!