Creamy White Chili Chicken

White chili chicken is creamy, cozy, comforting, hearty soup filled with tender morsels of rotisserie chicken, buttery beans and loads of spices. It’s perfect winter day meal. This winter soup is full of flavors and ready in 30 minutes or less. It can be easily made on stove top, slow cooker or instant pot. Chili chicken white is a definite crowd pleaser.

I’m always looking for less effort family friendly meals like one pot pasta, mozzarella chicken, or butter chicken.

Jump to:

• Best white chili chicken recipe
• Ingredients you’ll need
• How to make the best white chili chicken
• Top tips
• White chili chicken variations
• Make ahead and storage instructions
• 📋 Creamy White Chili Chicken

Best white chili chicken recipe

We all need a little extra comfort on cold winter days. White bean soup can be made both light and creamy. White chili chicken is like a warm comforting hug in a bowl. A simpler version of chili chicken white can be done with leftover chicken like rotisserie chicken or any cooked chicken. Canned buttery beans add volume of the chili soup. White kidney beans like cannellini beans, Northern beans or any white beans can be added to make creamy white chicken chili.

What make this chicken chili white soup so amazing are the spices that you add. The soup may look boring white in color but believe it’s packed with punch of flavors from cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper. We don’t want to skimp on flavors, NO! The spices make the soup so flavorful, SO GOOD!

With a secret tip to make this chili soup thick and creamy without addition of flour, make and enjoy the soup all winter long.

Ingredients you’ll need

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (can use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken)
• 4 cans great Northern beans (can use cannellini beans or other white kidney beans variety)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 (4 ounces) can chopped green chilies
• 1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn
• 4 oz cream cheese (softened, cut into small cubes or chunks)
• Juice of 1 lime
• ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For topping:

• A dollop of sour cream
• Tortilla chips or nachos
• Sliced fresh jalapenos
• Shredded cheese (Monterey jack or Mexican cheese)
• Ripe avocado slices
• Fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

About ingredients:

Chicken: to make it easier you can pick up rotisserie chicken (homemade or from store) or any cooked chicken. If cooking chicken at home, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Trim off the fat. Cook whole chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil. Cook on medium low both sides until seared lightly and cooked through. Once cooked through, rest it. Then chop into bite sized chunks or shred it.

White beans: traditionally chili recipe has beans and meat in it. Chili chicken white uses white kidney beans. Great northern beans are best, but you can also use navy beans, cannellini beans or other variety of white kidney beans.

Canned beans makes it simple but you can make from dried beans too by soaking dried beans over night and cook the beans until tender.

Aromatics: can’t skip this one. Yellow diced onion and minced garlic imparts more flavor to the white chili chicken soup.

Chicken stock: use low sodium chicken stock or broth.

Flavoring agents: The soup may look boring white in color but believe it’s packed with punch of flavors from cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper. We don’t want to skimp on flavors, NO! The spices make the soup so flavorful, SO GOOD!

Ground coriander is optional, it’s a nice option to increase the flavor profile of the chili.

Canned green chili: I used 2 cans of mild green chilies. You can use 1 can mild and 1 can hot green chilies. Canned green chili adds not only heat but flavor to the soup as well.

If you can’t get canned green chilies, use fresh jalapeno’s. About 5-8 of them depending on your heat tolerance.

Whole corn kernels: optional, recommend not to skip. Adds to texture of the soup and make it more nutritious.

Cream cheese: use reduced fat cream cheese. If you can get your hands on Mexican cheese definitely go for it instead of cream cheese.

For freshness: juice or lime and handful of fresh cilantro leaves adds freshness to the white chili soup.

Toppings: chicken chili white is not complete without the toppings. Toppings like dollop of sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado slices, fresh cilantro, few jalapeno slices, cheese can add not only extra flavor but texture to the soup.

How to make the best white chili chicken

On stove-top:

Before you start-

If cooking chicken at home, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Trim off the fat. Cook whole chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil. Cook on medium low both sides until seared lightly and cooked through. Once cooked through, rest it. Then chop into bite sized chunks or shred it.

Canned beans makes it simple but you can make from dried beans too by soaking dried beans over- night and cook the beans until tender.

Secret tip: make your chili thick and creamy without adding any flour. A secret tip to it is to puree ¼ cup of canned beans (drained and rinsed) with 1 to 2 tablespoon of chicken stock until smooth. Keep aside until use.

