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White Chicken Chili is a lovely departure from the more traditional chili recipe (which I also love and make often). With the help of a slow cooker – like a Crock Pot – this becomes an easy meal to throw together.
To get started, plug in your slow cooker and set it to Low heat.
Pre-Cook
This next step you can skip if you’re crunched for time but I encourage you to put in the extra five minutes it takes for the added flavor.
Heat a cast iron skillet or a pan over medium high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the diced onion to the skillet. All ingredient measurements are listed in the recipe below.
Cook the onion in the melted butter 3-4 minutes, or until soft, stirring to prevent browning. Then add the garlic (minced or finely chopped) and cook another minute. Pour the onion and garlic mixture, along with any remaining melted butter, into the slow cooker.
Return the skillet to the heat. Once it’s hot, sear the chicken to brown the outsides, about a minute each side. You don’t want to cook the chicken all the way through, just get it brown on either side.
A Note on Chicken
This recipe calls for 1 to 1.5 lbs of chicken. Pictured above are two breasts and two tenderloins that came off of a chicken I cut up. We almost always opt for buying whole chickens versus parts of the chicken (ie. breasts, thighs, etc.). Using a whole chicken is much more economical. For more about that, read my post here.
I’ve also used a whole chicken (and skipped the searing) for this recipe before. And, if you have an older bird or a rooster to cook, you’ll want to use a slow cooker to break through that tough meat. This is a great recipe for doing just that.
Get Everything in the Slow Cooker
Remove the chicken from the skillet and place it in the slow cooker. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the cream cheese (drain the corn, black beans, and white beans first). Give everything a good stir. Secure the lid and let it cook for 6 to 8 hours on Low.
About 15 minutes before it’s done, use some tongs to carefully remove the cooked chicken and set it aside on a plate or cutting board. Then add in the cream cheese and stir. It does take about a minute to get the cream cheese to melt. Start with room temperature cream cheese to make this easier.
Once the chicken has cooled slightly, use two forks or your *clean* hands to shred the chicken. Add the shredded meat back into the pot and give everything one last stir before serving.
Enjoy this warm white chicken chili in a bowl with optional toppings like fresh avocado, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled tortilla chips, or a slice of cornbread on the side.
Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! I’d also love to know your favorite slow cooker meals.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1-1½ lbs Chicken (I typically use breasts and tenderloins from a whole chicken)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 dash Nutmeg
- 1 dash Cayenne
- 15 oz Corn, canned and drained, or frozen
- 15 oz White Beans (Great Northern or White Kidney Beans), canned and drained
- 15 oz Black Beans, canned and drained
- 15 oz Diced Tomatoes, canned
- 8 oz Green Chiles, diced and canned
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Turn slow cooker on low.
- Heat cast iron skillet or pan over medium high heat. Add butter and onion. Cook onion in melted butter 3-4 minutes, or until soft, stirring to prevent browning. Then add garlic and cook another minute. Pour onion and garlic mixture, along with any remaining melted butter, into slow cooker.4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, 1 Medium Onion, diced, 1 Garlic clove, minced
- Return skillet to heat. Sear chicken in hot skillet just to brown the outsides, about a minute each side. (Chicken does not need to cook all the way through, just brown the outside.) Remove chicken and place in slow cooker.*1-1½ lbs Chicken (I typically use breasts and tenderloins from a whole chicken)
- To the slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cream cheese. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, or until chicken is completely done.1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Chili Powder, 1 tsp Parsley, ½ tsp Black Pepper, 1 dash Nutmeg, 1 dash Cayenne, 15 oz Corn, canned and drained, or frozen, 15 oz White Beans (Great Northern or White Kidney Beans), canned and drained, 15 oz Black Beans, canned and drained, 15 oz Diced Tomatoes, canned, 8 oz Green Chiles, diced and canned, 4 cups Chicken Stock
- About 15 minutes before chili is ready, use tongs to carefully remove the chicken. Let chicken cool slightly. Add cream cheese and stir until melted.4 oz Cream Cheese
- Use two forks to shred chicken and return it to the pot. Stir and serve in bowls with a slice of cornbread or with tortilla chips on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
