Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili is the slow cooker's answer to a gray fall afternoon: chicken that shreds into silky strands, creamy white beans, sweet corn and green chiles in a broth that tastes like it simmered on a stove all day, when in fact you spent fifteen minutes on it in the morning. It is lighter than a red beef chili and every bit as satisfying at the table.

The seasoning is warm rather than hot — cumin and oregano doing the heavy lifting, green chiles bringing green, gentle heat — which makes it the chili that pleases the whole table, including the people who reach past our Slow Cooker Turkey Pumpkin Chili for something milder. A handful of cream cheese melted in at the end gives the broth its body without any flour or fuss.

Set out the toppings and let everyone build their own bowl: sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, lime, cilantro, a shake of hot sauce for the brave. Like everything in our Slow Cooker and Casseroles collection, it reheats beautifully and tastes better on day two, which is a strong argument for making the full pot.

Cream cheese goes in last, always

Dairy and long slow cooking do not get along — cream cheese added at the start can separate into grainy flecks over four hours and lose its silk. Stirred in at the end, off the long cook, it melts into the hot broth in minutes and turns it creamy and cohesive. Cut it into cubes and let it sit on the counter during the last hour of cooking; room-temperature cubes melt faster and smoother than fridge-cold ones.

Mash a few beans for body

Before the cream cheese goes in, ladle out about a cup of the beans and broth, mash them roughly with a fork, and stir them back. The released starch thickens the chili naturally, giving it that spoon-coating body without any thickener. It is an old soup-maker's trick and it works in any bean chili or chowder — do it before the dairy goes in, while the broth is still plain.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 150 g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 9 g)
• 2 (15 oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (about 850 g total)
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles (115 g)
• 1 cup frozen corn (145 g)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (480 ml)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (4 g)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (1 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (1.5 g)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes (115 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (15 ml)
• Sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack, avocado and cilantro, to serve

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Load the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Scatter the onion and garlic over the top, then add the white beans, green chiles with their liquid, corn and chicken broth. Sprinkle the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper evenly over everything and stir gently around the chicken, keeping the breasts mostly submerged.
2. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and shreds easily and the beans are creamy. Avoid lifting the lid during the first hours — each peek costs the cooker its accumulated heat.
3. Shred the chicken. Lift the chicken onto a board and shred it with two forks into bite-size strands. It should pull apart with almost no resistance; if it fights you, it needs another 20 to 30 minutes in the pot.
4. Thicken with mashed beans. Ladle about 1 cup of beans and broth into a bowl and mash them roughly with a fork until creamy. Stir the mash back into the chili — the broth will visibly gain body. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir it through.
5. Melt in the cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese and stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes, until it has completely melted into the broth and the chili looks creamy and uniform. If any small flecks remain, cover the pot for 5 minutes off the heat and stir again.
6. Finish and serve. Stir in the lime juice — it brightens the whole pot — and taste for salt. Ladle into warm bowls and set out sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce so everyone can finish their own bowl.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Leftovers keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and genuinely improve overnight as the flavors marry. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often, with a splash of broth or milk if it has thickened — avoid a hard boil, which can make the creamy broth separate. The chili freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above, stirring in a spoonful of sour cream at the end to refresh it. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

★★★★★★★★★★ FryDaily kitchen score 4.8/5 — our own editorial rating from testing, not reader reviews.

Creamy, gently spiced and hands-off — the white chili that cooks itself all afternoon.

Yield: 6 servings  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep15 minutes

Cook4 hours

Total4 hours 15 minutes

Servings6 servings

Calories390 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 150 g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 9 g)
• 2 (15 oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (about 850 g total)
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles (115 g)
• 1 cup frozen corn (145 g)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (480 ml)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (4 g)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (1 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (1.5 g)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes (115 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (15 ml)
• Sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack, avocado and cilantro, to serve

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Load the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Scatter the onion and garlic over the top, then add the white beans, green chiles with their liquid, corn and chicken broth. Sprinkle the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper evenly over everything and stir gently around the chicken, keeping the breasts mostly submerged.
2. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and shreds easily and the beans are creamy. Avoid lifting the lid during the first hours — each peek costs the cooker its accumulated heat.
3. Shred the chicken. Lift the chicken onto a board and shred it with two forks into bite-size strands. It should pull apart with almost no resistance; if it fights you, it needs another 20 to 30 minutes in the pot.
4. Thicken with mashed beans. Ladle about 1 cup of beans and broth into a bowl and mash them roughly with a fork until creamy. Stir the mash back into the chili — the broth will visibly gain body. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir it through.
5. Melt in the cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese and stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes, until it has completely melted into the broth and the chili looks creamy and uniform. If any small flecks remain, cover the pot for 5 minutes off the heat and stir again.
6. Finish and serve. Stir in the lime juice — it brightens the whole pot — and taste for salt. Ladle into warm bowls and set out sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce so everyone can finish their own bowl.

Calories: 390 kcalProtein: 36 gCarbohydrates: 32 gFat: 13 gSaturated fat: 6 gSodium: 760 mgFiber: 7 gSugar: 4 g

Tested in the FryDaily kitchen, October 2026. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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