Crockpot white chicken chili is one of those hearty and comforting chicken recipes that’s loaded with chicken, hominy, beans, peppers, and delicious spices to make this a home run! All those bold lively layers of flavor dancing around in your mouth awaken an undeniable craving for more.
This crockpot chili recipe is one of those recipes that doesn’t use tomatoes, and you won’t mind at all with all the other flavors going on! If you’re looking for a red version, try our chicken chili. If you need a quicker white chili version, try our stovetop white chicken chili. I hope you’ll also try our two most popular chilis on our site, Texas chili, and classic chili (my Mom’s famous recipe!!) next!
Let’s make this chili!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE
- Lots of aromatics
- Scrumptious flavor
- Plenty of veggies
- Full of protein and tasty spices
- Great make-ahead freezer meal
CROCKPOT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Broth: Start with low-sodium chicken broth.
- Hominy: Adds a unique earthy, light corn flavor. We blend it until smooth to load our chili with flavor!
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil.
- Onion: Use either white or yellow onion.
- Jalapeño: Most of the heat of the pepper is contained in the ribs and seeds. Remove them or leave them in to control the heat of the dish.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic, please! Not the stuff that comes pre-minced suspended in that weird, off-tasting liquid.
- Spices: We use a combination of cumin, oregano, and coriander to create the perfect flavor.
- Better Than Bouillon: This ingredient fortifies the chicken flavor in the broth. It’s fabulous!
- Beans: Because this is “white chili”, I stick with white beans. Feel free to mix them up.
- Chicken: I like chicken thighs for this chili.
- Chiles: I use convenient jarred chiles. I like to buy them chopped to save even more time. If you’d prefer fresh, use poblanos. Roast and peel them first!
- Salt + Black Pepper: Creates the foundational seasoning of the chili.
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite to taste.
CROCKPOT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI TIPS
- Sauté: Sautéing the veggies and aromatics is essential to this recipe. It helps reduce bitterness in the vegetables while bringing out their deep aromas and sweeter flavors. Sautéing the seasonings with the veggies is also essential to because it brings out the deeper more complex flavor profile and essential aromas.
- Fond: Sautéing also builds a fond which makes the most delicious base for your white bean chicken chili.To ensure all that deliciousness gets into your crockpot, you’ll need to deglaze the pan. This is a simple process where you use a liquid to remove all the flavored pieces from the bottom of a pan after cooking proteins or veggies.
- Rest It! When your chicken first comes out of the crockpot, it needs to rest before you shred it. Shredding or cutting meat immediately after cooking allows all the yummy juices and flavors to drain out creating a dry product.
- Better Than Bouillon: This seasoning is a far cry from the salty bouillon cubes that are supposed to taste like chicken. It’s a paste made from meats, veggies, and spices which allows you to measure just the right amount.
- Bone-In! Using bone-in chicken thighs is another way to add big flavor to your crockpot white chicken chili! Believe it or not, the bones give your chicken flavor and dark meat has more fat than white meat which adds a ton of flavor. It also doesn’t dry out as much when being simmered for long periods.
- Add Cream Cheese: For a really creamy dish, you can make chili cream cheese style by tossing some in.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- Storing: This crockpot white chicken chili recipe is one of those dishes that gets even better after it’s made. Simply toss it in the fridge in an airtight container with a secure lid to keep it fresh.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your crockpot white chicken chili will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored properly. It should be kept at or below 40º Fahrenheit and it helps to reserve the 2-hour serving rule if you’re feeding a large group.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes. You can freeze your chili. Just let it cool to the proper temperature before putting it in a freezer-safe container. It makes a fantastic freezer meal on those busy days when you want something really good. The flavors seem to take the extra time to develop even more if that’s even possible.
- Make Ahead Tips: You can chop the veggies the day before. Just toss them in an airtight container in the fridge for the next day.
- Sometimes I like to make a double batch and freeze one of them, so I have it for later.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
Is there anything better with chili than cornbread? Well, I’ve got so many choices for you. It comes down to what you like in cornbread. If you like sweet cornbread, our Jiffy cornbread recipe, honey butter cornbread, sweet cornbread, or Bisquick cornbread. Feeling like a more savory version, our jalapeño cornbread or Southern cornbread both for that bill!
Our practically no-knead bread or beer bread are also delicious alongside if cornbread isn’t your thing!
We also like a crunchy salad on the side like our KFC coleslaw or pineapple coleslaw, 1905 salad, carrot salad, strawberry salad, or strawberry spinach salad!
MORE CHILI RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!
- Steak Chili
- Instant Pot Chili
- Boiler Maker Chili
- Turkey Chili
- Crockpot Chicken Chili
- Pioneer Woman Chili
- Alton Brown Chili
- Mole Turkey Chili
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Eating crockpot white chicken chili leaves your taste buds bathing in bold massive flavors and beckons to hungry tummies within smelling distance.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 (29-ounce) can Hominy drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups yellow onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon chicken flavor
- 4 (15-ounce) cans white beans
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin removed
- 1 (7-ounce) can Ortega green chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Toppings: optional
- crushed tortilla chips
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- Combine drained hominy (1 can) and 1 cup of chicken broth in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Pour into crockpot.
- Add oil (2 tablespoons) to a 12-inch skillet and heat until shimmering, over medium heat. Add onion (2 cups), jalapeno (1), garlic (6 cloves), cumin (1 1/2 tablespoons), oregano (1 tablespoon), and coriander (1 tablespoon) and cook, stirring often, until veggies are soft and beginning to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and Better Than Bouillon (1 tablespoon) and scrap the bottom of the skillet to loosen up any brown bits. Pour into crockpot.
- Add white beans (4 cans), green chili (1 can), salt (1/2 teaspoon), black pepper (1 teaspoon), and Tabasco (1/2 teaspoon) and stir mixture. Nestle chicken pieces (4) into the bean mixture. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken from crockpot. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken, removing and discarding bones. Add shredded chicken back to chili and mix in.
- Ladle chili into serving bowls and add toppings.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Sauté: Sautéing the veggies and aromatics is essential to this recipe. It helps reduce bitterness in the vegetables while bringing out their deep aromas and sweeter flavors. Sautéing the seasonings with the veggies is also essential to because it brings out the deeper more complex flavor profile and essential aromas.
- Fond: Sautéing also builds a fond which makes the most delicious base for your white bean chicken chili. To ensure all that deliciousness gets into your crockpot, you’ll need to deglaze the pan. This is a simple process where you use a liquid to remove all the flavored pieces from the bottom of a pan after cooking proteins or veggies.
- Rest It! When your chicken first comes out of the crockpot, it needs to rest before you shred it. Shredding or cutting meat immediately after cooking allows all the yummy juices and flavors to drain out creating a dry product.
- Better Than Bouillon: This seasoning is a far cry from the salty bouillon cubes that are supposed to taste like chicken. It’s a paste made from meats, veggies, and spices which allows you to measure just the right amount.
- Bone-In! Using bone-in chicken thighs is another way to add a big flavor to your crockpot white chicken chili! Believe it or not, the bones give your chicken flavor and dark meat has more fat than white meat which adds a ton of flavor. It also doesn’t dry out as much when being simmered for long periods.
- Add Cream Cheese: For a really creamy dish, you can make chili cream cheese style by tossing some in.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1200mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 16.7mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2.3mg
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How long would you cook this in a instant pot?
Hi Patti! You’ll have to cook this on high for 10 minutes. You can check out my Instant Pot White Chicken Chili recipe for more instructions. Happy cooking!
This is sooo comforting!! <3
Thank you! 🙂