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One Pot White Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese: everyone’s favorite creamy chili made with pasta and extra cheese! It’s just the right amount of spicy saucy chicken chili meets creamy cheesy mac and cheese. It’s made entirely in one pot and comes together in less than an hour. Chili-seasoned chicken mixed with onions, peppers, salsa verde, and diced-up green chilies. Then add in a luscious cheesy mix of cream cheese, pepper jack, and white cheddar. Blend in elbow macaroni to create a delicious Chili Cheese Mac! It’s so simple and makes you want to say “YUM”!
There hadn’t been one day of sunshine or warmth this past week until yesterday (which was gorgeous!). We’ve had blustering snow, incredibly cold temperatures, and very winter-like weather. I can’t say I hate it, though, only because this is the one time of the year (November and December) when this kind of weather doesn’t upset me.
It’s cozy season, and I’m all about it!
My Creamy White Chicken Chili is one of my family’s top favorite cozy season dinners. It’s funny because it’s become one of our most popular recipes to date, but when I shared it, I thought for sure no one would enjoy a white chili.
But yet again, I was proven wrong! Turns out we all love a white chili!
The only thing that could make that bowl better? Adding pasta and creating a Chili Cheese Mac! Totally delicious.
Onto the Details
Ingredients
- butter
- onions
- chicken breasts
- garlic
- poblano peppers
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- broth
- cream cheese
- white beans
- salsa verde
- canned green chilies
- chilies
- melty cheese, cilantro, and greens onions
Special Tools!
None! Just a skillet with sides or an oven-safe pot that can go from the stovetop to the oven! Easy!
Step 1: start cooking the chicken
Add butter or olive oil to an oven-safe skillet with sides, then add the onions and chicken. Toss in the garlic, poblano, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and season everything with salt and pepper.
Cooking the chicken with the spices adds great flavor to the Chili Mac.
Step 2: add the broth
Now mix in some broth and let the chicken fully cook.
While the chicken is cooking, I like to shred the cheese and start prepping the toppings.
Step 3: shred the chicken
Pull the chicken out of the broth and shred it using forks or your hands.
Set the chicken aside.
Step 4: add the pasta
Next, add the pasta to the skillet along with 2 cups water. Let the pasta cook, then mix in the cream cheese, stirring until smooth.
Add the chicken back. Add the salsa verde, beans, green chilies, and half of the cheese.
Step 5: bake and serve
Top the skillet with the remaining cheese. Bake until it’s super melty, and the sauce is bubbling. It’s going to smell so good!
Pull the dish out of the oven and keep the toppings simple: just some cilantro and a few green onions.
To Serve
I love this with a salad, and because I knew my mom would enjoy it, I made some beer bread, too. You can never have too much beer bread in the fall and winter!
I love a simple November dinner when the days are busy and the nights are cold! Enjoy!
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 One Pot White Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese, 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!
One Pot White Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 703 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 salted butter or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and black pepper
- 4 cups broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 2 cups shredded melty cheese (colby, cheddar, pepper jack)
- green onions and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, add the butter, onions, and chicken and cook until fragrant, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, poblano peppers, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the broth. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked. 3. Pull the chicken out and shred using 2 forks. 4. To the pot, add the pasta and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente, stirring often. Stir in the cream cheese, shredded chicken, white beans, salsa verde, diced green chiles, and 1 cup cheese. Cook another few minutes until creamy. Remove from the heat and top with cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.5. Divide the pasta and sauce among bowls and top with green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on November 11, 2024
Would this recipe be easy to double? Cooking for 10 but really want to make this!
Hey Allison,
Totally, you will just want to be sure that your pot is large enough to handle all of the ingredients. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Wondering can you do this with extra canned green chilis instead of poblanos? Maybe fire roasted? If so, how many cans do you recommend?
Hey Nicole,
Totally, I would just use 1 small can. I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was excellent. I used a combination of medium and sharp cheddar, pepper jack and (don’t judge me) I added some Velveeta for smoothness to the sauce. Delicious. Don’t skip the poblano chilies, they make all the difference in this dish. They are not spicy, they are flavorful and they add so much.
