Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
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The easiest crockpot recipe of your life! It’s a one pot wonder – no searing, no fuss. Simply throw everything right in!
I love a good crockpot recipe. Especially the ones that cook low and slow for 7-8 hours, undisturbed, as you walk into the door from work where dinner is magically finished and set.
But then there are those other crockpot recipes that require a little bit of babysitting – ex. an initial sear before that low-and-slow goodness or a cornstarch slurry at the very end of cooking time.
But again, I truly love all slow cooker recipes. But I’m just not particularly fond of the ones that require that extra step, you know?
That’s why this recipe has quickly become my favorite recipe yet.
There’s no searing, no fuss. No extra steps of anything. No nothing.
Nope. You can throw everything right into the crockpot – all of it.
Then you can let it cook low and slow as the chicken gets so unbelievably tender – so tender, you can even shred this by giving the chili a good stir in the crockpot. (Note: chicken breasts can be substituted here, but thighs are much better in my opinion).
When ready to serve, top this bad boy off with all your favorite toppings – tortilla chips, cilantro, sour cream, red onion, avocado slices and lime wedges. But for me, personally, I just need a bag of tortilla chips for dipping purposes.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
For the toppings
- 1 ½ cups tortilla chips
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock, green chiles, beans, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
- Stir chicken, cilantro and lime juice into the slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Did you make this recipe?
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My husband made this for dinner tonight—it is positively scrumptious!!
Can you make this with frozen chicken?
Very tasty, love the flavors! Definitely more of a soup than a chili. I add frozen corn at the end for texture, and top with avocado, Greek yogurt and a little shredded cheese. Very satisfying meal.
Wow! I made this and it is delicious! I am definitely keeping this in the repertoire. I added some peppers though for heat, which turned out to be a great touch! I sliced a couple of jalapenos along with 1 really hot pepper (not habanero), which turned out to work perfectly! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this with chicken breasts. It was delicious. Family went back for seconds and there was none left!
Love this recipe! So easy to get into the crock pot. I used frozen chicken breasts because that’s what I had in the house. Added half a cup of quinoa toward the end of the cooking because I like my chili a bit thicker. Will definitely be making this again this winter. Damn delicious!
I recently moved back to the states and just realized I don’t have a crock pot anymore! Only a tiny one. What’s the best way to do this on the stove? I promise I will get a crock pot soon! <3
I’ve been in that situation. I would cook the chicken and onion first. Then put them in a large pot and add the other ingredients. Cook it on a low to medium heat, just simmering not boiling until the beans are soft.
Hi! I use my Dutch oven. I sauté the onion and garlic, then add other ingredients and bring to a boil then down to a simmer. I have boiled chicken breasts for 8-12 min that I will shred and add to the chili before serving. It’s a perfect quick meal if you’re in a time pinch.
hi!
we are using chicken breast instead of thigh, does the cook time change depending on the cut?
we have it on low for 6 hours but I don’t want to overcook the chicken…
thanks!
If using 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooking time should stay relatively the same. 🙂
This looks tasty! Would this work with dried beans?
This recipe is tailored for canned beans only. Sorry!
Soak them first overnight
I’m making this now. You can cook dried beans in the crockpot without soaking!
I’m cooking the beans with onion, carrots and some herbs, along with a smoked turkey leg.
Once the beans are done, I’ll add everything else and cook awhile longer (30-60 min). I started with chicken broth and am adding water as needed. I suppose you could add the chicken in there while the beans are cooking, remove, shred, and add back. Can’t wait!
Gathering up some recipes for upcoming holiday potlucks and this sounds delicious!
Question: I don’t like a lot of heat, do these chilis pack a lot of heat? (I’m pretty much a mild salsa kinda girl, medium is almost pushing it!) Thanks!
The diced green chiles do not pack much heat at all. 🙂
Looks tasty! Just wondering if the chicken cooks in the soup or before putting it in. I’m new at the whole crockpot method!
Hi Emily! The chicken is cooked with the soup ingredients in step #1:
1. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock, green chiles, beans, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
I hope that answers your question!
This is fantastic, the toppings give it just the right amount of flavoring. Easily 5 stars!
The toppings are the best! 🙂
wooowww. I am loving it and today I am going to make this for my sweet hubby. thanks for sharing
This recipe is awesome! I’ve made it twice now and it has come out perfect both times. It has zero heat, so I added three chopped chipotle peppers in adobo to the second batch prior to sealing and it came out PERFECT! I love topping mine with fresh onions, cilantro, avocado, and cheese. Will keep this in my regular rotation and may try adapting it to the Instant Pot.
Those are great toppings, Chelsea!
So good!! Definitely a dish I will make again. The cilantro and lime at the end gave it a bright and fresh taste. My wife and I both took it to work for lunch the next day. It was a little thin like a soup so I reduced it on the stove and it turned out great.
Thank you for your feedback, Stephen! Glad this made some yummy work lunches for you both! 🙂
A great base recipe! Thanks for the inspiration. Instead of the green chiles, I added a jar of tomatillo salsa and diced up two yellow heirloom tomatoes (I need tomato in my chili!). To solve the problem of the finished product being more of a soup than a chili, I blitzed some of the beans and stock with a handful of corn tortilla chips to thicken.
Sounds amazing, Marie! Can I get some of the leftovers, please? 🙂
I Have made this before and my family loves it. In reading the reviews I have noticed quite a few people comment on the thickness or more acurately the thinness of this dish. Once thing that I have done is omit rinsing the beans and just lessen the added salt I put in until later in the cooking process. That startch will help to thicken up the sauce and make it much closer to a chili consistentcy. 🙂
This is absolutely delicious. I used chicken thighs and they were so tender and moist. I was concerned that they may be too fatty, but they weren’t. I followed the recipe as written and wouldn’t change a thing. It was so nice not to have to brown the chicken beforehand too.
Thanks for sharing with us, Kay! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
This looks so good! Can’t wait to make it this weekend! I was wondering if using chicken broth instead of chicken stock would be ok? Not sure if it would alter the taste. Thanks!
Sure!
Amazing recipe! I added fresh slices of jalapeños and a can of Butter Beans too! Perfection! Love this recipe, thank you!
Sssoooo yummy!! It is very fresh tasting and very filling. The fresh lime juice, avocado, and a blob of sour cream with the tortilla chips. All the flavors come together wonderful at the end. I will be snacking on this for the next couple days.
Isn’t it the best?! Glad you found this and liked it so much, Carissa!
This recipe is as tasty as it is easy. Before shredding the chicken, the broth was thin and a bit salty, but adding back the chicken and lime juice pulled both taste and consistency together. So glad to have found your website with consistently delicious recipes. Thanks so much for all the work you do!
Thank you so much, Alisa! We really appreciate your feedback.