The ultimate dump-and-go white chicken chili with only a few ingredients. Only 10 minutes prep and shredded chicken, white beans, pepper jack cheese, and some salsa will get your new favorite chili. Scaled-down for a smaller crock pot or adjust the amount to your needs.
Introduction
Many readers have won chili contests with this simple recipe. In my own office, the employees always asked for this at our pot-luck lunches. You are rewarded with a great chili for your laziness for your laziness for your laziness, and all your friends will demand the recipe.
No "inspired by" recipe here; I have done this one for 30 years plus. I even remembered the recipe without looking it up. And my memory is going. I believe the original was one of those passed-around recipes at my wife's grade school.
This is the best chili to take to tailgating or parties since, with the cheese, it stays hot for a long time,, and most people will want seconds. I always make a double batch.
This chili has always been one of my most requested recipes. Anytime you take it to gatherings, make copies, so you don't have to write it down. Please enjoy this great chili.
My Rating
An absolute 5. No doubt about it.
👨🍳How to Make White Chicken Chili in a Crock Pot
This recipe needs about 3 cups of pre-cooked shredded chicken. Use rotisserie or any other pre-cooked chicken. You can always use a bit more or less depending on what you have.
I will often toss a couple of skinless boneless chicken breasts in a 350° oven for about 35-40 minutes. One good size breast will make about 1 ½ cups of shredded chicken.
I have included an option to cook the raw chicken in the crock pot in the recipe card.
Most of the seasoning in this chili depends on the salsa and pepper jack cheese. Cumin adds for more flavor.
The spiciness is a 4/10. You can adjust that up and down with your choice of the spiciness of the salsa. You can also use Monterey Jack to adjust the heat down.
If you want even more spiciness, add a bit of cayenne pepper.
Adjusting the cumin can increase or decrease the spiciness a bit, but I suggest depending on the salsa as the primary adjustment.
I recommend Great Northern or Navy beans. I prefer the Great Northern since in like a bit bigger bean.
This is not a recipe for uncooked beans.
You can drain the beans and rinse. That will decrease the sodium some. You will need to replace that fluid in the chili with some low-sodium chicken broth.
This recipe fits in a 3 ½ quart crock pot. A double recipe (what I always make) works in a 6 ½ quart or larger slow cooker.
On low for about 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. You are trying to get the cheese melted into everything else and a bit of simmering.
The thickness of the chili is entirely based on the chicken broth. Most people will want a moderate thickness, and that is keeping the packing fluid in the beans and 2 cups broth.
If you want extra thick, skip the broth if you want a little more soup-like than 4 cups of broth.
If you drain the beans, add back 1 ½ to 2 cups of broth.
It freezes well for 2-3 months. Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Yes. Use a large pan like a full size Dutch oven. Add everything, mix well, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
It is done when it will all mix together, but simmering another 10-15 minutes to bring the tastes together is recommended.
📖Crock Pot Chili
Crock Pot Chili
Crock Pot Three Bean Turkey Chili
Crock Pot Texas Chili
Low Fat High Taste Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
Chili Nachos
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
A few simple ingredients. Get your chicken any way you want. You will need about 3 cups. I have included several raw chicken options in the notes of the recipe card.
Cube 8 oz of pepper jack cheese.
In a small (3.5 qt crock pot here), dump one 48 oz jar of great northern beans (undrained), 8 oz of salsa, about 3 cups of shredded chicken, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 8 oz of pepper jack cheese (cubed).
Add a 14 oz can of chicken broth if you want a standard thick chili. Leave it out for extra thick. Stir very well.
Cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high. Try to stir once or twice in the middle if you can to distribute the cheese, but it can wait until the end if needed.
📖Full Recipe
Easy Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 48 oz white beans - Great Northern or Navy
- 3 cups shredded chicken - See notes for suggestions
- 1 cup medium salsa
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese cubed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 14 oz chicken broth - optional but suggested
Instructions
- Get your chicken any way you want. You will need about 3 cups of shredded chicken. Please see the notes below for options.
- Cube 8 oz. of pepper jack cheese.
- In a small (3.5 qt crock pot here) dump one 48 oz jar great northern beans (undrained), 8 oz of salsa, 3 cups of shredded chicken, 2 teaspoon cumin and 8 oz of pepper jack cheese (cubed).
- Add a 14 oz can of chicken broth if you want a normal thick chili. Leave it out for extra thick. Stir very well.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Get your chicken anywhere you want. See the raw chicken option below.
- Adjust the heat by the type of salsa, and you can use Monterey Cheese instead of Monterrey Jake Cheese. You can also adjust the cumin to taste.
- As written, a 3.5 qt crock pot should be good but not smaller. Doubles nicely in a large crock pot of 6.5 qt or more.
- Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Good in a freezer for 2-3 months.
- Due to all the cheese, this stays hot for a long time, so great for tailgating and parties.
- Take copies of the recipe with you if you're taking it to a gathering.
Raw Chicken Option
- I'm adding a raw chicken option for simplicity.
- An average size chicken breast will make about 1 ½ cups of shredded chicken.
- The easiest way is to add broth, salsa, and cumin to the crockpot with two raw chicken breasts. Cook in high for 1 ½ to 2 hours then remove and shred. Then add back the chicken and other ingredients and finish the cooking time or until the cheese can blend in.
- Or cook a couple of breasts in the oven until done (about 350° for about 40 minutes).