Hey Holly,
Fantastic! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
We are a lot of this dish since it was just the 2 of us. It was so fun and tasty. The consistency was spot on. Thank you
Hey Susan,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a winner! xxT
This was DELICIOUS!!! I know several users mentioned theirs was soupy. Mine did not come out soupy AT ALL! It was perfect mac-and-cheese consistency. Maybe it could also be the vessel you are cooking in? I used my Dutch Oven, and it was great for transfer from stovetop to oven. It tasted exactly as you would expect with just the right amount of spice. It was mild enough that my young kids can eat it as well. I followed the recommendation of another user and topped mine with avocado in addition to the scallions and cilantro. Delish! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Rachel,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
Tieghan,
This recipe is so delicious! I could not even stop sampling it! Even made the Beer Bread too! Will eat the leftovers during the superbowl tomorrow! You know, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE FOOD and commercials LOL!! Mine was not soupy! The noodles soaked up as it sat on stove. It was perfect!
Thank you for a delicious meal!!
Linda
Hi Linda,
Amazing!! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend:) xx
Good recipe. Great base of flavor but thought it was missing something. Needs some heat
Hi Andrew,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
Delish! Topped with avocado (yum)
Hi Amy,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
I would love to try out this recipe trying gluten free pasta (husband can’t eat gluten), do you think the recipe would require any major edits if using GF pasta as opposed to traditional pasta?
Hi Leah,
I think a lot of readers have made this using GF pasta without any issues:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I LOVE this recipe. Mac and cheese AND white chicken chili? My idea of heaven! I used a combination of quesadilla cheese and pepper jack and all 8 oz of cream cheese and it was delicious and thick. I reconstituted some dried red Mexican chilis and used some of that water. It has the perfect bite! I simply love all your recipes! I got one of your cookbooks for Christmas and I’ve been obsessed! I told the girls in my office to pick one recipe and I would make it as part of their Christmas present.
Hi Melaina,
Wonderful! I’m so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Merry Christmas!!🎄🎁☃️
I loved this recipe! I did notice that at the top it called for white cheddar but in the listed ingredients it says colby, cheddar, and pepper jack. I would have liked white cheddar to be clarified at the bottom. Mine still turned out good though with regular cheddar!
Hi Geleya,
Awesome!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend! xxT
Great flavor! But mine stayed SUPER soupy!! Any idea why? I even skimmed off liquid before I put in the oven. So sad, I thought this would be more of a mac n cheese texture.
Hi Nic,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear yours was so soupy….mine is a touch soupy, but not too much. What kind of noodles did you use? Maybe that was the difference! xx
The whole fam loved this dish! Glad I doubled the recipe because we all were calling dibbs on the leftovers. ha!
Thanks so much, Anna:) I am so glad to hear your family loved this recipe, I appreciate you making it and sharing what worked well for you! Happy Monday! xT
An easy and delicious one pot meal! I made this for my husband and adult son this past week, and they want it to to stay on our rotation. I try new recipes weekly, and HBH is always my go-to place to find great recipes. (I think it’s because my sweet mama made the same 5-10 meals growing up. lol) I made this just as it is, and the poblano peppers were just fine. I was concerned it would have too much heat, but it was great. I used gluten free pasta which turned out great with the recipe instructions. Thanks for sharing your gift in the kitchen!
Hi Leslie,
Love to hear this! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment! So glad it turned out well! xT
I have 2 kids under 3 so I used green bell peppers instead of poblano & mild hatch green chilies. It came out delicious!!!!!! Not spicy at all. Thumbs up
Hey there,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Happy December:) xT
Tasted wonderful. I do think I like the comments that would make it a bit more mac and cheese like with less water/broth. I’m guessing this wouldn’t freeze all that well – but what do you think?
Hey Marci,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I think it would be okay for you to freeze:) Happy Holidays! XxT