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This simple one pot Creamy White Chicken Chili is the perfect bowl to warm up to on a cold fall/winter day. Made with poblano peppers, jalapeños (for just the right amount of heat), and shredded chicken. It’s spicy, creamy and so delicious. Top each bowl of chili with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and avocado too. Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade beer bread.
If there’s one recipe my cousin Abby asks me to make every fall it’s a white chicken chili. Well, white chicken chili and a classic chicken noodle soup. I took care of the chicken noodle soup back in October so I figured it was time to cross the white chicken chili off the list too.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Abby loves soup!
For the longest time I wasn’t on the “white chicken chili” train, but I’ve changed my tune. I can’t say that I really think of this as chili though. Chili to me is always red and tomato-based. This is more like a creamy chicken soup with yummy spices and lots of poblano peppers.
However you look at it, it’s delicious. And such a nice bowl to warm up to on cold fall/winter nights.
This chili is pretty simple, here are the steps
What’s great about this chili is how quick and easy it is. You can choose to make it in one pot in less than an hour on the stove. Or cook it low and slow in the crockpot.
Start by cooking up the onion and vegetables until they smell fragrant. Then toss the chicken in spices for added flavor, then add it to the pot.
Pour in the broth and simply let the chicken simmer until it’s cooked through and shreds easily.
While the chicken is cooking, take the cream cheese and melt it in the microwave. The cream cheese is what makes this a creamy chili. You only need a little, but it really makes the chili just that much more delicious.
Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out and shred it.
Next stir the cream cheese into the chili and finish it up with that shredded chicken and some white beans. Oh, and a small handful of cheddar cheese too!
One more thing…the toppings.
Guys, the toppings are the real secret here. Most chili is delicious, but what makes a chili recipe over the top good are really yummy toppings. So you have to do them all!
I layer as follows: a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of yogurt, sliced avocados, then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro and green onions too.
And lastly, I love beer bread on the side for dipping, it’s a chili must. For a second I contemplated using tortilla chips instead. But this just needs a good simple slice of warm homemade beer bread. It’s delish.
And guys, that’s pretty much it for this one. Simple as can be, but every spoonful is so delicious. Think a little spicy, a touch creamy, filled with chicken, peppers, cheese, and all those toppings. I love a simple November dinner when the days are busy and the nights are cold!
Looking for other fall dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Lastly, if you make this Creamy White Chicken Chili be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Check out the how-to video:
Creamy White Chicken Chili
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 547 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired and chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs
- 4-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- avocado, cheddar cheese, and yogurt, for serving
- lime zest and juice, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, poblano peppers, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth. Season with more salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.2. Melt the cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. 3. Pull the chicken out and shred using 2 forks. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth, then stir in the shredded chicken, white beans, salsa verde, and cheddar cheese. Cook 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If needed, thin with additional broth. 4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Zest lime over each bowl. Eat and enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the onion, garlic, poblano peppers, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the white beans, salsa verde, cheddar, and cilantro.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired, with yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Zest lime over each bowl. Eat and enjoy!
This post was originally published on November 11, 2021
This was amazing with my left-over Turkey! Perfect antedate to Thanksgiving overload:).
Hey Gretchen,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Tried this tonight for dinner! It was the perfect hearty soup! I threw in a few tortilla chips for a little crunch. I did follow someone’s suggestion to temper the cream cheese before adding and it worked perfectly! Will definitely make again!
Hey Kristen,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Winner! I didn’t have any peppers but I did have some chipotle powder and it was really nice
Very good as always! However, as others mentioned the directions to add the cream cheese at the beginning will result in the cheese sort of separating. I did this soup in the crock pot, and usually when I see crock pot recipes with cream cheese it’s added toward the end. This was pretty easily fixed with an immersion blender (took the chicken out first), which made the soup much creamier and smoother overall. I’ll definitely make this one again!
