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A comforting and creamy white chicken chili featuring shredded chicken, white beans, green chilies, and warming spices, perfect for stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot preparation.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1½ teaspoons garlic powder)
  • 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • Juice of ½ small lime
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 (15 oz) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
  • 2 heaping cups cooked chicken, shredded (rotisserie or leftover recommended)

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (5-6 quart) pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add chopped yellow onion and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Pour in chicken broth, diced green chilies, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, dried oregano, lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  5. If cooking raw chicken on the stove, add 1.5 pounds raw chicken breasts with the broth and cook until cooked through; otherwise, omit and add cooked chicken later.
  6. Drain and rinse beans. Reserve a large ladleful of beans and blend them with a splash of broth until smooth.
  7. Stir the pureed beans, remaining whole beans, and corn into the pot.
  8. Bring to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 15-30 minutes to meld flavors.
  9. Remove pot from heat and stir in sour cream or Greek yogurt and shredded cooked chicken until heated through.
  10. For slow cooker method: sauté onions and garlic in oil, then add to slow cooker with chicken (raw or cooked), broth, chilies, spices, lime juice, corn, and beans. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Remove chicken, shred, and stir back with sour cream. To thicken, puree a ladleful of soup and return to slow cooker.
  11. For Instant Pot method: set to Sauté, heat oil, cook onions until soft, add garlic briefly, then turn off Sauté. Add chicken (raw or cooked), broth, chilies, spices, lime juice, corn, and beans. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes; natural release for 15 minutes. Remove chicken, shred, puree some soup and beans if desired, stir chicken and sour cream in off heat.
  12. Adjust thickness as necessary by simmering longer or blending more beans.

Notes

Use leftover rotisserie chicken for quicker prep., To make vegetarian, omit chicken and use vegetable broth; add extra vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini., Adjust spice level by using one can of green chilies instead of two and omitting cayenne pepper; salsa verde can be a substitute for green chilies., Freeze soup base without sour cream or dairy; freeze cooked chicken separately., Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C) for safety., Sour cream can separate when frozen; Greek yogurt is a good alternative., Store chili in airtight containers refrigerated for 3-4 days., Can be prepared ahead up to step 5 and refrigerated for 2-3 days, then heated and finished with chicken and sour cream before serving.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://theproteincook.com/white-chicken-chili/