This white chicken chili recipe is made with a salsa verde twist. It’s a comforting crockpot soup that’s guaranteed to be a family favorite on cold fall/winter days!
Looking for more easy chicken chili recipes? Check out this smoky chicken chili or this crockpot white chicken chili!
Why You’ll Love This White Chicken Chili Recipe
I’m all about the chili recipes once the colder months roll around. Here’s why I’m an especially big fan of this white chicken chili:
- Packed with bold flavors. Earthy cumin, smoked paprika, spicy salsa verde, and more combine to create a white chicken chili that is absolutely bursting with flavor! Add a squeeze of tangy lime juice, and it’s out-of-this-world.
- Incredibly easy. Not only is this chili hearty and super tasty, but it’s ridiculously easy to make. You literally just throw everything into the crockpot – no precooking required – and turn it on!
- Crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t love a piping hot bowl of chili that you can enjoy with all of your favorite toppings? It’s the best kind of comfort food. My family adores this recipe and I’m sure yours will too!
What You’ll Need
Let’s get into the ingredients. Most of them are pretty standard, but there are a few twists. (For exact amounts and the full set of directions, see the recipe card below!)
- Boneless chicken breast – You’ll need to shred the chicken after it finishes cooking in the crockpot, and it’s so much easier if there aren’t any bones to work around.
- Veggies – I like to add in frozen corn, sweet onion, and red bell pepper.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic works best, but store-bought is good in a pinch.
- Chicken stock – Vegetable stock would work in a pinch if needed.
- Salsa verde – You can leave this out if you’re not a big fan of spice, but I love the kick of heat it adds!
- Spices – Cumin and smoked paprika are a must, and I also toss in a little bit of freshly ground pepper.
- Low sodium pinto beans – Make sure to drain and rinse these before you start.
- Lime juice – Freshly squeezed lime juice adds a hint of tangy, zesty flavor that is perfect in this chili.
- Fresh cilantro – For more citrusy notes.
How to Make White Chicken Chili
Like I mentioned above, it could not be easier to put this chicken chili recipe together! The step-by-step process is so simple:
- Place everything in the crockpot. Add the whole chicken breasts, frozen corn, sweet onion, garlic cloves, red pepper, chicken stock, salsa verde, cumin, smoked paprika, and black pepper to start. Using a spoon, gently stir to mix everything together.
- Cook. Cook the soup on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and use two forks to shred it. Next, place the chicken back in the crockpot along with the pinto beans, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy. Garnish with greek yogurt and fresh cilantro, then serve!
Tips & Recipe Variations
Even though this chili requires very little effort on the part of the chef, I still have a couple of tricks to share with you!
- Adjust the level of spice. If you know you like your chili on the mild side, stick to the bell pepper – it’ll still taste great! Otherwise, definitely give that salsa verde (and maybe some diced jalapeños) a try!
- Use other beans. If you like kidney beans better than pinto beans, for example, feel free to use those instead.
- Make this meal ahead. White chicken chili is really easy to store, and you’ll be giving the flavors more time to meld – win-win!
Topping Ideas
Time to break out all of your favorite chili toppings! Here are a few suggestions, if you need them:
- Avocado slices – Creamy avocado tastes so perfect in this soup.
- Tortilla chips – Salty crushed tortilla chips add great texture to every bite!
- Cheese – Cheddar and pepper jack are both go-to options in my house.
- Sour cream – A dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt is a must when it comes to chili.
- Lime wedges – I don’t know about you, but I always like a little extra fresh lime juice over the top of my chili.
Serving Suggestions
Need some side dishes to go with your white chicken chili? I’ve got you covered!
- Bread – Some buttery, crusty bread is always a good idea when you’ve got a bowl of soup in front of you. Crumbly cornbread is also great!
- Potatoes – Baked potatoes are a fantastic complement to this meal if you have the time, or you could even try baked sweet potatoes.
- Salad – Soup and a salad, it doesn’t get more classic than that. My everyday salad would work nicely here!
How to Store
Want to save your white chicken chili for later? This is the best way to do it:
- To store. Keep your chili in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- To reheat. You can simply microwave it in increments until it reaches the desired temperature, or warm it on the stovetop.
Can I Freeze This White Chicken Chili?
Yes! White chicken chili will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight before you heat it up again.
More Easy Chili Recipes
There are so many delicious ways to make chili! Here are some more recipes that I highly recommend trying:
- Crockpot Turkey Chili
- Dutch Oven Beef Chili
- Slow Cooker Quinoa Vegetarian Chili
- Crockpot Beef and Bean Chili
- Instant Pot Chili
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Crockpot
- Cuisine: American
Description
This healthy white chicken chili recipe is filled with hearty pinto beans, juicy chicken, tender corn, and more! It’s an automatic family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 14 ounces low sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- To a crock add whole chicken breasts, frozen corn, sweet onion, garlic cloves, red pepper, chicken stock, salsa verde, cumin, smoked paprika and black pepper.
- Using a spoon gently stir to mix everything together.
- Cook soup on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Remove chicken from the crock pot. Using two forks shred the chicken and place back in the crock pot along with pinto beans, lime juice and fresh cilantro. Cover and cook on HIGH an additional 30 minutes.
- Optional: garnish with greek yogurt and fresh cilantro.
- Serve.
Notes
- To store. Keep your chili in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- To reheat. You can simply microwave it in increments until it reaches the desired temperature, or warm it on the stovetop.
- To freeze. White chicken chili will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight before you heat it up again.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 801 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg
9 comments on “White Chicken Chili”
Made it for dinner and the whole fam loved it! We will be making it again. As my 16 year old son said “this is so good” He had three bowls!
Yum!! I make it last night and it was a hit with everyone!
That looks so comforting! Need to give this a try!
I need to try this immediately, it looks so good!
Wow, what an interesting SOUP. An interesting mix of ingredients. I would like to try it for dinner. THANK YOU!
I love salsa verde! I cannot wait to try this out!
This looks delicious and I love how easy it is!
I am really loving the salsa Verde twist! I bet this adds another layer of flavor!
Chili season is my FAVE and I am loving the healthy spin on yours! So flavorful!