You will love this Salsa Verde Chicken Chili recipe, a mildly spicy white chicken chili with salsa verde, shredded chicken, white beans, and a few pantry ingredients: a simple dump-and-go crock pot or fast stovetop small-batch recipe.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—shredded precooked chicken like a rotisserie chicken.
Salsa Verde
White Beans—precooked Great Northern, Cannellini, or Navy beans
Onion
Green chiles—for green chili flavor
Chicken broth—low sodium
Other pantry ingredients—cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
Featured Comment by KMeyers:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Excellent. Even better than I expected! Very good flavor with just enough kick.”
I have many other chili recipes, but this one is special. It has a little heat, a pleasant sharpness, and great flavor. It has minimal preparation time, uses common ingredients, and has excellent taste.
In addition to the simple prep and excellent flavor, this low-calorie chili is also high-protein and low-fat. With about 250 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving, it will fit most diets.
👨🍳How to Make Salsa Verde Chili—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Chop the onion.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a 2-quart or larger crock pot (see section about recipe size). For stovetop cooking, cook the onion until clear, then add all other ingredients.
3. In the crock pot, cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high. On the stovetop, simmer for at least 15 minutes—longer is better.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🤔Variations and options
Any precooked chicken will work. A pound of shredded chicken is 3-4 cups. To use raw chicken, you can precook it in the oven and shred it or add it to the crock pot, remove it after 3 hours on low, shred it, and place it back into the crock pot.
While this is a white bean chili using Navy, Great Northern, or Cannellini beans, you may substitute other beans, such as red kidney, pinto, or black beans, for part or all of the white beans.
Optional additions—corn and chopped bell pepper.
You can increase the amount of diced green chiles for more green chili flavor. Also, other chiles may be added.
Adjust the thickness. I have given a range for chicken broth amount; the lower will be thick chili, and the top will be standard thickness.
To adjust the heat of the chili, you can use a hotter salsa, a chopped jalapeno, or some cayenne pepper.
This is chili, so adjust the amount of chicken or beans to your taste.
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🐓How to use raw chicken
Rotisserie chicken is excellent here. If you only have raw chicken, you can cook chicken breasts or thighs in a 350° oven until done (about 30 minutes, give or take a little to 165°). One pound will yield about 3 cups.
If using a crock pot, you can add raw chicken with the other ingredients. Cook on low for about 3 hours or high for 1½ hours, then remove and shred. Then, place back into the crock pot to finish cooking.
↕️Changing crock pot and recipe size
The full recipe makes about 5 cups of 4 servings. Perfect for our "for two" household for two meals. You can easily cook this amount in a 2-quart mini crock pot, but a 3-4 quart small crock pot works well also.
A double recipe makes about 10 cups (8 servings) and requires a 3 ¼-quart or larger crock pot. A triple recipe makes 15 cups (about 12 servings) in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Use the suggested crock pot size or any size Dutch oven on the stovetop.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
Note: To cook well, a crock pot should not be over 75% full. If it won't quite fit, hold any broth until the end of cooking for more space.
🐓Other Chicken Chili Recipes
For other chicken chile recipes, White Bean Chicken Chili and Healthy Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. For another salsa verde option, see my Pork Chili Verde.
Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
This easy-to-make homemade chicken chili is my best chicken chili. Only 5 ingredients are needed: shredded chicken, white beans, salsa, cheese, and cumin to make this dump-and-go small-batch white chicken chili recipe, which can win the office chili cookoff.
🍴Serving suggestions
Serve with tortilla chips, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, lime juice, slices of jalapenos, some sour cream, or shredded cheese.
It is delicious with Old Fashioned Cornbread or Cornbread Biscuits.
❄️Storage of leftovers
Chili can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days or sealed in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months.
❓FAQ
Salsa verde is a spicy green sauce in Mexican cuisine. It is based on Mexican green tomatoes or tomatilloes and chili peppers. I never have a good source of tomatilloes, so we have jars of salsa verde.
If sodium concerns you, skip the added salts, about 140 mg per serving. Draining and rinsing your beans and using low-sodium broth will also decrease the sodium.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Salsa Verde Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken - about ½ to ¾ pounds
- ½ medium onion - chopped
- 16 oz cooked white beans - Great Northern preferred. Drained and rinsed.
- 1-2 cups chicken broth - low sodium preferred. Adjust for the thickness you like.
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 2 oz chopped chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start with 1½ to 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken.
- Chop half of a medium onion. If cooking on the stovetop, cook the onion in a little oil over medium heat until clear.
- In a 2 quart or larger crock pot or a Dutch oven, combine the shredded chicken, the chopped onion, 15 oz. of cooked Great Northern or Navy beans drained and rinsed, 1 cup of jar premade Salsa Verde, a half of a 4.5 oz can chopped chiles, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and one or two cups low sodium chicken broth. Mix well.
- In the crock pot, cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high. On the stovetop, bring to a light boil, cover, and turn down to simmer for at least 15 minutes—longer is better.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- The recipe is written for a 2-quart mini crock pot, which makes 4 servings. You may also use a 3-4 quart for this size.
- A double recipe will make about 10 cups (8 servings) and needs a 3 ¼ quart or larger crock pot. A triple recipe makes 15 cups (about 12 servings) in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Use the beans you prefer, but I suggest a white bean, like Great Northern, white kidney, or Navy beans.
- One pound of raw chicken will make about 3 cups of shredded chicken. Raw chicken instructions are in the recipe post.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editors Note: Originally Published October 30, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Catherine says
Outstanding recipe. My husband and I love All of Dr. Dan’s recipes I have tried. Great cook! Love pics of your Girls Aloha
KMeyers says
Excellent. Even better than I expected! Very good flavor with just enough “kick.”
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi KMeyers,
Welcome to the blog.
I was trying for a solid healthy chili with different flavor. It exceeded my exceptions, too.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Wendy Hampton says
It is cold and rainy today and Salsa Verde Chicken Chili was something I craved. I reviewed this in September and I have made it many times on the stove top since then. I just don't have the patience for a crockpot. AND it always turns out perfectly! I ran out of cumin this time so I just used oregano. And I wanted to use up some leftover brown rice, so I threw that in with some canned corn this time. It was just as wonderful as the original recipe! I always intend to freeze some, but we end up eating it in a day or so..yes, we have even had it for breakfast. Just had to thank you again for this wonderful chili. We really enjoy it!
Southern Born Class says
I tried this recipe and it was very simple, yet delicious! I added slightly more chili powder to mine though. My husband is slightly picky about some soups & chilis ad this was a winner!!!
Wendy Hampton says
I can't believe there are no reviews on this recipe! It is a wonderful filling bean dish with plenty of chicken and is just what I have been looking for. I'm gathering recipes for the cooler weather and this is a Keeper! It is great with cornbread and I enjoyed having leftovers in the fridge over several days! Thanks for posting.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the note and rating. I rewrote this recipe over the last week and when I republished it, things went a bit screwy. The outcome is that after fixing that, all the comments did not transfer from the old to the new version. I looked at them and it would be a lot of work to fix and the comments were not very useful to readers. So... you get to be first.
Dan