This easy 5-ingredient crock pot white chicken chili is warm, cheesy comfort food with almost no effort. Just dump, cover, and walk away—chicken, beans, salsa, Pepper Jack cheese, and cumin do all the work.
Make it any size—from a small batch in a 2-quart mini crock pot to a big family meal in a large slow cooker or on the stovetop. Thick, hearty, and ready in a few hours, it tastes like you cooked all day.
⏰ Quick Answer: How Long to Cook White Chicken Chili
Crock Pot: Low for about 4 hours or high for about 2 hours
Stovetop: Simmer 15–20 minutes until heated through
Always cook until the cheese has melted and the chili stirs together smoothly.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- 🐓 Ingredients for 5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- ♨️ Making Chicken Chili on the Stovetop
- 🐓 Variations and Ingredient Options
- 👨🍳 Tips to Get It Right Every Time
- ↕️ How to Make This Any Size—Chili for Two or a Crowd
- 🐔 Using Raw Chicken in White Chicken Chili
- 🍽️ Serving White Chicken Chili
- ❄️ Storage and Reheating
- 📋 More Crock Pot Chili Recipes
- ❓ FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Kaitlyn :
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "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!"
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- Salsa does the heavy lifting — the flavor base with most of the spices in one jar.
- Tried, true, and award-winning — we’ve made this for 45+ years, and it’s even won cook-offs.
- Ultra simple, dump-and-go — stir, cover, and walk away.
- Infinitely scalable — works in a 2-quart mini crock pot up to a full-size slow cooker for a crowd.
- Cheesy comfort food fast — hearty, ready in a couple of hours, and tastes like it cooked all day.
🐓 Ingredients for 5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili
- Chicken — shredded, like rotisserie or leftover baked chicken. Use of raw chicken is discussed below.
- White beans — Great Northern or Navy, canned and precooked
- Salsa — your choice of mild, medium, or hot for heat control
- Pepper Jack cheese — for creaminess and spice (or Monterey Jack if you want it milder)
- Ground cumin — the one spice you can’t skip
Optional: chicken broth at the end to adjust thickness.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
1. Add to the crock pot: undrained white beans, salsa, shredded chicken, ground cumin, and cubed Pepper Jack cheese.
✅ Pro Tip: For lower sodium, drain and rinse the beans and replace the liquid with low-sodium broth.
2. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. It’s done when the cheese has melted in and the chili stirs together smoothly.
3. Near the end, add chicken broth if you want to thin the chili to your taste.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
♨️ Making Chicken Chili on the Stovetop
Prefer to skip the slow cooker? This recipe works just as well and faster on the stovetop. Since all the ingredients are fully cooked or safe to eat, it comes together quickly with the same great flavor.
- Use a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the beans, salsa, chicken, cumin, and cheese. Stir well.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15–20 minutes.
- For best flavor, let it gently simmer up to an hour so the tastes blend.
- Add broth at the end if you want a thinner chili.
🐓 Variations and Ingredient Options
- Chicken — best with shredded rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken. For raw chicken, see the section below.
- Beans — Great Northern or Navy are classic. Cannellini or black beans also work. If you drain them, replace the liquid with a little chicken broth.
- Salsa — the backbone of the flavor. Choose mild, medium, or hot to control spiciness.
- Cheese — Pepper Jack adds creaminess and heat; Monterey Jack keeps it mild.
- Seasoning — cumin is essential. Add cayenne if you want extra heat.
- Optional — chicken broth at the end to thin the chili to your taste.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
👨🍳 Tips to Get It Right Every Time
- Cooked beans only — don’t use raw dry beans in this recipe. They won’t cook in the time of this recipe.
- Salsa matters — it’s the backbone of flavor, so use a brand you’d eat with chips.
- Ingredient amounts are flexible — it’s chili, not baking. A little more or less chicken, beans, or cheese won’t hurt.
- Leave room in the crock pot — normally avoid filling past 75%. Since this chili is mostly heating and blending flavors, you can push it a little — just wait to thin with broth until the end.
↕️ How to Make This Any Size—Chili for Two or a Crowd
This recipe makes about 8 servings, but it’s easy to scale down or up:
- Half recipe — fits in a 2-quart mini crock pot and makes 4 servings.
- Full recipe — best for a 3½- to 5-quart crock pot.
- Double recipe — use a 6½-quart or larger crock pot.
✅ Pro Tip: Wait to add any broth until the end to adjust the thickness to exactly your preference. That way, the chili won’t push the crock pot past its recommended 75% full limit.
🐔 Using Raw Chicken in White Chicken Chili
You don’t have to start with cooked chicken — raw works too.
- Oven method: Bake chicken breasts (or thighs) at 350°F until 165°F internal temperature, about 35–40 minutes. Shred while warm and stir into the chili.
- Crock pot method: Place raw chicken breasts or thighs directly in the slow cooker with the other ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for about 2½ hours. Shred and stir back in before serving.
Using rotisserie or leftover chicken keeps this recipe truly dump-and-go, but both raw methods work just as well.
