5.0 from 1 vote

White chicken chili is my absolute favorite chili! A little spicy, a little creamy and perfectly filling. And I love this recipe because it can’t get much easier. Simply add the ingredients into a preheated crockpot and let them cook for about 4 hours. White chicken chili is perfect for a game day, holiday gathering, or a cozy night at home!

Table of Contents

Ingredients
How to Make White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot
Suggestions and Substitutions

Ingredients

3 15 oz cans white beans, drained – you can use canelli or navy beans. I opt for low sodium varieties.
1 15 oz can hominy, drained – I love using hominy in this recipe because of its soft, chewy texture. It reminds me of tiny corn dumplings! Hominy is simply corn that has been treated in an alkali solution (a process called nixtamalization) to soften and partially remove the indigestible outer husk of the corn. As a result, hominy is more flavorful and easy to digest! You can substitute for a can of yellow or white corn, if preferred.
2 4 oz cans of diced green chilis, drained – I use mild, but you can use hatch or hot green chilies to spice it up!
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 taco seasoning packet (1-1.5 oz)- I like Siete’s Mild Taco Seasoning, but you can use your favorite mix!
2 lbs cooked, shredded chicken – I cook my chicken breasts or thighs in the dutch oven ahead of time, but you can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover roasted chicken or canned chicken!
1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed
1 tbsp lime juice

How to Make White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot

Turn the crockpot on high while you gather and prep your ingredients. Pre-heating the crockpot is a trick I love to use to speed up the cook time!

Add the beans, hominy, broth, onion, garlic and seasoning packet to the crockpot and stir.

Add the shredded chicken to the top of the mixture in the crockpot. Add the cubed cream cheese to the top of the chicken.

Cover the crockpot and switch the heat to low. Allow the contents to cook for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, stir the contents to combine and allow to simmer for another 1-2 hours.

The chili is ready when the beans are soft and the ingredients are well combined. Once the chili is ready, stir in the lime juice and serve!

Suggestions and Substitutions

I recommend layering the ingredients so the beans and onions are most exposed to the hot part of the crock pot for the first hours of cooking. Layering also prevents the cream cheese from over-cooking or burning.
Pre-heating the crockpot on high is a great time saver! Just remember to switch it back to low when you add your ingredients.
If you’d like to cook your white chicken chili on high in the crock pot, decrease the cook time by an hour and stir the mixture once an hour until the beans are soft.
Seasoning packets are quick and convenient, but if you don’t have one on hand, use 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper.
You can substitute the hominy for a can of yellow or white kernel corn.
I’ve made this with chicken breasts and chicken thighs – both are delicious! I use my recipe for shredded chicken because it is so flavorful, juicy and healthy! You can make your chicken ahead of time or use pre-cooked chicken from the store! This is also a great way to use leftover chicken or turkey.