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Publisher note: Originally published March 2, 2010. It was first published in the third month of this blog, and maybe 50 people saw the first post. It was republished in 2013, so time to update again. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
KJill
This is very very good! Wanted to try it out before cooking for a soup and bread event and I am sure now this is a great choice. Also love that it is so easily scalable both up and down! Used half medium salsa as suggested and half TJ's green chili salsa. Poached the chicken first in crock pot -shredded - then dumped everything together, could not be easier, this really works!
KJill
Follow-up, this was a major hit at the soup and bread event. We were the only chili and only spicy entry, even people wary of spice thought this was just perfect. A keeper recipe for us, Thank You!!!
Carolyn
My husband loved this. I had to call it something besides chili so I told him it was Spicy Chicken Stew. He loves chili, he just doesn't think it should be white or made with chicken.
I'm trying to make recipes that feed just two with no leftovers. Your blog is very helpful.
Kaitlyn Kelly
I have used this recipe numerous times now and I love it! I have entered multiple chili cook offs with this recipe and I have won 3rd place and 1st two different years! Hoping to get 1st again this year!
Jaime
This has become a fall staple at our house. So easy and so darn good!
Carol
OK, I hate when people change up recipes, but I don’t want to go to the store! Can I use black beans and salsa verde? I do have the correct cheese.
DrDan
Hi Carol,
I have made this recipe hundreds of time but I'm just not seeing the black beans as a good choice for the beans. The salsa verde would almost for sure be good although I haven't tried it.
I have another chili, https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/salsa-verde-white-chicken-chili-la-crock-pot/ , that I think black beans might be good in although I would probably just combine them with another bean.
Maybe it is just me, I like black beans but probably not enough to have them by themselves in a chili.
Dan
Carol
Thanks, I’ll go to the store!
Carol
This was soooo good! You’re right, I don’t think black beans would’ve worked. Thanks!
Megan
About how much of the sodium would you say is due to the extra broth?
DrDan
Hi Megan,
Welcome to the blog.
I ran the recipe through the updated calculator so you will notice some changes. To answer your questions, the broth would be about 170mg of sodium per serving. It will vary some by brand and there is zero sodium broth available now.
Dan
Megan
I would like to know the serving size please. : )
DrDan
Hi Megan,
Welcome to the blog.
About 1 1/2 cup assuming you don't add the extra broth. With that 1/8 of the recipe is more like 1 3/4 cups.
Dan
Jody
Could you use frozen boneless chicken breasts?
DrDan
Hi Jody,
Welcome to the bog.
The answer is no for several reasons.
Cooking frozen chicken has been reported to break ceramic inserts.
The FDA states it is a safety hazard with too long in the food danger zone of 40 to 140 degrees.
I have recipes where I cook raw chicken (not frozen) then remove in 3-4 hours to shred. Not good here due to the risk of burns from the cheese.
So toss it on a tray and bake them for 35-45 minutes until 165 then shred.
Dan
NATALIE
MADE THIS LAST NIGHT AND EVERYONE LOVED IT! THEY REALLY DID. I ADDED HALF A BLOCK CREAM CHEESE AND A CAN OF CORN AND SOME SALT N PEPPER.
DrDan
Hi Natalie,
Welcome to the blog.
This is one of the original recipes that were the reason I started the blog. People were always asking for those recipes. There were about 20 of them.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Angela S Wilburn
If you double the recipe,do you need to cook it longer?
DrDan
Hi Angela,
Welcome to the blog.
Don’t double the time. Only a few crock pot recipes will need increased time with increasing ingredients. My crock pot pulled pork is one example where the increased solid mass requires increased cooking time.
You, of course, will need a large enough crock pot. It should be a max of 75% full but really 66% is a better target. For this recipe. Double will need at least 6.5 qt but a 7-8 qt crock pot would be better.
Dan
Rilla Kline
I could not find where you gave an estimated time for stove-top cooking? And... would there be any adjustments needed for stove-top?
DrDan
Hi Rilla,
Welcome to the blog.
The cheese needs to be melted very slowly to incorporate into the chili correctly. If you melt it faster, it can scorch and the proteins will change. So a crock pot is ideal for this, just dump and go. I just would not do this on the stove top due to the cheese.
You could simmer the other ingredients for an hour then added the cheese at the end of cooking off the burner but I doubt it would be the same. If you do this, shred the cheese so it will incorporate easier than cubes.
Dan
Melinda L Baugh
My family loves this recipe! I do a quicker version using store bought rotisserie chicken. I chop up the breast, which is our favorite part. Throw it in my soup pot with all ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. As soon as my family knows I'm making it they start asking how much longer. I can't prepare it fast enough. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
Dan Defries
Could you substitute Mozzarella for the Pepper Jack? Or should I leave the cheese out?
-Dan
DrDan
Hi Dan (great name by the way),
I have used Monterey Jack when I was making a batch for company that didn't want much spice. That worked fine. Mozzarella has very little taste to me, you can do it but I think it will be too blah. Leave it out? Not with this recipe. Try https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/low-fat-high-taste-crock-pot-white-chicken-chili/ instead.
Dan
Judy McDaniel
What do you serve, with this? Crackers, corn muffins, corn bread or maybe tostitos?
DrDan
Hi Judy,
Yes, all those things are fine. I have done this recipe for almost 40 years so probably 200 plus cookings. I have used all those things. Corn chips usually for party type situations, tailgating etc. Corn bread or biscuits at home usually.
Thanks for the note and enjoy your chili.
Dan
Yvette
Looks great and based on the comments I'd love to try the recipe. But, I'm not a melted cheese fan because of the texture. Does it incorporate smoothly or is it stringy? Thanks for your help.
DrDan
It is a smooth thick creamy type texture.