🍽️ Serving White Chicken Chili
Due to the cheese, this chili stays warm for a long time, which makes it great for tailgates, potlucks, or family dinners.
- Serve with tortilla chips, extra cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, or guacamole.
- Pair it with Old Fashioned Cornbread, Cornmeal Biscuits, or a simple side salad.
- Leftovers make an easy next-day lunch — it reheats beautifully.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 3–4 months in freezer bags or sealed containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot. Add a splash of chicken broth if it seems too thick after storing.
📋 More Crock Pot Chili Recipes
Looking for more cozy slow cooker chili ideas? Try these favorites:
- Crock Pot Three Bean Turkey Chili — hearty, lighter, and protein-packed.
- Crock Pot Texas Chili — bold and spicy, bean-free style.
- Low Fat Crock Pot White Chicken Chili — a lighter variation on this recipe.
- Salsa Verde Chicken Chili — tangy twist with green salsa.
Small Crock Pot Chili
A classic All-American chili with ground beef, a mildly spicy tomato-based sauce, and tender beans. You can easily make chili for two in a mini crock pot or larger for a crowd.
❓ FAQs
With medium salsa, the spiciness is about a 4/10. For less heat, use mild salsa and Monterey Jack cheese instead of Pepper Jack. For more heat, choose hot salsa or add a pinch of cayenne. Adjusting the cumin won’t change much; let salsa and cheese do the work.
This chili is naturally thick. It’s easier to cook it thick, then thin at the end with chicken broth. Keep the bean liquid and about 2 cups of broth for a moderate thickness. For extra thick, skip the broth; for more soup-like, use up to 4 cups. If you drain the beans, replace that liquid with broth.
Yes, you can. See the section above on Using Raw Chicken in White Chicken Chili for details on both oven and crock pot methods.
Yes. A half batch fits perfectly in a 2-quart mini crock pot and makes about four servings—great for two with leftovers. For larger batches, use a 4–6 quart slow cooker or the stovetop version.
📖The Recipe Card
Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili (Easy 5 Ingredients)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 48 oz white beans - Great Northern or Navy
- 3 cups shredded chicken - about 1 pound
- 1 cup medium salsa
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese cubed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 14 oz chicken broth - Optional, add at the end to adjust thickness
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare about 3 cups of shredded chicken (rotisserie or baked). The use of raw chicken is discussed in the post.
- Cube 8 oz. of pepper jack cheese.
- In a small (3 to 5-quart) crock pot, combine one 48-oz jar of white beans (undrained),1 cup of salsa, about 3 cups of shredded chicken, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 8 oz of pepper jack cheese (cubed).
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Stir once or twice during cooking to distribute the cheese, or just stir well at the end. If desired, add up to one 14 oz can of chicken broth at the end to thin the chili to your preferred consistency.
- Serve hot, refrigerate, or freeze.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use Rotisserie chicken or bake and shred some chicken.
- Adjust the heat according to the type of salsa. You can use Monterey cheese instead of Monterey Jake cheese. You can also adjust the cumin to taste.
- As written, a 3 to 5-qt crock pot should be good. Refer to the notes in the post to adjust the recipe size.
- Good in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Good in a freezer for 3–4 months.
- Add broth at the end of cooking to achieve the desired thickness. This will also help it fit into a smaller crock pots.
- If you bring this to a gathering, print extra copies—you’ll be asked for the recipe.
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)
Publisher note: Originally published March 2, 2010. It has been updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Carolyn says
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 says
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 says
This has become a fall staple at our house. So easy and so darn good!
Carol says
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 says
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 says
Thanks, I’ll go to the store!
Carol says
This was soooo good! You’re right, I don’t think black beans would’ve worked. Thanks!
Megan says
About how much of the sodium would you say is due to the extra broth?
DrDan says
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 says
I would like to know the serving size please. : )
DrDan says
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 says
Could you use frozen boneless chicken breasts?
DrDan says
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 says
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 says
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 says
If you double the recipe,do you need to cook it longer?
DrDan says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Could you substitute Mozzarella for the Pepper Jack? Or should I leave the cheese out?
-Dan
DrDan says
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 says
What do you serve, with this? Crackers, corn muffins, corn bread or maybe tostitos?
DrDan says
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 says
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 says
It is a smooth thick creamy type texture.
Mirna Eads says
This was so easy and a huge hit at work today. Our professional chef, chose it as the winner!
DrDan says
Hi Mirna,
Thanks so much, many of our friends win at their office cook-off but none with a real judge that I know about.
I have been rewriting this post this evening for Super Bowl Week. If you look, the recipe is unchanged except I gave additional instructions for baking a couple of chicken breast if needed.
There is some additional discussion and the mandatory dog picture.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
jodi says
I have a 3 qt and a 6 qt slow cooker. Which should I use?
DrDan says
Hi Jodi,
Do the 6 qt. I can squeeze it into my 3.5 qt but it is too full really, so the 3 qt would be to the top. As general rule, 75% is the fullest you want to go.
Dan