In a large pot, heat olive oil.

Saute diced onion on low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Add in minced garlic and saute for a minute.

Pour in low sodium chicken stock. Increase heat to high to bring it to boil.

Once stock begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Add diced can green chililes, cream cheese,  drained and rinsed canned white beans, whole kernel corn, pureed white bean, cooked chicken and small handful of chopped cilantro leaves.

Give it a good stir and let it simmer for 10 minutes with frequent stirring. Do not let it boil again. You want to heat the soup until cream cheese is all melted and blended to the soup. While stirring try to break the cream cheese it if not melting easily.

Once soup is creamy, thick turn off flame.

Squeeze fresh lime to it. Stir.

Serve immediately hot toppings. Chicken chili white is not complete without the toppings. Toppings like dollop of sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado slices, fresh cilantro, few jalapeno slices, cheese can add not only extra flavor but texture to the soup.

In slow cooker

1. Add 2 chicken breasts to the bottom of slow cooker. Top it with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, diced onion, minced garlic, can diced green chilies, drained and rinsed white kidney beans, whole kernel corn (drained), only 1 cup chicken stock and small handful of cilantro. Stir.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3 hours.
3. Remove chicken breasts from the cooker. Shred it and return it back to the cooker.
4. Add cream cheese, stir well.
5. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes until cream cheese is fully melted.
6. Stir and serve immediately.

In instant pot

Instant pot recipes are so easy just like slow cooker recipes. You don’t have to stand and keep watch on the dish while it cooks. Simply dump it all, cover and cook. Walk away, do your chores or simply relax and come back to delicious cooked food.

1. Add 2 chicken breasts to the bottom of slow cooker. Top it with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, diced onion, minced garlic, can diced green chilies, drained and rinsed white kidney beans, whole kernel corn (drained), only 1 cup chicken stock and small handful of cilantro. Stir.
2. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
3. Quick release pressure. Open pot and shred chicken breast in the pot itself.
4. Add cream cheese, small handful of cilantro and stir.
5. Wait for cream cheese to melt completely turning the soup creamy and thick.
6. Turn off instant pot. Squeeze in lime juice and serve immediately hot with toppings.

Top tips

• No need of flour to thicken: with buttery white kidney beans, you will get thick creamy chili soup. If you like your soup even more thick, do follow the secret tip- puree ¼ to ½ cup of canned beans (drained and rinsed) with 1 to 2 tablespoon of chicken stock until smooth. Add it to the soup while add canned beans, it results in thick creamier soup without the need of flour.
• Mind the heat: chili recipes are supposed to have some amount of heat in it. Depending on your heat tolerate adjust the amount of canned diced green chilies, cayenne and smoked paprika in the recipe. For spicier chili, try adding hotter version of can green chilies and some fresh diced jalapenos (with seeds and all) in the soup.
• Cut softened cream cheese into smaller chunks: cream cheese has to be softened and cut into smaller cubes so it melts easily. Keep stirring at regular intervals to break down the cheese while it cooking.
• Load it up: yes chili chicken white tastes delicious as it is, but you must try it with all the amazing toppings. Toppings add not only extra flavor but texture to the soup.

White chili chicken variations

1. Swap protein (chicken) with leftover turkey from thanksgiving. Shred turkey and add it to chili.
2. Other beans along with white kidney beans like black beans can be added.
3. Switch cream cheese with other cheese or cream. Use Mexican cheese, Monterey jack cheese to the soup. You can also switch to 2%+ fat Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese to thicken the soup. If using yogurt, add it in the end while adding lime juice.
4. Half and half is another alternate for cream cheese.
5. Make it spicier by adding hotter version of can green chilies and some fresh diced jalapenos (with seeds and all) in the soup.

Make ahead and storage instructions

You can easily make this white chili chicken ahead as it reheats well.  Make the chili soup, chill it completely, transfer to air tight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.

Freezing:

As this chili chicken white has diary, and since diary doesn’t reheat well when frozen you have to do a small adjustment to freeze the soup for longer storage.

Cook soup as mentioned in the recipe,  but hold off the cream cheese. Cool soup completely and store in freezer containers.

To serve frozen chili, thaw it overnight in refrigerator.

While reheating add cream cheese and reheat until cheese is fully melted and blend into the chili. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.

MORE SOUP FOR COZY WINTER DAYS

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