Easy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (w/ Cream Cheese)
This easy crockpot white chicken chili is easy to prep in just 5-minutes, and is a simple dump-and-go recipe (no pre-cooking required). It's hearty & filling from chicken breasts (or thighs), white beans, and deliciously creamy from just the right amount of cream cheese. Give it a try and find out why my readers call it the BEST white chicken chili they've ever had.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 (15-oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed such as Great Northern or cannellini
- 1 (4.5-oz) can mild diced green chilis
- 1 cup mild green salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
To Add at the End
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add the chicken, onion, white beans, green chilis, salsa verde, chicken stock, garlic powder, cumin, and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Uncover, remove the chicken, and shred with two forks or dice into chunks.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the bean mixture for 5-10 seconds. Alternatively, carefully, remove ½ to 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender. Cover, blend on high, then add back to the chili, stirring to combine. Note: Blending for just a few seconds will add a creaminess to the chili, while leaving the texture of most of the beans.
- Ladle a few tablespoons of the bean mixture into a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese and stir until well incorporated.
- Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, along with the bean-puree-cream-cheese mixture, stirring to combine. Taste and add additional salt or salsa if desired. Serve with any toppings you like.
Notes
- Spice Level: This is not a spicy chili. If you prefer a kick, use spicy green chilis and spicy salsa verde.
- Cream Cheese: I like to keep my recipes on the lighter side, and found that blending the white beans means that you can use a light hand with the cream cheese (hence, just 4 tablespoons at the end.) If you love cream cheese, though, feel free to use more, up to a whole block will work.
- For Dairy-Free: use a plant-based cream cheese such as Kite-Hill.
- Optional Topping Ideas: avocado, sour cream (traditional or dairy-free), crushed tortilla chips, chopped onion, cilantro, fresh lime juice, jalapeno, Monterey jack cheese or dairy-free cheese shreds.
- Instant Pot Adaptation: Add the chicken, onion, white beans, green chilis, 1 cup of salsa verde, chicken stock, garlic powder, cumin, and salt to a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cover and set to high pressure for 20 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release. Follow remaining slow cooker steps 4-6 .
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6) | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 1004mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg
