Description
Hearty slow cooker white chicken chili brings comfort and warmth to weeknight dinners. Creamy, protein-packed soup combines tender chicken, white beans, and mild green chiles for a satisfying meal you’ll crave.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken)
- 2 15 oz (425 g) cans white beans (Great Northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn (optional)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened (for creaminess)
- ½ cup sour cream (or heavy cream)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 4 oz (113 g) can diced green chilies
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- Shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack)
- Sliced jalapenos
- Avocado slices
- Crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Chicken Layering: Arrange chicken breasts in the slow cooker, forming a foundational base for the chili’s flavor development.
- Seasoning Infusion: Generously coat chicken with cumin, chili powder, paprika, and oregano, ensuring an even spice distribution that promises a robust taste experience.
- Aromatic Enhancement: Introduce diced onions, minced garlic, and green chilies, creating a flavor-rich environment that will permeate the entire dish.
- Liquid Integration: Pour chicken broth and white beans around the seasoned chicken, establishing a harmonious cooking medium that will tenderize and flavor the meat.
- Slow Cooking Process: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, allowing ingredients to meld and chicken to reach peak tenderness, transforming into an effortlessly shreddable texture.
- Creamy Transformation: Shred chicken directly in the cooking liquid, then incorporate cream cheese and sour cream, stirring until a velvety consistency emerges, punctuated by a bright lime juice splash for a zesty contrast.
- Presentation and Garnish: Ladle chili into serving bowls, crowning with optional toppings like fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, diced avocado, or crispy tortilla chips to elevate both visual appeal and textural complexity.
Notes
- Optimize Chicken Tenderness: Cook chicken on low heat for 6-8 hours to ensure maximum moisture and melt-in-your-mouth texture, preventing dryness and maintaining protein integrity.
- Balance Spice Levels: Adjust chili powder and green chilies according to personal heat preference, starting with smaller quantities and gradually increasing for customized flavor intensity.
- Enhance Creaminess Technique: Add cream cheese and sour cream off direct heat to prevent curdling, stirring slowly until smooth for a silky, luxurious consistency without separation.
- Meal Prep and Storage Hack: Chili can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen up to 3 months, with flavors developing more depth overnight, making it an excellent make-ahead meal option.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg