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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
We didn’t like this chili. It really was more like soup. The skins came off the peppers during the time on the stove. The cream cheese curdled/clumped despite it being room temp and warmed in microwave. It was way too much work for the result. Also, not much flavor and I used all the peppers! The recipe that I printed from the website did not list any salsa verde. That would’ve helped the flavor.
Hey Trish,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
How long do you let the beans and salsa verde cook when you are using crockpot? Last hour or so? Thanks! I love all your recipes and can’t wait for your new cookbook!
Hey Eve,
Just until the chicken and beans are warmed through. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Great flavors! I did add another can of beans and I used a rotisserie chicken so it came together quickly.
Hey Sonia,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this soup today in the crock pot and thought it was fantastic, with a few of my own tweaks and tweaks from the other comments added in.
1) I’m a baby when it comes to spice, so I left out the jalapeño but subbed in a 7 oz can of mild green chiles plus one extra poblano pepper for a little more flavor.
2) Right after assembling, I saw the other comments re the cream cheese clumping so I took a spoon and scooped the cream cheese back out. I let it sit out for a few hours, then took some hot broth out of the crock pot to mix with the cream cheese before adding back to the crock pot. It worked great. There were a couple small globs of cream cheese that I wasn’t able to get out of the crock pot when I first put it in and those did clump up but I was able to get the clumps out by skimming a mesh strainer over the top.
3) In my opinion, white chicken chili does tend to be more soup than chili so I understand the comments on consistency, but it seemed fairly normal to me. I added a can of corn and a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice (cooked) at the very end, which definitely thickened it up.
4) For more flavor, I doubled the cheddar cheese and the salsa verde amounts.
I served with a big pinch of pepper, avocado, cilantro and yea okay even MORE cheddar, plus the suggested beer bread (well buttered, of course). Fantastic!
Hey Haley,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
Made this last night, and it was so delicious. Super fast and easy. My 4yr old loved it, and ate his entire bowl (and he rarely eats dinner). Poblanos weren’t spicy, but added a nice flavor. I skipped the jalapeño. Adding lime juice on top is key to balancing out the cilantro flavor and give the overall soup a little zing. I used chicken thighs because they’re more flavorful, and don’t dry out. Mine looked just like the pictures.
It fed three adults with just enough for one bowl of leftovers, which was perfect since I need to make room for Thanksgiving food. Another winner for the rotation.
Hey Tracy,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
So delicious! I added more vegetables and skipped the beans because I am not a fan. I also kicked up the spice a bit by leaving the seeds in one poblano pepper and the jalapeno. So delicious! Definitely on our must make again list!
Hey Nicki,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was so good, my entire family devoured it!
Hey Heather,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
Another winner! Love the flavor, added corn and made the beer bread with it. So delicious and savory!
Hey there,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
This turned out quite well in the end, but after doing a double take at the amount of broth and reading the comments about it being more like soup than chili, I cut it down to 4 cups, didn’t cover it while cooking and increased the cheddar to 1 cup — perfect chili consistency! I also didn’t melt the cream cheese but rather whisked it in at room temperature, and it was incorporated into the chili perfectly. Flavor was great with the poblanos and jalapeno, and I’ll be making this one again!
Hey Helen,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
We made this with a few tweaks – chicken thighs and pinto beans because it’s what we had! My only “complaint” is that I couldn’t get the cream cheese to fully immerse in the soup. And it wasn’t as creamy as I would’ve expected a chili to be. Next time I’ll pull broth out and use an immersion blender before adding the cream cheese back in. Flavors were delicious! We added tortilla chips as a topping. 🙂 We will make it again!
Hey Michelle,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
Another keeper! My daughter and I don’t like onions, so I left them out and added a half teaspoon of onion powder. Also added an extra can of white beans and a cup of corn. It was delicious, and just the right amount of heat! Thanks for a great fall recipe!
Hey Lynn,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
Made this tonight & it was fabulous! Everybody loved it! The only change I made was adding black beans instead of white – just my personal preference. Oh, and I did the stove top prep a couple of hours before dinner, and by the time we were ready to eat the flavors had melded perfectly. A definite redo! I give you tons of credit for creating and sharing your great recipes. Makes my life easier (LOL but true!) Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Molly,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
My husband made this last weekend and it was amazing! Thank you for so many simple and delicious recipes!
Hey Chelsea,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
This had great flavor. More of a soup than chili but would definitely make again.
Hey Sheila,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
Is there anything you can substitute the cream cheese with? I made this in the slow cooker and instead of making the soup creamy the cream cheese just formed weird little globs. Thx
I’m having the exact same issue as we speak. Nothing is breaking it up.
We had the same problem.
Hey Melissa,
It’s really important that when adding cream cheese to a recipe you have it at room temp, this will prevent it from clumping. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan