White Bean Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

Tender chicken, creamy white beans, and a thick, flavourful, rich broth redolent with herbs and spices make this hearty white bean chicken chili crockpot recipe a cozy slow cooker classic. The soup itself naturally dairy free and stands deliciously on its own, but it really sings with a fluffy pile of shredded cheese, buttery avocado, torn cilantro, lime wedges, and a dollop of sour cream.

White Chicken Chili Crockpot Recipe

Nearly thirty years ago when we were newlyweds, a couple from our church invited my husband and me over for dinner and served this to us. I have no pride when it comes to delicious food and I ate enough of it that I earned some looks of wonder from our hostess.

I’m sure it came as no surprise to her when I asked for the recipe and it has been in our regular dinner rotation during soup season ever since. Here’s what makes it so special.

This isn’t your average chili. It’s a lighter, brighter soup that still offers the comforting warming spices you crave on a chilly night. The best part? It’s a set-it-and-forget-it meal option thanks to your trusty slow cooker.

You toss in a few simple ingredients -beans, chicken, broth, and a few key spices- and by dinner time, your house will smell incredible and your meal will be ready. It’s the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a kitchen wizard with almost no effort. You’ll be adding it to your own regular rotation, I’m sure!

White Bean Chicken Chili Crockpot

Delicate white beans add both creaminess to the broth and hearty nutrition to the soup. You have some options when you’re choosing your beans, too, making this a flexible, pantry-friendly recipe.

Navy beans and small white beans are my go-to choices when preparing this white chicken chili, but cannellini beans are also excellent. In a pinch you could even sub in pinto beans.

And when it comes to chicken, you have even more choices! I love to use a combination of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs. I think it boosts the chicken presence in the chili to use both.

If you prefer one over the other or only have one on hand, though, make it anyway! It’s still delicious!

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Speaking of options, there is one optional step at the beginning of the recipe that I encourage you to try if you have the time. Take just about 5 minutes to sautée the onions, celery, diced green chiles, garlic, and spices. It brings an “I fussed over this” complexity and depth that you can’t get otherwise.

Slow cooker dishes are notoriously prone to tasting a little flat or one note. It’s not boring if you skip this step, but the step does add a little something special to the chili. The little glug of vinegar in the recipe helps, too!

But the real hit of brightness and freshness comes from the garnishes you serve with it; wedges of lime, torn cilantro or parsley, green onions, and buttery slices of avocado. Add a dollop of sour cream, a shake of hot sauce, a handful of crunchy, salty corn chips, and you have a wonderful variety of temperatures, textures, and tastes to delight your senses.

Ready to make your life easier and your tummy happier? Don’t let this recipe get lost: bookmark it or send it to yourself today!

Once you try it, come back and let me know what you thought of this cozy classic.

White Bean Chicken Chili Crockpot

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Rebecca Lindamood

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Tender chicken, creamy white beans, and a thick, flavourful, rich broth redolent with herbs and spices make this hearty white bean chicken chili crockpot recipe a cozy slow cooker classic.

Equipment

• 1 6 Quart or Larger Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  

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For the White Bean Chicken Chili:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced or pressed
• 2 4-ounce cans diced roasted green chili peppers, drained
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination of both
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 chicken bouillon cube optional but tasty
• 1 15-ounce can navy beans, or small white beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels

To Serve:

• shredded pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese or crumbled Cotija cheese, sliced green onions, sliced jalapeño peppers, lime wedges, diced avocado, torn cilantro, Mexican crema or sour cream, hot sauce, corn chips.

Instructions

 

Optional First Step to Create Depth of Flavour:

• Drizzle the olive oil in a skillet set over medium high heat. Add the onions and celery with a pinch of salt and stir. Sautée for about 3minutes, stirring frequently, just until the onions and celery are fragrant, starting to look semi-translucent, and have a faint hint of golden brown at the edges.
• Scatter in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the diced chilis, cumin, the rest of the kosher salt, oregano, black pepper, and coriander. Stir constantly and cook for 1 more minute, then remove it from the heat.

To Make the White Bean Chicken Chili

• Whether or not you have done the optional first step, add the onion, celery, diced roasted green chili peppers, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, dried oregano, coriander, bay leaf in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
• If you have not taken the depth building option, stir to make sure everything is evenly coated.
• Gently press the chicken into the vegetables and pour the chicken broth and vinegar over the top.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. You can cook up to 8 hours on LOW, but the chicken will fall apart and be more shredded than in pieces or chunks.
• 30 minutes before serving, add the drained beans and the corn. Taste the chili. If it doesn't taste "chickeny" enough or lacks some salt, you can add a chicken bouillon cube and stir to dissolve.
• Stir well to distribute, re-cover the slow cooker, and let it cook for the final 30 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer the chicken into a large bowl and shred it into bite-sized pieces. You can use two forks if you prefer, but the tongs do the job fine for me.

  Stir the chicken back into the chili and remove the bay leaf. Serve with desired garnishes: shredded cheese, wedges of lime, diced avocado, sliced green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, corn chips, and crema or sour cream.

Notes

The nutritional information included is approximate and provided as a courtesy. The calculation is based on the soup alone and none of the suggested garnishes. 

 

If you need more specific nutritional information, I suggest adding the ingredients and your serving size to a nutritional calculator that you use and trust. 

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 41gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 1846mgPotassium: 1049mgFiber: 10gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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