Hey Vanessa,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Hey Julie,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
This recipe was so delicious and definitely warmed my family up on a cold early winter day. My grocery store didn’t have poblano peppers so I used 2 banana peppers and a green bell pepper instead, it tasted so good! Thank you!
Hi Meag,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Made this tonight and loved it! Thank you! Somehow I ended up home without the Jalapeño and the poblano peppers were huge so I only used one…are they normally large peppers like the Size of a large green pepper? It still tasted amazing but wanting to know if I should have used the 2 big ones and how much does the jalapeño changed the flavor
Hey Lyndsey,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Yes, poblanos are typically large like a bell pepper. Have a great weekend! xTieghan
This is probably a silly question, but I am definitely not the best cook! Could you make this if you had pre-cooked chicken? If so, would you still cook it on medium-low for 20 minutes, or skip to adding the cream cheese and remaining ingredients? Thank you so much!
Hi Brealyn,
Sure, I would still cook on low so the flavors can blend together and then just add the chicken with the cream cheese to warm through. I hope you love the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I love this recipe! So delicious!!! A new favorite. So many great flavors, and a richness that is just so good. I highly recommend this recipe…perfect for a cold day.
Hi Marlene,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
This recipe has now officially replaced my long time and previously favorite white chicken chile recipe. What a great, smokey, densely flavored version of WCC this is. I made the crock pot version and thought that the consistency was spot on. I also had no problem with mixing in the cream cheese as described in other reviews (letting it get to room temp and adding it in small portions helped, as did continuing to stir until it fully melted). My only observation is that this recipe doesn’t make enough quantity, so I will double the recipe next time. Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
A very easy dish that came together well in the crockpot. Flavor was outstanding. I didn’t have any issue with adding the cream cheese but did cut the cook time down to about 3 hours on high for the chicken.
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
This has great flavor and I too thought it was too watery for my taste. I added 1/2 cup of instant rice and simmered it for a bit longer. It thickened it up just fine and was truly the best a day later. The flavor is great!
Hi Laura,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I made this in the instant pot last night and it was delicious! So so yummy. I felt like it had a unique flavor over other tortilla soups or white chicken chilis- but a good one! I saw some people say the cream cheese didn’t mix well for them- it did for me perfectly but I think because I added it when the soup had just got done boiling and I added it a few pinches at a time and then mixed it really well and kept doing so until it was incorporated and it ended up looking very much so like the picture! Thanks Teighan!!
Hey Megan,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Any suggestions on a swap for the chicken to make this vegetarian?
Hi Lili, I have double the amount of beans. Delicious!
Hey Lili,
I would add a variety of beans in place of the chicken. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Sooooo delicious! I cant wait to make more
Hey Amanda,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I really like your recipes. I would say everything I’ve made has been a hit until this one. I’m not sure if I did something wrong but after I removed the chicken from the crockpot and shredded it, the liquid in the pot was very watery and thin and it never thickened. I kept the chicken and used it for tacos. It was good. But I had to throw out the watery soup. Was really nothing chili. Would love to know where I went wrong or if I just expected something else? ?
Hey there,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe. This is definitely more like a soup, it’s not meant to be as thick as a regular chili, that is just the consistency of a white chicken chili. Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Can I pressure cook this in the instant pot? Suggestions?!
I experimented with the pressure cooker this evening. It came out pretty good. I first sautéed the onions/garlic/peppers, browned the chicken. Added spices then the broth. I did the pressure cooker on high for 9 minutes. I added the cream cheese, beans and salsa after. Oh and I did a quick release of steam. I wouldn’t recommend the cream cheese. It didn’t mix well. It tasted good but just weird looking. I’d recommend sour cream or yogurt instead. Hope that helps!
Hi Gillian,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hey Maribeth,
Yes, that will work well for you. I would do high pressure 8 minutes with everything in the instant pot and then shred the chicken. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
husband approved. I would say it taste similar to chicken tortilla soup, without the tortillas.
Hey Cathy,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan